What are Clauses? Definition, Meaning, Types, and Examples

• Sep 18, 2024
• 5 min read

• Tags: Academic Writing, Grammar, Punctuation, Writing Tips

If you want to write well, mastering clauses is crucial to enhance the quality of your content. Clauses help build meaningful sentences with a logical structure. Understanding how to correctly use clauses can improve your writing and make it engaging. 

In this article, we will delve into the meaning of clauses and explore the different types of clauses. We will also study some examples of clauses. As a bonus, we will share some tips on how to punctuate sentences with clauses.

What are clauses?

A clause is words put together within a sentence that has both a subject and a predicate. The subject, often a noun or a pronoun, carries out the action discussed within the sentence. The predicate comprises the verb and any additional information that tells us more about the action or state of the subject. Together, the subject and the predicate give sentences meaning. 

Clauses primarily belong to two categories: independent and dependent. For effective sentence construction, learning what are clauses, including their types, is crucial. 

Learning about independent and dependent clauses offers valuable insight into sentence construction strategies and styles. This, in turn, helps lay the groundwork for developing advanced writing skills.

What is an independent clause?

Independent clauses, also called main clauses, are self-sufficient. They do not need any additional support in the form of words or phrases to stand independently as a sentence. They carry the central idea, theme, or action in a sentence. 

An independent clause can form a complete sentence. Two or more independent clauses together can help you form and convey more complex ideas. When more than one independent clause is seen in a sentence, it becomes a compound sentence. Conjunctions are used to join two independent clauses in most sentences. 

Examples of sentences with one independent clause:

• • • The dog barks. 
    • She danced in the rain. 
    • The sun shines brightly. 

Examples of sentences with more than one independent clause:

• • • • I love to dance, and she enjoys reading. 
      • Mariah loves to read, but she hates writing essays.
      • Steven studied hard for the exam, so he passed with flying colors. 

Semicolons and colons can also be used to connect two independent clauses. As coordinating conjunctions, they join independent clauses. Here are some examples of this type:

• • • • • I love to read; she enjoys writing.
        • We hiked until the sun began to set: it had been a long day.
        • The sky was a brilliant blue; the ocean glistened in the sunlight.

What is a dependent clause?

Dependent clauses are not capable of communicating the idea or message without a little assistance from an independent clause. Hence, they are also referred to as subordinate clauses. Paired with an independent clause, a dependent clause becomes capable of forming a comprehensible statement. They are called complex sentences.

Some examples of dependent clauses are: 

• • • • • Because I was hungry
        • Although she tried hard
        • When the phone rang
        • Since it was raining
        • Unless you help me

Here is one way to complete these sentences. Note: These statements can be made whole using any other independent clauses as well. 

• • • • • Because I was hungry… (I ate faster than usual.)
        • Although she tried hard… (she could not reach the airport on time.)
        • When the phone rang… (I rushed to answer it.)
        • Since it was raining… (Susan carried an umbrella.)
        • Unless you help me… (I will not succeed.)

Types of dependent clauses

Independent and dependent clauses form the base of sentences. Dependent clauses are further categorized as noun clauses, adjective clauses, and adverb clauses. Let us study them one by one: 

• • • • • Noun clauses: They serve as the subject or object within a sentence, effectively functioning in the same capacity as a noun. Here’s an example: 

“What you said yesterday” can act as the subject in the sentence, “What you said yesterday surprised me”.

• • • • • Adjective clauses: Also called relative clauses, they provide details and add descriptive input to nouns. They give sentences further context and depth. They are introduced by relative pronouns such as “who”, “which”, or “that”. Here’s an example:

“The book, which was lying on the table, is mine,” where the clause “which was lying on the table” modifies “the book”.

• • • • • Adverb clauses: They modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, offering useful information about time, cause, condition, contrast, and manner. They are introduced by subordinating conjunctions like “because”, “although”, or “when”. Here’s an example:

In the sentence “I will call you when I arrive,” the clause “when I arrive” modifies the verb “will call” by specifying the time.

As dependent clauses add detail and intricacy to sentences, they allow you to articulate your ideas and outline relationships between them. Once you know how to recognize and use these different types of clauses, you can develop grammatically correct sentences while effectively adding detail and depth to them.

