what is clause? clause vs. sentence. types of clause.

1. Clause
Understanding the
complexity of clause
By
Taqdees Hira

2. Clause
 What is a clause?
A clause is a fundamental unit in the
process of communication because it is the
minimal unit which can stand alone as
constituting a complete message.
e.g. Go! Stop! and Run.
 What are the keys to identify clause
boundaries?
One of the key to identify clause boundaries
in the text is to see that each clause must
have a process.
E.g. Got, went, to buy, bought and liked.

3. Identification of clause boundaries
 Full stop indicate a clause boundary.
 Commas often mark clause boundaries.
 Conjunction (when, and) are used near or
at the end of clause.
 Presence of grammatical units like who ,
whose which.

4. Non-clausal units
 What are non-clausal units?
Non-clausal units are the structural units
that are not composed of clauses.
 Why non-clausal language is more
common in conversation than in
writing?
Non-clausal units reflect the simplicity of
grammatical construction resulting from
real-time production in conversation.
 E.g. poor kids, good for you

5. Clause complexes
 What are clause complexes?
Clause complexes are clauses of various kinds
combine together into larger stretches of language.
 Levels of clause complex:
1. Clause complex level
2. Phrase level
3. Word level
4. Morpheme level
E.g. Even though every room in the school had an
air conditioner, the heat was unbearable.
Clauses: 2, phrases: 7, words: 15, morphemes: 18

6. Sentence vs Clause
 What is sentence?
The sentence is essentially a phenomenon
of written language. It can be identified as
a stretch of words beginning with a capital
letter and ending with a full stop.
 What are the ways to form clause
complexes?
There are 2 ways:
1. Coordination
2. Sub-coordination

7. Clause
 Coordination: When two potentially
independent grammatically equal clauses are
linked, generally through conjunctions.
(and, but, or)
 E.g. You can watch television or you can
have swim in the pool.
 Sub-coordination: Where potentially
independent primary clauses is linked with
the dependent or secondary clause which
cannot operate otherwise.
 (while, because, although, who, which)

8. Clause
 What is an independent clause?
 An independent clause is one which stands
by itself and has equal status to the other
clause it is being linked with.
E.g. I learn guitar and Ali plays the piano.
 What is a dependent clause?
 A dependent clause is one which cannot
stands by itself and cannot operate alone. It
need a primary clause to make its sense clear
to the reader. It is also called subordinate
clause.
E.g . When spring arrives, the flowers bloom.

9. Clause
 What is circumstantial dependent clause?
Those clauses which provide circumstantial or
background information. They tell when, where, why,
to what extent, for what purpose, in what manner,
under what condition.
 What is finite clause?
A finite clause is the one that has either present/past
tense or a modal verb.
E.g. I leave early, we waited…
 What is an non-finite clause?
A non-finite clause has no tense and does not include
a modal verb.
E.g. after trying so hard, in order to see better..etc

10. Clause
 What is relativiser?
 A relativiser is either a relative pronoun
(which, whom, whose, that, who) or a
relative adverb (where, when, why)
 What is projection?
Projection involves reporting and quoting
what people have thought or said.
E.g.
a. She said(projecting clause) I am
leaving(projected clause).
b. Ali thought (projecting clause) we would
succeed (projected clause).

11. Clause
 What is embedded clause?
When a phrase is put inside another
phrase, that is called an embedded
clause.
E.g. the key that you need in hanging
behind the door.
‘That you need’ is the embedded clause.