Objectives:

Discuss clauses and its types;

Identify whether the given
sentences is dependent or
independent;
Given the sentences, find out the
principal and subordinate clause
or clauses.
What Are Clauses?
A clause is a group of words that includes a
subject and a verb.
A clause can be distinguished from a phrase,
which does not contain a subject and a verb (e.g.,
in the afternoon, drinking from the bowl).
 Anindependent clause can express a complete
thought (and can be a standalone sentence). A
dependent clause is usually a supporting part of
a sentence, and it cannot stand by itself as a
meaningful proposition (idea).
Examples of Independent Clauses
 Here are some examples of independent
clauses
 • Tara ate a cheese roll after she watched
the news.
 • Even though his mother was a driving
instructor, my cousin failed his driving test
six times.
 • A computer once beat me at chess but was
no match for me at kick boxing. (Louis Hector
Berlioz)
Examples of Dependent Clauses
 Here are the same examples with the dependent clauses
shaded:
 • Tara ate a cheese roll after she watched the news.
 • Even though his mother was a driving instructor, my
cousin failed his driving test six times.
 • A computer once beat me at chess but was no match
for me at kick boxing.
 These three dependent clauses could have been
independent clauses.
 However, the opening word(s) (in these examples after,
Even though, and but) turned them into dependent
clauses.
 The opening words are known as dependent words, the
main type of which is subordinating conjunctions.
How Are Clauses Used in Sentences?
 Clausescan play a variety of roles in
sentences. A clause can act as a noun, an
adjective, or an adverb.
Noun Clauses
• I cannot remember what I said last night.
 Compare the example above to this:
 • I cannot remember my speech.
What Are Noun Clauses?
 A noun clause is a clause that plays the role of a noun.
 For example
 • I like what I see.
 • I know that the tide is turning.
 • I've met the man who won the lottery.
 Compare the three examples above to these:
 • I like cakes.
 • I know London.
 • I've met Madonna.
 The words in bold are all nouns. This shows that shaded clauses in the first three
examples are functioning as nouns, making them noun clauses.
 Like any noun, a noun clause can be a subject, an object, or a complement.
 In a sentence, a noun clause will be a dependent clause.
 In other words, a noun clause does not stand alone as a complete thought.
Examples of Noun Clauses
 Here are some examples of noun clauses:
 • A person who trusts no one can't be trusted. (Jerome Blattner)
 • That he believes his own story is remarkable. (Jerome Blattner)
 • Ask your child what he wants for dinner only if he's buying. (Fran
Lebowitz)
 • He knows all about art, but he doesn't know what he likes. (James
Thurber, 1894-1961)
 • It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has
descended from man. (H L Mencken, 1880-1956)
 • I never know how much of what I say is true. (Bette Midler)
 • Man is what he eats. (Ludwig Feuerbach)
 • My one regret in life is that I am not someone else. (Woody Allen)
 • An economist is a man who states the obvious in terms of the
incomprehensible. (Alfred A Knopf)
Definition of a Noun Clause
A noun clause is a clause that functions as a
noun. However, for many, that definition is too
generic. A multi-word noun will often contain
another type of clause, usually an adjective
clause, which provides the verb required for a
clause.
 • I've met the man who won the lottery.
 Here is another example:
 • A cynic is a man who looks around for a
coffin when he smells flowers. (H L Mencken,
1880-1956)
Adjective Clauses
 • My dog, who usually refuses to go near the water, dived
in the canal to chase a water vole.
 Compare the example above to this:
 • My water-shy dog dived in the canal to chase a water
vole.
What Is an Adjective Clause?
 When we think of an adjective, we usually think about a
single word used before a noun to modify its meanings
 However, an adjective can also come in the form of an
adjective clause.
 An adjective clause usually comes after the noun it
modifies and is made up of several words which, like all
clauses, will include a subject and a verb.
Examples of Adjective Clauses
• The carpets which you bought last year
have gone moldy.
 • The film which you recommended scared
the kids half to death.
 • The follies which a man regrets most in his
life are those which he didn't commit when
he had the opportunity. (Helen Rowland,
1876-1950)
 • Bore: a person who talks when you wish
him to listen.
 The Components of an Adjective Clause
 An adjective clause (which can also be called
an adjectival clause or a relative clause) will
have the following three traits:
 • It will start with a relative pronoun (who,
whom, whose, that, or which) or a relative
adverb (when, where, or why).
 • It will have a subject and a verb.
 • It will tell us something about the noun.
Look at the three traits in this example
Quite often, the relative pronoun is the subject
of the clause
The Relative Pronoun Can Be Omitted
 It is common for the relative pronoun to be
omitted. Look at these examples:
 • The carpets which you bought last year have
gone moldy.
 • The film which you recommended scared the
kids half to death.
 • The follies which a man regrets most in his life
are those which he didn't commit when he had
the opportunity. (Helen Rowland, 1876-1950)
 This is not always possible though:
 • Bore: a person who talks when you wish him to
listen.
 Commas or No Commas around an
Adjective Clause?
 The big question with an adjective clause is
whether to offset it with commas or not.
 The rule is this:
 • Don't use commas if your clause is essential;
i.e., it is required to identify its noun. (This is
called a restrictive clause.)
 • Do use commas if your clause is just additional
information. (This is called a non-restrictive
clause.)
 This is a good test: If you would happily put
brackets around it or delete it, then use commas.
Example of a non-restrictive clause:
Additional example:
• My brother, who claimed to have a limp,
sprinted after the bus.
 Put it in brackets
 • My brother (who claimed to have a limp)
sprinted after the bus.
 Delete it
 • My brother sprinted after the bus.
restrictive clause
Additional example

