Clauses

Question 1

What is a clause?

Answer 1

It is a group of words containing a finite verb.

Question 2

What does a clause convey?

Answer 2

A single idea.

Question 3

How is a clause arranged in a sentence?

Answer 3

sensibly.

Question 4

What does a clause always contain?

Answer 4

A finite verb.

Question 5

What trick do we use to determine how many clauses there are in a sentence?

Answer 5

Underline all the verbs and that will tell us how many clause there are.

Question 6

What are the two main groups that clauses can be classified into?

Answer 6

1. ) The main clause

2. ) The subordinate clause.

Question 7

What is the main clause ( independent clause)?

Answer 7

• it is the main idea of the sentence
• it can stand alone and make complete sense.

E.g. The van came to a halt after it had run out of petrol.
( the van came to a halt = main clause)

Question 8

What is the subordinate clause ( dependent clause)?

Answer 8

• it always contains a verb, but can’t stand alone
• it is dependant on the main clause for its meaning
• A comma often seperates the MC from the SC.

E.g. While the engine was running, the main jumped out of the car.
( while the engine was running = subordinate clause)

Question 9

What can subordinate clauses further be classified into?

Answer 9

• noun clause
• adjectival clause
• adverbial clause

Question 10

What is a noun clause?

Answer 10

• perform the same functions as nouns, they can be replaced with it or that.
• they may be the subject or the object of the sentence, the who or the what.

E.g. what they learnt at school, helped them in the workplace.
(learnt)

Question 11

What is an adjectival clause?

Answer 11

• it qualifies the noun in the main clause
• it usually begins with who, that which, whom and whose.
• it is similar to additional information found in parenthesis.

E.g. The girl that had the longest hair, won the beauty competition.
( had)

Question 12

What is an adverbial clause?

Answer 12

• they perform the same subject as adverbs.

They can be classified as follows:

• Time(when):
• place(where)
• manner(how)
• Reason(why)
• concession( though, although, however)
• result( so…..that)
• purpose( so that)
• condition ( if, unless)

+ examples on page 9