Clauses-G5

Week 1-3-Clauses: Main and Subordinate Clauses I. Clauses and Phrases 1.What is the difference between a clause and a phrase? A. Clause: A group of words containing a subject and a predicate and forming part of a compound or complex sentence. 1. Examples: (Clauses are bold-faced) a. **Allan thought deeply**. b. **Wells was typing an essay**. c. **I like to eat fried chicken.** B. Phrase: Two or more words in sequence that form a syntactic unit that is less than a complete sentence. Examples: (Phrases are bold-faced) a. **leaving behind the dog** b. **smashing into a fence** c. **between ignorance and intelligence** II. Main (Independent) Clause 1. What is a main clause? Main Clause: A clause in a complex sentence that contains at least a subject and a verb and can stand alone syntactically as a complete sentence. Also called independent clause. Examples: (main clauses are bold-faced) a. **Diane kicked** the soda machine. b. A giant **spider has made its home** behind the shampoo bottle in Neil's bathroom. c. **Sima** and **Michele are skipping** their chemistry class to sit by the lake and watch the sun sparkling on the water.

2. How many main clauses do I need in each sentence? Answer: At least one. Examples: a. Diane kicked. b. Diane kicked the ball, while I ran for second. c. Diane kicked the ball, I ran for second, and Dave dove for the ball. 3. What is a sentence fragment? Definition: A phrase or clause that is punctuated and capitalized as a sentence but does not constitute a complete grammatical sentence. Examples: a. Purdue offers many majors in engineering. **Such as electrical, chemical, and industrial engineering.** b. Coach Dietz exemplified this behavior by walking off the field in the middle of a game. **Leaving her team at a time when we needed her.** c. I need to find a new roommate. **Because the one I have now isn't working out too well.** III. Subordinate (Dependent) Clause 1. What is a subordinate clause? Definition: A clause that cannot stand alone as a full sentence and functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb within a sentence. Examples: (subordinate clauses are bold-faced) a. Whenever lazy students whine… b. As Pepsi spilled over the glass and splashed onto the counter… c. Because my dog loves pizza crusts …

2. What is a subordinating conjunction? Definition: A conjunction, such as after, because, if, or where, that introduces a dependent clause. Examples: (subordinating conjunctions are bold-faced) a. **After** he lifted the heavy box, he could no longer move. b. **Although** he was very strong, the crate was so awkward even he couldn’t lift it. c. **Whereas** the distance runner could work hard for a long time, the body builder could lift massive amounts a few times. 3. What is a relative pronoun? Definition: A pronoun that introduces a relative clause and has reference to an antecedent Examples: (relative pronouns are bold-faced) a. Negotiations were not going smoothly between the two leaders, **who** made no bones about not liking each other. b. Hillary Clinton's staff said it was the first lady **who** wasn't feeling well. c. Most workers, **whoever** was not employed by the auto manufacturer, toiled at one of the millions of little minnow companies. IV. Noun Clauses, Adjective Clauses, Adverb Clauses 1. What is a noun clause? Definition: a subordinate clause that functions as a subject within the main clause Examples: (noun clauses are bold-faced) a. **Thomas** made her angry. b. **That he had even asked her** made her angry. c. We discovered his **arrogance**.

2. What is an adjective clause? Definition: An adjective clause is used to describe a noun Examples: (adjective clauses are bold-faced) a. Whose big, brown eyes pleaded for another cookie b. Why Fred cannot stand sitting across from his sister Melanie. c. That bounced onto the kitchen floor

3. What is an adverb clause? Definition: contains a subject and a full verb Examples: (adverb clauses are bold-faced) a.The committee will meet **when the Prime Minister is in** **Ottawa**. b.I saw the movie **before** **I left for** **Calgary****.** c.**If you save your money**, you will be able to go to college.

Clauses: http://hcs.harvard.edu/~pen/curric/GED/clauses2.html Phrases: http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/gram_clauses_n_phrases.html Main Clauses: http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/mainclause.htm Subordinating Conjunctions: http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/grammar_subordinate.html Relative Pronouns: http://grammar.uoregon.edu/pronouns/relative.html Adjective Clause: http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/adjectiveclause.htm

Noun Clauses: http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/eduweb/grammar/course/sentence/2_3c.htm Adverb Clause: http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/advcls.htm