What is a clause?
Transcript of What is a clause?
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What is a clause?
D. Cifu
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What is a clause?
• A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb.
• A clause MUST have a subject and a verb. Without a subject and a verb, you
merely have a phrase.
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Example & Non Example
• Example: The dog slept.
• This is a clause because is has a subject and a verb.
• Not an example: In the house.
• This is a prepositional phrase, so it is not a clause.
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Example
• If we put these examples together: In the house, the dog slept.
• Though there are two parts to this sentence, there is only one clause. The
part of the sentence before the comma is an introductory prepositional
phrase. Since there is not subject or verb in the prepositional phrase, that
part of the sentence is not a clause. However, the second part of the
sentence contains a subject and a verb and is, therefore, a clause.
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Independent Clauses
• What is an independent clause?
• An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence.
• Example: The dog slept.
• This clause makes a complete sentence, so it is independent.
• Not an example: When Matt called me.
• This is an example of a clause, because it contains a subject and a verb. However, this clause does not make an entire sentence by itself—it is a dependent clause.
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Dependent Clauses
• What is a dependent clause?
• A dependent clause contains a subject and a verb, but it does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence.
• An example...again: When Matt called me.
• This is an example of a dependent clause. It’s needy, and it needs and independent friend.
• Here’s a nice, well-rounded sentence: I was surprised when Matt called me.
• This sentence has an independent and a dependent clause.
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Dependent Clauses and Their Needs
• As I said, dependent clauses are needy. They need an independent clause to
make a sentence, but they also need a subordinating conjunction. Here’s a
list of subordinating conjunctions:
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Subordinating Conjunctions
after
although
as
because
before
even if
even though
if
in order that
once
provided that
rather than
since
so that
than
that
though
unless
until
when
whenever
where
whereas
wherever
whether
while
why
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Practice Time!
1. I did not eat lunch since I had a late breakfast.
2. I cannot drive because I am too tired.
3. Because I left my homework at home, I received a failing grade.
4. If I don’t go to bed now, I will be tired tomorrow.
5. Now, write a sentence of your own with an independent clause, a dependent clause, and a subordinating conjunction. Identify each component by underlining the dependent clause twice, the independent clause once, and circling or labeling the subordinating conjunction.