Clauses
A clause is a group of words which forms
part of a sentence and contains a subject and a predicate of its own. With
respect to clause there are three kinds of sentence.
1.
Simple Sentence
2.
Compound Sentence
3.
Complex Sentence
1. Simple Sentence
A
sentence that has only one clause is called a simple sentence.
a.
I wrote a letter to my uncle.
b.
Richard stood first in his class.
c.
The boy broke his leg.
d.
She washed her clothes.
2. Compound Sentence
A
sentence that has two or more independent clauses is called a compound
sentence.
1.
The sun rose and the fog disappeared.
2.
Many were called, but few were chosen.
3.
Men may come and men may go but I go on forever.
Each clause of a
compound sentence is called Co-ordinate Clause.
3. Complex Sentence
A
sentence that has a principal clause and one or more Subordinate clauses is
called a Complex Sentence.
1. Independent /Principal Clause: is
a simple sentence. It can stand on its own.
2.
Dependent /Subordinate Clause: cannot stand on its own. It needs
an independent clause to complete a sentence. Dependent clauses often begin
with such words as although, that,
where, since, if, when, unless, because etc.
Examples:
|
Independent
/Principal clause
|
Dependent /Subordinate Clause
|
|
wait
|
until I
return.
|
|
I know
|
where
he is.
|
|
I
cannot do this
|
unless
you help me.
|
|
I wish
|
that
you would succeed.
|
|
He
worked hard
|
that he
might win the prize.
|
|
He lost
the book
|
that I
had given him.
|
Subordinate
clauses are of three kinds:
1. The Noun Clause: does the work of a
noun.
2. The Adjective
Clause:
does the work of an adjective.
3. The Adverbial
Clause:
does the work of an adverb.
The Noun Clause
A
noun clause is a group of words which contains a subject and a predicate of its
own
And
does the work of a Noun. For example:
1.
I expect to get a prize.
2.
I expect that I shall get a prize.
The
first group of words, to get a prize,
does not contain a subject and a predicate of its own. It is therefore a phrase.
This phrase is object of the verb expect
and hence does the work of Noun. It is therefore a Noun Phrase.
The
second group of words, that I shall get
a prize, contains a subject and a predicate of its own. It is therefore a clause.
This clause is the object of the verb expect
and so does the work of noun. We therefore call it a Noun Clause.
The
Adjective Clause
An adjective clause is a group of words which contains a
subject and a predicate of its own, and does the work of an adjective. For
example:
1.
The umbrella with a broken handle is
mine.
2.
The umbrella which has a broken handle
is mine.
The
first group of words, with a broken handle,
describes the umbrella, qualifies the noun umbrella, and does the work of an
adjective. It is what we call an Adjective
phrase.
The
second group of words, which has a
broken handle, also describes the umbrella and so does the work of an
adjective. But because it contains a subject and a predicate of its own, it is
called an adjective clause.
The
Adverbial Clause
An Adverb Clause is a group of words which contains a
subject and a predicate of its own, and does the work of an Adverb. For
example:
1.
The stolen property was found in the
dacoits’ hiding place.
2.
The stolen property was found where the
dacoits were accustomed to hide.
It
will be noticed that both the groups of words do the work of an Adverb. But the
group of words in the sentence 2 is a clause because it has a subject (the
dacoits) and a predicate (were accustomed to hide) of its own; while the group
of words in the sentence 1 is a phrase.