• The tramp who claimed to have a limp

sprinted after the bus.
 • The tramp (who claimed to have a limp)
sprinted after the bus.
 • The tramp sprinted after the bus.
Remember
 Ifan adjective clause could be removed without
wrecking the sentence then it should be offset with
commas. (You could equally use brackets or dashes.)
 A clause which can be safely removed is called a
non-restrictive clause.
 A restrictive clause, on the other hand, is one which
cannot be removed because it's essential to the
sentence. Restrictive clauses are not offset with
commas.
 For example:
 • The man who lives next door is getting ruder.
 • Councilor Simon Smith, who lives next door, is
getting ruder.
When to Use Commas with Who and Which
 Often there is confusion about when to use commas with who and which.
 The rule is: If the information provided by the who and which clause (called a
relative clause) is just additional information, then it must be separated from the
rest of the sentence with commas.
 In other words, if you'd happily put brackets around it, then you must at least put
commas around it.
 Examples:
 • His youngest daughter, who was born on 16 June 1972, swam the channel.
 • James Baker's cat made its own way home after it was accidentally left on
the beach at Scarborough. James, who has lived in our village for 10 years, has
just won the lottery.

 • William Scott is a millionaire. William who bought his first house in the '80s is
estimated to be worth more than 10 million pounds.
Adverbial Clauses
 Anadverbial clause is a group of words which
plays the role of an adverb. (Like all clauses, an
adverbial clause will contain a subject and a
verb.)
 For example:
• Keep hitting the gong hourly.
• Keep hitting the gong until I tell you to stop.
 In
the examples above, the normal adverb and
adverbial clause both tell us when the gong is to
be hit. They are both adverbs of time.
All adverbs (including adverbial clauses) can
usually be categorized as one of the following:
 Adverbs of Time
 An adverb of time states when something happens or how
often. An adverb of time often starts with one of the
following subordinating conjunctions:
 after, as, as long as, as soon as, before, no sooner than,
since, until, when, or while. Here are some examples:
 • After the game has finished, the king and pawn go into
the same box. (Italian Proverb)
 • I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother
took me to see him in a department store, and he asked
for my autograph. (Shirley Temple)
 • As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.
(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Adverbs of Place
 An adverb of place states where something
happens. An adverb of place often starts with a
preposition (e.g., in, on, near) or one of the
following subordinating conjunctions: anywhere,
everywhere, where, or wherever.
 Here are some examples:
 • In a world where there is so much to be done, I
felt strongly impressed that there must be
something for me to do. (Dorothea Dix)
 • I am not afraid of the pen, the scaffold, or the
sword. I will tell the truth wherever I please.
(Mother Jones)
Adverbs of Manner
 An adverb of manner states how something is
done.
 An adverb of manner often starts with one of the
following subordinating conjunctions: as, like, or
the way.
 Here are some examples:
 • He acts like it is a joke.
 • We don't have conversations. You talk at me
the way a teacher talks to a naughty student.
 • Except for an occasional heart attack, I feel as
young as I ever did. (Robert Benchley)
Adverbs of Degree or Comparison
 An adverb of degree states to what degree something is done or offers
a comparison. An adverb of degree often starts with one of the
following subordinating conjunctions: than, as...as, so...as, or the...the.
 Here are some examples:
 • A vacuum is a hell of a lot better than some of the stuff that nature
replaces it with. (Tennessee Williams)
 • He is as smart as he is tall.
 • She is not so bright as she thinks she is.
 Sometimes, the verb in an adverb of degree is
understood (i.e., not present).
 For example:
 • You are taller than I.
 • You are taller than I am.
 • You are taller than me.
Adverbs of Condition
 An adverb of condition states the condition for
the main idea to come into effect. An adverb of
condition often starts with if or unless.
 Here are some examples:
 • If the facts don't fit the theory, change the
facts. (Albert Einstein)
 • If the English language made any sense, a
catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur.
(Doug Larson)
 • If all the rich people in the world divided up
their money among themselves, there wouldn't be
enough to go around. (Christina Stead, 1903-
1983)
Adverbs of Concession
 An adverb of concession offers a statement
which contrasts with the main idea. An adverb of
concession often starts with one of the following
subordinating conjunctions: though, although,
even though, while, whereas, or even if.
 Here are some examples:
 • Although golf was originally restricted to
wealthy, overweight Protestants, today it's open
to anybody who owns hideous clothing. (Dave
Barry)
 • A loud voice cannot compete with a clear
voice, even if it's a whisper. (Barry Neil Kaufman)
Adverbs of Reason
 An adverb of reason offers a reason for the main
idea. An adverb of reason often starts with one of
the following subordinating conjunctions: as,
because, given, or since. Here are some
examples:
 • I don't have a bank account, because I don't
know my mother's maiden name. (Paula
Poundstone)
 • Since you are like no other being ever created
since the beginning of time, you are
incomparable. (Brenda Ueland)
Properties of an Adverbial Clause
 Here are the properties of an adverbial clause:
 • An adverbial clause is an adjunct. This means
it can be removed without the sentence being
grammatically wrong.
 • An adverbial clause is a dependent clause.
This means it cannot stand alone as meaningful
sentence in its own right.
 • An adverbial clause usually starts with a
subordinating conjunction (e.g., although,
because, if, until, when)
 • An adverbial clause will contain a subject and
a verb. (This is what makes it a clause as
opposed to a phrase.)