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Updated 4/27/01 |
ClausesHeather CameronStudent, University of North Carolina at Pembroke A clause is simply a group of words that make up a thought or idea consisting of a subject and a verb. The most general classifications of clauses are independent and dependent. This classification distinguishes between the clauses that are able to stand alone as complete sentences and those that are not. An independent clause could also be thought of as a complete sentence. These clauses may stand alone. You may combine two or more independent clauses to express a broader idea. "Sam is going to the movies." and "She is going to ride with Brandy" are both independent clauses and complete sentences. However, we can combine the two to make a more formal statement with a larger idea. ("Sam is going to the movies, and she is riding with Brandy.") Also known as a subordinate clause, a dependent clause depends on another word or phrase to complete the thought or idea of the clause. This clause is constructed by using a word such as which or because to introduce the clause. This introduction word leads the reader to know that there is something important coming before or after the clause. This word is sometimes referred to as a dependent word or relative pronoun. For example, "Mark is late for work" is an independent clause because this is a complete sentence. However, if you add a "dependent word" or relative pronoun to the beginning of that independent clause and it were, "Because Mark is late for work", it would become an independent clause with "Because" being the "dependent word" . Dependent clauses are also separated as restrictive and nonrestrictive. A nonrestrictive clause may be omitted in a sentence keeping the same general idea. Usually, a nonrestrictive clause is set a part from the sentence with a comma or a pair of commas. For example," The cafeteria, which serves terrible food, will be closed on Monday." In this sentence the nonrestrictive clause, which serves terrible food, is set apart by commas at the beginning and end. And if we were to leave the clause out of the sentence, the basic meaning would not change. (The cafeteria will be closed on Monday.) I like to look at nonrestrictive clauses as bonuses. A restrictive clause is one that directly affects the meaning of sentence. Relative clauses are clauses that are introduced by a Relative Pronoun. These are also dependent clauses. These clauses may be restrictive or nonrestrictive. The relative pronoun is the subject of the verb in a relative clause. In all clauses, they must contain some sort of subject verb relationship. An example of a relative clause would be, "which serves terrible food" in the above paragraph. The word "which" would be the relative pronoun, making the clause relative as well as nonrestrictive. Clauses are put together by three different means: coordination, subordination, and semicolon. Coordination is simply inserting a coordinating conjunction into a group of independent clauses such as and, or but. For example, "I would like to be in the talent show, but I am afraid of large audiences" With subordination, you change a clause into a dependent element by adding a dependent conjunction, which could be a relative pronoun or a dependent word like I spoke about earlier. For example, "Although I would like to be in the talent show, I am afraid of large audiences". Semicolons join two independent clauses without using transitional expressions. These are used sparingly and only when the two clauses are closely related. For example, "Katie is very photogenic she has received a modeling offer." In literature, I have noticed that clauses are used a lot in children's literature. I think this sometimes adds to the rhythm of the work or really expresses the ideas of the author. There can be something magical about clauses in children's literature. I have found that clauses are especially typical in fairy tales. For example, In Beautyand the Beast , when describing the beast, the author states: "He was rich and handsome, but he had no love in his heart". Here the function of the clause is to show the difference in the way the prince seemed and the way he was. Also, clauses in fairy tales can show a variety of action taking place at the same time. For example,"While the others laughed at Maurice, Gaston took his friend Lefou aside". This was also taken from Beauty and the Beast. Exercise
1. I love to drink pink lemonade
Works CitedClauses: The Essential Building Blocks ; 2/05/01http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/clauses.htm Identifying Clauses; 2/05/01:
Recognizing Clauses; 2/05/01:
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