CLAUSES, PHRASES AND SENTENCES

 UNDERSTANDING CLAUSES, PHRASES AND SENTENCES 

1. CLAUSE -  A group of words that contain a subject and a verb is called a clause.

Example - He reads a book. ( He - subject,  reads - verb, - reads a book - predicate)

Clauses are primarily categorized into two main types: Independent clause and dependent clause.

i) I went to school. - independent clause/main clause. (Because it makes sense on its own, it can stand alone as a complete sentence)

ii) Although I wasn't feeling well, I went to school. - dependent clause/subordinate clause.

(contains a subject and a verb, but it does not express a complete thought.

dependent clause contains subordinating conjunctions (Because, Although, Since, If, While, Until, Unless, When, After, Before etc.) or relative pronouns (who, which, that etc.).

 

Example - 

a) We will stay inside if it rains. (there is no comma - it makes complete sense) - independent clause.

 b) If it rains, we will stay inside. ( the sentence contains two parts, separated by a comma - dependent clause)

 

Exercise for Practice

 

A. Identify dependent and independent clause.

Since it was raining heavily, we stayed indoors all afternoon.

The children played in the park until the sun went down.

She passed the exam with flying colors because she studied hard.

If you finish your homework early, you can watch television.

The dog barked loudly when the mail carrier approached the door.

 Although the coffee was incredibly hot, he drank it quickly.

 We decided to go for a walk after the storm finally cleared.

 The phone rang three times before anyone answered it.   

B. Add an independent or dependent clause to complete each sentence correctly.

 

1. I know how to drive a car, but I enjoy riding bikes.  

2. Naomi’s mother was out of town, so she took care of everyone at home.

3. 

 

 

 

 Key

1D (Starts with "Since"), 2D (Starts with "until"), 3I (Complete thought), 4D (Starts with "If"), 5D (Starts with "when"), 6D (Starts with "Although"), 7D (Starts with "after"), 8I (Complete thought)