What is a Clause?
A clause is a group of related word that contains a subject as well as a verb.
A clause is a meaningful combination of words, as it can, alone, express a complete thought. A clause can be a simple sentence. Hence, clause is also sometimes defined as group of words having a subject and predicate.
It can also be said that each sentence consists of at least one clause.
Read the following simple examples of a clause:
He laughed.
I am sleeping.
He sings song.
The dark is barking.
The above examples reveal that a clause can be a simple sentence.
A clause can also be a part of a compound or complex sentence which consists of more than one clause. Read the following examples:
She is crying. (one clause)
The patient died. (one clause)
I waited for him, but he didn’t come. (two clauses)
He is going to college, because he wants to meet his friend. (two clauses)
My sister likes Biology, but I like Physics because I want to become an engineer. (three clauses)
A clause by definition is a combination of words having both subject and verb. Hence, a part of a simple sentence can also be viewed as a clause. Read the following examples:
They are laughing at a joker.
I saw him in the street.
She cooks food in the kitchen.
Main Clause and Subordinate Clause
A clause is a combination of related words containing a subject and a verb. It can be a simple sentence or a part of a compound sentence.
Examples:
She laughed. (one clause)
I waited for him, but he didn’t come. (two clauses)
Clauses have two major types:
- Independent Clause (Main Clause)
- Dependant Clause (Subordinate Clause)
Understanding ‘Main Clauses & Subordinate Clauses’
Read the following sentence:
I saw a man who was crying.
Main or Independent Clause:
Main clause or Independent clause is that clause which expresses a complete meaning. It alone can stand as a sentence.
Examples
I saw a man who was crying.
The professor asked many questions but no one could answer.
I met a friend who helped me a lot.
They contacted the customer who had not paid the bill.
He does not like the people who smoke.
We met a man who could speak many languages.
She loves her husband, who never tells a lie.
Subordinate or Dependent Clause:
Subordinate clause or Dependence clause is that clause which (as alone part) cannot express a complete meaning. It alone cannot stand as a sentence because it depends on the other clause (independent clause) to give a complete meaning. It serves a subordinate role in the sentence.
Examples:
I saw a man who was crying.
The professor asked many questions but no one could answer.
I met a friend who had helped me a lot.
They contacted the customer who had not paid the bill.
He does not like the people who smoke.
We met a man who could speak many languages.
She loves her husband, who never tells a lie.
Dependent Clauses have further three types:
- Noun Clause
- Adverb Clause
- Adjective Clause
Types of Subordinate Clauses
A clause is a group of words containing both subject and a verb. There are two major types of clauses: Main Clause or Independent Clause and Subordinate or dependent clause.
I saw a man who was crying.
The part of the above sentence ‘I saw a man’ can alone stand as an independent sentence because it gives complete meaning. Such a clause is called main clause or independent clause. On the other hand, the remaining part of the above sentence ‘who was crying’ cannot (as alone) stand as an independent sentence. It cannot (as alone part) give complete meaning because it depends on the main clause to become a complete sentence and give a complete idea. Such a clause is called subordinate clause or dependent clause.
Types of Subordinate Clause
A subordinate clause can act as an adjective, a noun or an adverb in a sentence. There are three types of Subordinate Clause depending upon its function in a sentence:
- Noun Clause
- Adverb Clause
- Adjective Clause
1. NOUN CLAUSE
A subordinate clause which acts as a noun in a sentence is called a Noun Clause. It usually starts with words such as ‘that, what, whatever, who, whom, whoever, whomever’. It acts exactly like a noun in a sentence. It can work as a noun either at the place of a subject or an object.
Examples:
Whatever we study increases our knowledge. (Noun as a subject)
What you eat determines your body-size. (Noun as a subject)
I buy whatever I need. (Noun as an object)
Now I realized what you had thought. (Noun as an object)
2. ADVERB CLAUSE
A subordinate clause which acts as an adverb in a sentence is called an Adverb Clause. Like an adverb, it modifies a verb, an adjective-clause or another adverb clause in the sentence. It modifies (add information to) a verb (action) of the main clause in terms of ‘time, frequency (i.e. how often), condition, cause and effect; and intensity (i.e. extent).
It mostly uses the following subordinating conjunctions:
Time: when, whenever, since, until, before, after, while, as, by the time, as soon as
Cause and effect: because, since, now that, as long as, so, so that,
Contrast: although, even, whereas, while, though
Condition: if, unless, only if, whether or not, even if, providing or provided that, in case
Examples:
Call me when you need my help. (modifies verb: call)
Unless you avoid sugar, you can’t lose weight. (modifies verb: lose weight)
The patient had died before the doctor reached. (modifies verb: die)
You live a happy life as long as you think positively. (modifies verb: live)
I worked in a factory while I was living in London. (modifies verb: work)
You can succeed in life provided that you are sincere to your work. (modifies verb: succeed)
3. ADJECTIVE CLAUSE
A subordinate clause which acts as an adjective in a sentence is called an Adjective Clause. Like an adjective, it modifies (add information to) a noun or pronoun in the sentence. An adjective clause mostly starts with relative pronouns such as ‘that, who, whom, whose, which, or whose’.
