Clauses

Grammar - Sentence Types

Sentences are made up of clauses, and these clauses take many different forms. The best way to look at clauses is to look at different types of sentences:

Minor sentence / fragment

A minor sentence or fragment is NOT an independent full sentence.
- For example: ‘we paid’.
Note that this sentence has a subject (we) and a verb (paid), but no object. Without an SVO order (subject, verb, object), it is not a grammatically standard sentence.

Minor sentence - examples

How odd!
Yes, please.
I promise.

Simple sentence

A sentence with a single subject and the SVO order.
- For example: 'the cat sat on the mat'.

Simple sentence - examples

I walked my dog.
Billy ate a burger.
Justine has lovely hair.

Compound sentence

A single sentence with two simple sentences joined by a conjunction.
- For example: 'The cat sat on the mat and licked his paws'.

Compound sentence - example

James likes to sing and he is very good at it.
Matt is a kind boy but he often does nasty things.
Roger is a fool for he is in love!

Complex sentence

A single sentence which contains a main clause and a subordinate clause.
The subordinate clause can be isolated from the sentence, but won’t make sense.
The main clause can be isolated from the sentence and still make sense.
- For example: 'Licking his paws, the cat sat on the mat'.
- ‘Licking his paws’ doesn’t make sense on its own, whereas ‘the cat sat on the mat’ does.

Complex sentence - examples

Although I am young, I am very wise.
Since you have asked, I will tell you.
Because you are so beautiful, I fancy you.

Grammar - Subordinate, Relative and Parenthetical Clauses

Sentences are made up of clauses, and these clauses take many different forms.

Subordinate clauses

Subordinate clauses are indicated by commas and can appear at any point in the sentences.
- For example: 'Although he is shy, Jascha has lots of friends.'

$Illustrative background for Subordinate clauses - examples$ $Illustrative background for Subordinate clauses - examples ?? "content$

Subordinate clauses - examples

Since you are so clever, you should be able to work out the solution to the problem.
When you are older, I will tell you everything you need to know.
I will love you, even if you stop loving me.

Parenthetical clauses

We give a subordinate clause a special name when it occurs in brackets or dashes. We call these parenthetical clauses.
- For example: Cameron answered the phone (even though he did not want to).

Parenthetical clauses - examples

My father is very fit (despite his old age).
My brother - who often lies - claims he is going to a homework club on Friday evening.
I love my girlfriend so much (even when she steals all of my clothes).

Relative clauses

The last type of clause you need to know is a relative clause.
Relative clauses use a relative pronoun (see section of relative pronouns if you are unsure).
- For example: ‘the cat, who was sitting on the mat, licked his paws’.

Relative clauses - examples

Billie, who is my best friend, is very good at football.
- 'Who' is the relative pronoun introducing the relative clause.
My mother lives in London, which is my favourite city.
- 'Which' is the relative pronoun introducing the relative clause.
Molly likes Benjamin, whom she sits next to in English.
- 'Whom' is the relative pronoun introducing the relative clause.

1Language Levels

1.1Assessment Objectives

1.1.1Assessment Objectives

1.2Lexis

1.2.1Introduction

1.2.2Common, Proper, Abstract & Concrete Nouns

1.2.3Collective Nouns

1.2.4Adjectives

1.2.5Main, Auxiliary & Copular Verbs

1.2.6Dynamic & Stative Verbs

1.2.7Transitive, Intransitive, Active & Passive Verbs

1.2.8Mood of Verbs

1.2.9Adverbs

1.2.10Personal, Possessive & Reflexive Pronouns

1.2.11Relative & Demonstrative Pronouns

1.2.12Determiners

1.2.13Conjunctions

1.2.14Synonyms, Antonyms & Phonological Features

1.2.15End of Topic Test - Lexis

1.3Grammar

1.3.1Morphology

1.3.2Clauses

1.3.3Phrases

1.3.4Present Tense

1.3.5Past Tense

1.3.6Future Tense

1.3.7End of Topic Test - Grammar

1.4Semantics & Pragmatics

1.4.1Semantics

1.4.2Pragmatics

1.5Discourse Structure, Graphology & Orthography

1.5.1Discourse Structure

1.5.2Graphology & Orthography

1.5.3End of Topic Test - Semantics, Graphology etc.

2Language, The Individual & Society

2.1Children’s Language Development

2.1.1The Exam

2.1.2Phonemes, Vocal Tract & Articulation

2.1.3Writing About Phonemes

2.1.4Phonological Simplification

2.1.5A Child's First Year & Consonant Acquisition

2.1.6Beginning Stages of Language

2.1.7Lexical Development

2.1.8Stages of Development

2.1.9End of Topic Test - Child Language Development

2.2Children's Language Development - Theories

2.2.1Behaviourism

2.2.2Interactionism

2.2.3Challenging Interactionism

2.2.4Nativism

2.2.5Nativism - Exam Answer

2.2.6Cognitivism

2.2.7Social Constructionism

2.2.8Writing About Spoken Acquisition

2.2.9End of Topic Test - Development Theories

2.3Literacy Development: Reading

2.3.1Introduction

2.3.2Phonics vs Whole Word

2.3.3Debates in Reading

2.3.4Modelling Reading Acquisition

2.3.5Other Reading Theories

2.3.6End of Topic Test - Reading

2.4Literacy Development: Writing

2.4.1Orthography

2.4.2Kroll's Theory

2.4.3Barclay's Theory

2.4.4Creativity vs Accuracy

2.4.5Other Writing Theories

2.4.6The Exam

2.4.7End of Topic Test - Writing

3Language Diversity & Change

3.1The Importance of Gendered Language

3.1.1Writing About Gender

3.1.2Dominance Theory

3.1.3Interruptions - Zimmerman & West

3.1.4Deficit Theory

3.1.5Difference Model

3.1.6Difference Model - Men

3.1.7Diversity Model

3.1.8End of Topic Test - Gendered Language

3.2Social Groups

3.2.1Writing About Social Groups

3.2.2Social Class

3.2.3Social Class 2

3.2.4Age

3.2.5Age - Teen Speak

3.2.6Milroy’s Belfast Study

3.2.7Labov’s Martha’s Vineyard Study

3.2.8End of Topic Test - Social Groups

3.3Occupational Groups

3.3.1Writing About Occupational Groups

3.3.2Jargon

3.3.3Conversations

3.3.4Hierarchy & Power

3.3.5End of Topic Test - Occupational Groups

3.4Accents & Dialects

3.4.1Writing About Accent & Dialect

3.4.2Introduction to Accents & Dialects

3.4.3Accents - Matched Guide Experiment

3.4.4Accents - Received Pronunciation & Brummie

3.4.5Dialects - Dialectal Variations

3.4.6Accent & Dialect Case Study - London

3.4.7End of Topic Test - Accents & Dialects

3.5Language Change

3.5.1Writing About Language Change

3.5.2Modelling Change

3.5.3Modelling Change 2

3.5.4Lexical Change

3.5.5Semantic Change

3.5.6End of Topic Test - Language Change

3.6History of English

3.6.1Old English

3.6.2Old English 2

3.6.3Middle English

3.6.4Middle English 2

3.6.5Early Modern English

3.6.6Late Modern English

3.6.7Present Day English

3.6.8Global English

3.6.9American English

3.6.10Modelling Global English

3.6.11End of Topic Test - History of English

Jump to other topics