Clauses Ed McCorduck English 402--Grammar SUNY Cortland .

Clauses

Ed McCorduckEnglish 402--GrammarSUNY Cortland http://mccorduck.cortland.edu

•clause - a phrase consisting of one of the ten sentence patterns

•sentence - at least one clause beginning with a capital letter and ending in stop punctuation (e.g., a period, exclamation mark or question mark)

All (complete) sentences are clauses, but not all clauses are sentences.

slide 2: clauses vs. sentences

English 402: Grammar

There are two main types of clauses:

•independent clause (a.k.a. “main clause”) – can be a sentence by itself

•dependent clause – cannot be a sentence by itself (must be combined with an independent clause in a sentence)

o subordinate clause – a dependent clause joined to an independent clause by a subordinator (e.g., when, after, before, while, whereas, because, since, if)

slide 3: independent clauses vs. dependent clauses


There are four main types of sentences:

•simple (contains only one independent clause)

ex

Dexter is kind.

independent clause

Pattern II

slide 4: simple sentences


• compound (two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinator, e.g., and, but, or)

ex

Dexter is kind, and he never cusses.

independent clause independent clause

Pattern II Pattern VI

slide 5: compound sentences


• complex (an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses in one sentence)

ex

Dexter is kind when he’s sober.

independent clause subordinator independent clause

Pattern II Pattern II

cf. When he’s sober.

a “sentence fragment” and an “error” in prescriptive grammar

slide 6: complex sentences


exx

Dexter never cusses when he’s sober or

independent clause subordinator dependent clause

(when) his probation officer is in the room.

subordinator dependent clause

Dexter never cusses when he’s sober or

independent clause subordinator dependent clause

after his probation officer enters the room.

subordinator dependent clause

slide 7: examples of complex sentences that are even more complex


•compound/complex (two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause)

ex

Dexter is kind and he never cusses when he’s sober.

independent clause coordinator independent clause dependent clause

slide 8: compound/complex sentences


cf.

Dexter is kind and considerate when he’s sober.

independent clause coordinator coordinate adjective dependent clause

complex sentence

Dexter never cusses when his probation officer or

independent clause subordinator coordinate subject

his mother-in-law is in the room.

coordinate subject

complex sentence

(when his probation officer or his mother is in the room – dependent clause)

slide 9: false compound/complex sentences


As noted in my “Adverbs and Adverbials” lecture, clauses—especially dependent clauses—can function as adverbials in sentences.

slide 10: clauses as adverbials


She slapped him because he was getting annoying.

main (independent) clause dependent clause (with subordinator because, subj he and predicate was getting annoying) functioning as an adverbial

(answers the question “Why?”)

Because he was getting annoying, she slapped him.

adverbial m.c.

slide 11: examples of clauses functioning as adverbials


She slapped him when he crawled home late.

main (independent) clause dependent clause (with subordinator when, subj he and predicate crawled home late) functioning as an adverbial

(answers the question “When?”, or maybe “Why?”)

When he crawled home late, she slapped him.

adverbial m.c.(more likely “Why?” than “When?”)

slide 12: more examples of adverbial clauses


In Reed-Kellogg diagrams, dependent clauses functioning as adverbials are diagrammed using a dashed/dotted slanted line that runs from the horizontal line of the main clause—starting underneath the main verb, as adverbials of other types that we have seen have done—to a position close to but not touching a separate diagram of the clause. For example, here is the Reed-Kellogg diagram of the sentence She slapped him when he arrived:

slide 13: Reed-Kellogg diagrams of sentences with adverbial clauses


example of a Reed-Kellogg diagram of a sentence with an adverb clause


Reed-Kellogg diagrams when an adverbial clause comes first in a sentence


Note that even if on the surface the adverbial dependent is moved to the beginning of the sentence, in the Reed-Kellogg diagram the adverbial clause still occurs in its normal position as an adverbial, i.e., joined by a dashed/dotted slanting line to under the main horizontal line after the subject/predicate vertical dividing line. Only the capitalization of the first letter of the subordinator indicates the relative position on the surface of the dependent and main clauses. Thus, here is the Reed-Kellogg diagram of the sentence When he arrived, she slapped him:

example of a Reed-Kellogg diagrams when an adverbial clause comes first in a sentence


Clauses Ed McCorduck English 402--Grammar SUNY Cortland .

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