Examples:
I saw a child who was crying. (modifies noun: child)
He hates the people who waste time. (modifies noun: people)
I watch a movie which amused me a lot. (modifies noun: movie)
The car, which I like, consumes less fuel. (modifies noun: car )
The building, where he lives, consists of many apartments. (modifies noun: building )
Restrictive and Non-restrictive Clause - Difference
Restrictive and non-restrictive clauses are two types of Adjective Clause. Adjective clause is a clause that acts as an adjective (i.e. modifies noun) in the sentence.
Example:
I saw a kid who was crying.
The clause ‘who was crying’ is an adjective clause because it modifies (gives information about) the noun ‘kid’ in the sentence. Hence, the two types of adjective clause ‘restrictive and nonrestrictive clause’ also modify (give information about) a noun in the sentence.
Understanding restrictive and nonrestrictive clause - Difference
Restrictive clause modifies a noun by giving information about it as well as by specifying it. On the other hand, the nonrestrictive clause modifies a noun only by giving information about it but do not specify it.
Example:
My friend who has red hair won the competition. (Restrictive Clause)
My friend, who has red hair, won the completion. (Nonrestrictive Clause)
In the first sentence, the clause ‘who has red hair’ is written without commas. It is a restrictive clause. It gives information (having red hair) about the friend who won the competition. It also specifies the friend. It means that I have only one friend who has red hair and that friend won the competition.
In the second sentence, the clause ‘who has red hair’ is written with commas. It is a nonrestrictive clause. It gives information (having red hair) about the friend. But it does not specify the friend. It means that I have many friends who have red hair; and it can be anyone among those friends (having red hair) who won the competition.
The difference between restrictive and nonrestrictive clause lies in interpretation of a sentence. If a clause is written without commas, its writer intends to specify the noun (restrictive clause). If a clause is written with commas, its writer intends not to specify the noun.
Example:
The man who is wearing a white shirt is my father. (CORRECT)
The man, who is wearing a white shirt, is my father. (WRONG)
In the above sentence, the clause refers to a specific person ‘father’. Hence, the writer cannot use nonrestrictive clause. Because there can be many men wearing white shirts. But the writer points to only a one person who is his father. Therefore, the clause will be written without commas to make it restrictive clause to refer to a single person ‘father’.
Differentiating characteristics
| Restrictive Clause | Non-restrictive Clause |
|---|---|
|
|
Usage of "That" and "Which" for restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses:
- ‘That’ is used to start a restrictive clause.
- ‘Which’ is used to start a nonrestrictive clause.
Examples:
The table that is made of wood is beautiful. (Restrictive Clause)
A table, which is made of wood, is beautiful. (Nonrestrictive Clause)
Difference between Phrase and Clause
Clause and phrase are two important terms in English grammar. Clause and phrase are parts of a sentence.
A clause is a group of words that consists of a subject and a verb.
Examples:
He laughed.
The guests arrived.
A phrase is a group of words that does not consist of a subject and a verb.
Examples: on a table, under the tree, near the wall, on the roof, at the door.
Both the clause and the phrase may exist within a sentence. For instance, read the following sentence:
Example:
He is sleeping on the bed.
The first part of the sentence He is sleeping is a clause because it has a subject and a verb. On the other hand, the remaining part of sentence, on the bed is a phrase because it lacks both the subject and the verb.
Read the following examples. The underlined part of each sentence is a phrase. Non-underlined part of each sentence is a clause:
She is standing on the roof.
The cat is sleeping under the table.
She is drawing a map on the wall.
She is waiting at the door.
Understanding the conceptual difference in clause and phrase
A clause has both subject and object. It can stand alone as a complete sentence because it gives a complete meaning. For instance in the above example the clause ‘He is sleeping’ can alone stand as a sentence as it gives a complete meaning to the reader.
On the other hand, a phrase cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because it does not give a complete meaning. For instance, in the above sentence ‘on the bed’ cannot stand as alone sentence as it does not give a complete meaning. The each word of phrase has a meaning but the phrase collectively does not make a complete sense like a sentence. The purpose of phrase is to complement the overall structure of a sentence.
A simple sentence can also be called one clause. For instance, ‘He laughed’ is a sentence, but it is also one clause. Some sentence may have more than one clause, read the following example:
I waited for him but he didn’t come. (two clause)
I like Biology but my brother likes Physics because he wants to become an engineer. (three clauses)
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