2. Definition of a Clause
• A structure that consists of a subject, a
complete verb phrase, and all the material
that follows the verb phrase (ex: objects,
complements, etc.).
3. Definition of a Verb Phrase
• A complete verb phrases includes a main verb
and all the correct auxiliaries (if needed). It is
marked for tense and, where appropriate (in
the present tense mostly), subject-verb
agreement.
4. Examples of Complete Verb Phrases
• In these sentences the COMPLETE verb phrases are in BLUE. The
incomplete ones are in RED.
– The number of Americans choosingto give up their citizenship has spiked
dramatically this year as the government worksto implement a new disclosure
law aimed at stamping out tax evasion.
– Some of the rush may be caused by Americans hoping to avoid the new
disclosure requirements.
– Others who live abroad say they are giving up their US passport because they
are tired of dealing with overly complicated taxes.
– For expats, filing taxes in two countries often meanswrestling with a huge
mountain of paperwork.
(from CNN Money)
5. Clauses
• Every clause contains a complete verb phrase.
• Counting the complete verb phrases in a
sentence will tell you how many clauses there
are.
• A complete verb phrase is generally preceded
by a subject and is often followed by other
words that form the grammatical units we call
objects, complements, and adverbial phrases.
6. Example
• The number of Americans choosingto give up their
citizenship has spiked dramatically this year as the
government worksto implement a new disclosure law
aimed at stamping out tax evasion.
• Clause #1:
– Subject: The number of Americans choosingto give
up their citizenship
– Complete verb phrase: has spiked
– Material after verb phrase: dramatically this year as
the government worksto implement a new disclosure
law aimed at stamping out tax evasion.
7. Example
• The number of Americans choosingto give up their
citizenship has spiked dramatically this year as the
government worksto implement a new disclosure
law aimed at stamping out tax evasion.
• Clause #2:
• Subject: The government
• Complete Verb phrase: works
• Material after verb phrase: to implement a new disclosure
law aimed at stamping out tax evasion.
8. More on Clauses
• Others who live abroad say they are giving up their US
passport because they are tired of dealing with overly
complicated taxes.
• Clause 1: who | live | abroad
• Clause 2: Others who live abroad |say |they are giving
up their US passport because they are tired of dealing
with overly complicated taxes.
• Clause 3: they | are giving up | their US passport
because they are tired of dealing with overly
complicated taxes.
• Clause 4: they | are | tired of dealing with overly
complicated taxes.
9. Clause Connectors
• English has MANY different ways of connecting clauses.
• Here is a list of SOME of the more common ways.
– Clauses can be connected by subordinators, which are words that show
time/place/reason type relationships. These clauses are often called adverb
clauses.
– Example: Others who live abroad |say |they are giving up their US passport
because [they are tired of dealing with overly complicated taxes].
– Clauses can be connected by clause-connection words used after verbs.
These words include such words as “that” and the question words (q-words):
who, what, when, where, why, how. . . When they occur after verbs, these
clauses are often called noun clauses.
– Example: Others who live abroad |say |(that) [they are giving up their US
passport because they are tired of dealing with overly complicated taxes.]
– Clauses can be connected by clause relative words (that, who, which, why,
etc.). When they occur next to nouns, they are called adjective clauses.
– Example: Others[ wholive abroad] |say |(that) they are giving up their US
passport because they are tired of dealing with overly complicated taxes.
10. Editing
• To edit your sentences, first find the complete
verb phrases. Put a parentheses around each
one.
• Then check to be sure that each verb phrase has
a clear and obvious subject. Underline each one.
• Finally check your connectors. Mark each with
brackets []. Does each connector have a full
clause after it? Or did you maybe forget
something?
11. Example
• Of the 27 quantitative studies [that] we
(looked) at [that] (examined) a link between
temperatures and modern conflict, all of
them(found) [that] higher temperatures(were)
associated with more violence.
