Clause And Its Types – Definition, Types, Examples

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Clause And Its Types
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Clause And Its Types – In English Grammar

Clauses are an essential part of the English Language, and mastering their use can greatly improve your sentences and help avoid grammar mistakes.

A clause is composed of a group of words that include a subject and a finite verb. It contains only one subject and one verb. The subject of a clause can be mentioned or hidden, but the verb must be apparent and distinguishable.

Do you want to know about clause and Its types and how to use them in sentences?

A clause is “a group of words containing a subject and predicate and functioning as a member of a complex or compound sentence.

Clause and Its types used in sentences:

  • I graduated last year. (One clause sentence)
  • When I came here, I saw him. (Two clause sentence)
  • When I came here, I saw him, and he greeted me. (Three clause sentence)

Clause And Its Types

Clauses are classified into 2 types according to behavior in a sentence. They’re:

  • Dependent Clause
  • Independent Clause

1. Dependent Clause

A dependent clause, on the other hand, cannot stand alone as a sentence and is dependent on an independent clause to make sense.

Clauses used in sentences:

  • After we reached home, we watched a movie.
  • Everybody knows the boy who won the Best Outgoing Student Award.
  • My mom asked me to call her as soon as I boarded the bus.

 The types of dependent clauses are:

Noun Clauses

Dependent Clauses acting as Nouns in sentences are called Noun Clauses or Nominal Clauses.

I.e. These often start with “how,” “that,” other WH-Family (What, Who, Where, When, Why, Which, Whose and Whom), if, whether etc.

Noun Clauses used in sentences:

  • What he said made me angry.
  • Whether we go to the party is up to you.
  • That she won the award was no surprise.

Adjective Clauses

An adjective clause is a dependent type of clause which modifies nouns or pronouns in your main clause.

Adjective Clauses used in sentences:

  • I’m looking for the red book that went missing last week.
  • Finn is asking for the shoes which used to belong to his dad.
  • The car which he bought last week is very fast.

Adverb Clauses

An adverb clause is a  group of words which contains a subject and a predicate of its own, and does the work of an adverb.

Note: It can modify a verb, an adjective or an adverb in the principal clause.

Adverb Clauses used in sentences:

  •  They rested at sunset. (rested when?)
  • Tina ran to the point of panting vehemently. (point whom?)
  • I went through the book at a lightning speed. (whose book?)

2. Independent Clause

An independent clause, as mentioned earlier, can stand on its own as a sentence and expresses a complete thought.

Note: In a sentence two independent clauses can be connected by the coordinators: and, but, so, or, nor, for, yet.

Independent Clauses used in sentences:

  • Today is Wednesday.
  • I was not keeping well, so I took a day off work.
  • When I met you, I did not think we would get this close.

FAQs

Here are a few examples of clauses that you can refer to.

  • I know how to drive a car.
  • Though Malcom did not find the movie interesting.
  • When I met you.

Yes, of course, Dependent clauses can be divided into types based on their function. The types of dependent clauses are noun clauses, adjective clauses, adverb clauses, conditional clauses, relative clauses, comparative clauses, verbless clauses and complementary clauses.

Conclusion

By mastering the use of clause and its types, you can create more complex sentences, clarify relationships between ideas, and avoid common mistakes. 

Remember to always check for subject-verb agreement and proper punctuation when using clauses in your writing. Soon, you will become a master of English grammar and take your writing and communication skills to the next level. Thanks for reading.

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