The Clause

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The Clause
DECS Languages Multicultural Education
Portfolio Group Professional Development and
Resource Materials for ESL
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The clause

• is the basic unit of meaning in English
• conveys a message
• can provide information about
• what is happening (verb group)
• who, what is taking part (participant usually a
  noun group)
• when, where, how, why surrounding the activity
  (circumstance)
• can be identified by the presence of a single
  verb or verb group.

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Examples of clauses

• Help!
• Help me!
• The woman was able to help me.
• Yesterday the young woman was able to help me.
• Yesterday the young woman who was passing was
  able to help me at the scene of the accident.
• Yesterday the young German woman who was passing
  was able to help me immediately at the scene of
  the accident.
• Yesterday, because of her first aid experience,
  the young German woman who was passing was able
  to immediately help me at the scene of the
  accident.

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Parts of a Clause

• Generally each clause must have a verb to be
  classed as a clause
• Help!
• Help me!
• The woman was able to help me.
• Yesterday the young woman was able to help me.
• Yesterday the young woman who was passing was
  able to help me at the scene of the accident.
• Yesterday the young German woman who was passing
  was able to help me immediately at the scene of
  the accident.
• Yesterday, because of her first aid experience,
  the young German woman who was passing was able
  to immediately help me at the scene of the
  accident.

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Parts of a Clause

• Participant - who or what is taking part (usually
  a noun group)
• Help!
• Help me!
• The woman was able to help me.
• Yesterday the young woman was able to help me.
• Yesterday the young woman who was passing was
  able to help me at the scene of the accident.
• Yesterday the young German woman who was passing
  was able to help me immediately at the scene of
  the accident.
• Yesterday, because of her first aid experience,
  the young German woman who was passing was able
  to immediately help me at the scene of the
  accident.

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Parts of a Clause

• Circumstances
• (when, where, how, why giving more information
  about the verb)
• Help!
• Help me!
• The woman was able to help me.
• Yesterday the young woman was able to help me.
  (When)
• Yesterday the young woman who was passing was
  able to help me at the scene of the accident.
  (Where)
• Yesterday the young German woman who was passing
  was able to help me immediately at the scene of
  the accident. (How)
• Yesterday, because of her first aid experience,
  the young German woman who was passing was able
  to immediately help me at the scene of the
  accident. (Why)

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Parts of a Clause

• Identify the verb group, the participant and
  circumstances in the following - some examples
  comprise two clauses.
• You must give some money to charity.
• All my life I have supported the environment.
• Cook the biscuits in the oven for twenty minutes.
• Have you played tennis recently?
• In each hole, the dog found one or two bones.
• He ran down the stairs very quickly.
• All my life I have supported the environment but
  now I want to give up.
• I played tennis recently and I enjoyed it
  immensely.
• After working hard during the term, Im looking
  forward to the holidays.

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Independent and Dependent Clauses

• Independent
• Can stand on its own and convey a message
• Is always finite ie has a Subject (unless in
  the imperative form)
• You must give some money to charity.
  (Independent)
• You must give some money to charity (Independent)
  because you are very rich (Dependent)
• You must give some money to charity (Independent)
  and you should give some to me as well.
  (Independent)

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Independent and Dependent Clauses

• Dependent
• Cannot stand on its own is bound to an
  independent clause, eg with a binding conjunction
  such as if to make meaning.
• Usually provides more circumstantial information
  eg how, when, where and why or projects
  mental or verbal processes
• When I get home (Dependent) I am going to bed
• He thought that he should go home (Dependent)
• Can be moved with the binding conjunction in
  front of or after the independent clause and the
  meaning remains the same.
• If I am going to be late (Dependent), I will ring
  you (Independent).
• OR
• I will ring you (Independent) if I am going to be
  late. (Dependent)

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Independent and Dependent Clauses

• Non - finite Dependent Clauses
• Some sentences include dependent clauses which
  have non-finite verbs i.e. verbs with no Subject
• To make a cake you usually need eggs. (Dependent
  clause using the infinitive to make)
• You can book a holiday by going to the internet.
  (Dependent clause using the present participle
  going)
• After eating dinner, she watched TV. (Dependent
  clause using the present participle eating)

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Dependent or Independent?

