Introduction to Clauses

Welcome! In this chapter, we are going to explore the building blocks of every sentence: clauses. Think of clauses like Lego bricks. Some bricks are big and can stand all by themselves to show a picture, while others are smaller and need to be snapped onto a bigger brick to make sense. By the end of these notes, you will be a master at spotting main clauses, subordinate clauses, and relative clauses!

Understanding clauses is like having a superpower for your writing. It helps you build longer, more exciting sentences and helps you do your very best in your English grammar tests.


1. Independent (Main) Clauses

An independent (main) clause is the most important part of a sentence. It is a group of words that contains a subject (the person or thing doing the action) and a verb (the action word).

The most important thing to remember is: A main clause makes sense all by itself.

Example: The cat slept on the mat.
This is a main clause because we know exactly what is happening, and it sounds like a complete thought.

The "Stand Alone" Test:
If you said the clause out loud to a friend and then walked away, would they understand you? If the answer is "yes," it’s a main clause!

Quick Tip: You can join two main clauses together using a co-ordinating conjunction (like and, but, or or). You can learn more about these in chapter G3 Conjunctions.

Key Takeaway: An independent (main) clause is a complete thought with a subject and a verb.


2. Subordinate Clauses

A subordinate clause also has a subject and a verb, but there is one big difference: It does not make sense on its own.

It needs to be attached to a main clause to work. It "helps" the main clause by giving us extra information, like when, why, or how something happened.

Subordinate clauses usually start with a subordinating conjunction. The ones you need to know for your test are:
when, if, that, because, although

Example: ...because it was raining.
If you walked up to your teacher and just said "Because it was raining," they would be waiting for you to finish the sentence! It doesn't make sense alone.

Putting it together:
We stayed inside (Main Clause) + because it was raining (Subordinate Clause).
Now it makes perfect sense!

Did you know?
You can swap the order! You can say: "Because it was raining, we stayed inside." The subordinate clause is still the part that starts with "because."

Key Takeaway: Subordinate clauses add extra info but need a main clause to lean on.


3. Relative Clauses

A relative clause is a special type of subordinate clause. Its job is to give us more information about a noun (a person, place, or thing) in the sentence.

Relative clauses start with a relative pronoun. Here are the ones to look out for:
who, which, where, when, whose, that

Example: The boy, who was wearing a red hat, ate an apple.
The part in bold is the relative clause. It tells us more about the "boy" (the noun).

The Omitted Pronoun:
Sometimes, the relative pronoun (like that) can be left out, and the sentence still makes sense. This is called an "omitted" pronoun.
The cake that I ate was delicious.
The cake I ate was delicious. (Both are correct!)

Common Mistake to Avoid:
Don't forget that relative clauses often need commas around them if they drop into the middle of a sentence, like a little sandwich. For example: The car, which was blue, drove away.

Key Takeaway: Relative clauses start with words like who or which and describe a noun.


Summary Checklist

Don't worry if this seems tricky at first. Use this quick guide to help you decide what is what:

  • Is it a complete thought? Yes? It’s an independent (main) clause.
  • Does it start with because, if, or although? Yes? It’s a subordinate clause.
  • Does it start with who, which, or that and describe a noun? Yes? It’s a relative clause.

Quick Review:
1. Main Clause: I went to the park.
2. Subordinate Clause: ...although it was cold.
3. Relative Clause: ...where I played on the swings.

Great job! You now know the different types of clauses used in English sentences. You're ready to start building some amazing sentences of your own!