Essential and nonessential clauses

Let us quickly understand the concept of essential and nonessential clauses in this section. 

Essential clauses: As the name indicates, an essential clause is an expression that holds a sentence together, giving it meaning. Here are some examples:

The book that I borrowed from the library is missing a page.

The clause “that I borrowed from the library” is essential because it states which book is missing a page. Without it, the sentence will be unclear.

People who eat too much sugar are at risk for health problems.

The clause “who eat too much sugar” is essential because it identifies the specific group of people at risk.

Nonessential clauses: These clauses give additional information in a sentence. However, if they are removed, the sentences will still make sense. 

The book, which I borrowed from the library, is a mystery novel.

The clause “which I borrowed from the library” is nonessential because it simply adds extra information about the book. The sentence still makes sense without it.

My dog, who loves to play fetch, is always excited to go for a walk.

“Who loves to play fetch” is nonessential because it describes the dog but doesn’t change the central idea of the sentence.

How to merge clauses?

By correctly combining independent and dependent clauses, you can form cogent sentences to convey a wide range of ideas, thoughts, expressions, opinions, and more. Clauses will enable you to write complex sentences, ensuring your writing becomes informative, detailed, and effective. 

You can combine clauses in the following ways: 

• • • • • Coordinating conjunctions

Words like for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so can help you combine two independent clauses to form complete sentences. 

Example: 

I wanted to go for a walk, but it started raining.

I love to read, and she enjoys writing poetry.

• • • • • Subordinating conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions like because, although, since, unless, etc., makes sentences complete and meaningful by introducing dependent clauses.

Example: 

Although it was raining, I went for a walk.

Because it was raining, we decided to watch a movie.

• • • • • Relative pronouns

Who, whom, whose, which, that, etc., are relative pronouns that can be used to link a dependent clause to an independent clause. Together, they can complete sentences.

Example: 

The book that I read was fascinating.

The woman who lives next door is a talented artist

• • • • • Semicolons

When you want to link closely associated independent clauses, you can use semicolons. They can connect two independent clauses that affect each other or show relationships between two ideas. 

Example: 

I wanted to go for a walk; it started raining.

The storm raged through the night; by morning, the town was in ruins.

• • • • • Conjunctive adverbs

Conjunctive adverbs like however, therefore, moreover, consequently, etc., can meaningfully connect two independent clauses, showing cause and effect, contrast, or any other logic-driven connection. 

Example: 

It started raining; therefore, I stayed inside.

The hike was challenging; however, the view from the summit was breathtaking

• • • • • Participial phrases

Participial phrases are words made up with participles along with modifiers, objects, and complements. They give more information about nouns and pronouns in sentences. 

Example: 

Walking through the park, I saw many beautiful flowers.

My favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is a classic of American literature

How to punctuate sentences with clauses?

Learning to correctly use clauses will help you improve your writing skills and create good content only when you correctly punctuate sentences. Here are some common rules to ensure correct punctuation:

• • • • • Dependent clause at the beginning of a sentence: When a dependent clause is used to start a sentence, use a comma after it. For example, “Because I love to write, I spend hours crafting sentences.”
        • Nonessential clauses: Use commas to set off nonessential clauses that add extra information but aren’t crucial to the sentence’s meaning. For example, “My employee, who loves swimming, is always late to work.”
        • Independent clauses: Semicolons, coordinating conjunctions, question marks, and periods are used to punctuate sentences with one or more independent clauses. Here are examples of all four punctuation rules:

Semicolon: I love to write; it’s my passion.

Coordinating conjunction: I love to write, but I also enjoy watching movies. 

Question mark: What is your favorite snack?

Period: I finished painting the garage last evening. 

We hope this article answered the question “what is a clause”, and helps you correctly define clauses. If you’d like a professional review of your work, consider the editing and proofreading services offered by PaperTrue, a leading language solutions provider. 

Also, the following articles can help you improve your writing:

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Rashmi

Rashmi is a versatile writer with a passion for developing engaging long-form content. With a keen interest in both academic and business spheres, she enjoys creating comprehensive content pieces that readers find informative and interesting. She endeavors to exercise her intellectual curiosity, explore new perspectives, and consider different possibilities through her writing.