• Activity
• Identify the dependent and independent clauses
• When the tap is turned on, be sure it is not too
  hot.
• After five minutes place the mixture in the oven.
• By dialling an emergency number, I quickly got
  help.
• Because I wasnt really sure of myself, I decided
  not to go.
• People are destroying the environment by logging
  forests.
• Do you like opera?
• Even though she disagrees with me, she will
  listen to me
• They knew that I would go.

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• Activity Answers
• When the tap is turned on, (Dependent) be sure it
  is not too hot.
• After five minutes, place the mixture in the oven
  (Independent)
• By dialling an emergency number (Dependent,
  non-finite), I quickly got help.
• Because I wasnt really sure of myself,
  (Dependent) I decided not to go.
• People are destroying the environment
  (Independent) by logging forests
• Do you like opera? (Independent)
• Even though she disagrees with me, (Dependent)
  she will listen to me
• They knew (Independent) that I would go.
• To make a great pizza, (Dependent, non-finite)
  you need a good base.
• I went to Broome, which is a really interesting
  place.(Dependent)

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Interrupting Clause

• Joins another clause by interrupting it.
• Uses commas to signal its function.
• My brother, who lives in Canberra, is a public
  servant. (Interrupting Clause)
• As opposed to
• My brother who lives in Canberra is a public
  servant (Embedded clause is part of the nominal
  group My brother who lives in Canberra.) see
  Embedded Clause
• Broome, which is a really interesting place, is
  becoming a popular tourist location.

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Projected Clause

• A dependent clause that comes after saying and
  some mental verbs to project thoughts, ideas and
  feelings.
• I said that my brother lives in Canberra
• They thought that my brother lived in Canberra

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Embedded Clause

• Functions inside another clause , ,usually as a
  part of the noun group or as participant.
• Use who or that when referring to people
• Use which or that when referring to things.
• The woman who is over there is my mothers best
  friend.
• Attachment 8 (continued)
• The dog that barks all night belongs to the man
  who lives across the road.
• What I really needed was a long holiday
• Note that interrupting and projected clauses are
  dependent, whereas embedded clauses are simply
  seen as part of another clause.

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Using conjunctions to combine clauses

• Linking Independent Clauses
• (Adjacent clauses that are not structurally
  dependent on the other)
• We went to the cinema and we enjoyed the movie
  very much.
• Monica walked home but her friends got the bus.
• (These sentences are sometimes called compound
  sentences)
• Binding - Dependent and Independent Clauses
• (One clause is structurally dependent on another.
  A dependent clause can be moved with the
  conjunction attached)
• I will get very angry if you kick the ball
  inside.
• OR
• If you kick the ball inside, I will get very
  angry.
• (These sentences can be called complex sentences)

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Relative clauses as dependent clauses

• Relative clauses are dependent clauses which with
  who, which, that. Relative clauses can be used
  to form more complex sentences
• We travelled to Broome, which is a really
  interesting place. (Relative clause added to the
  main independent clause)
• Broome, which is a really interesting place, is
  becoming a popular tourist location.
  (Interrupting clause)
• Some people felt that it was the only solution.
  (Projecting clause)

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Activity

• With a partner, analyse the shaded sections of
  the text in Attachment 11B and then try to find
  the following language features
• Note that there may not be examples of all of
  these features in the text you choose.
• An independent clause and then identify its
  different parts.
• Two independent clauses joined by a linking
  conjunction eg and, but, and then
• A dependent clause joined to an independent
  clause
• A projected clause
• A relative clause added to an independent clause
• A relative clause in an embedded clause.

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