This document discusses the syntax of clauses, including main clauses and subordinate clauses. It defines a clause as a group of words containing a subject and a verb. Main clauses can stand alone as a complete thought, while subordinate clauses cannot as they need to be attached to a main clause to be complete. Subordinate clauses are introduced by subordinators like "that", "because", or "when".

1. LANE 334 -EA: Syntax
2011 – Term 2
MAIN CLAUSE
SUBORDINATE
CLAUSES
5
CLAUSES
By: http://SBANJAR.kau.edu.sa/
Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar http://wwwdrshadiabanjar.blogspot.com
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3. • A clause is a group of related words
containing a and a .
• It is different from a in that a
phrase does not include a subject
and a verb relationship.
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4. CLAUSE
SUBORDINATE
MAIN CLAUSE
CLAUSE
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5. • Main clauses are .
• Every main clause will follow this pattern:
subject + verb = complete thought.
e.g. Tom shouted.
Tom = subject; shouted= verb.
• The important point is that every sentence
must have at least one main clause.
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6. : A clause
that can stand by itself and still make
sense. An independent clause could
be its own sentence, but is often part
of a larger structure, combined with
other independent clauses and with
dependent clauses.
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7. INDEPENDENT CLAUSES can come at
the end or at the beginning of a
sentence.
1. After mother got home, she went to
bed.
2. She sang a song when it was her
turn.
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8. INDEPENDENT CLAUSES Have a subject
and predicate which contains a predicator
(verb), and makes sense all by itself.
1. [[Many people] [have been suffering]]
2.[[The clouds] [gathered quickly]]
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9. INDEPENDENT CLAUSE: Expresses a
complete thought. It can stand alone
as a sentence.
1. [The doorbell rang]
2. [She smiled down on the children]
3. [The turkey was hot and juicy]
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10. An independent clause can function as a sentence by
itself or as part of a sentence:
– [S John studied very hard last year] (simple
sentence)
– [s John studied very hard last year] but [s he failed
his test] (compound sentence)
NOTE:Coordinated clauses are called
and labelled them by means of S (for
sentence/clause) in the left-hand corner.
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11. Independent clauses are connected by a
FANBOYS: For-
And-Nor-But-Or-Yet-So.
Coordinating Conjunctions
and but or yet for nor so
Conjunctions cannot be included in
the independent/main clauses.
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12. A subordinate clause will follow this
pattern:
subordinator + subject + verb =
incomplete thought.
e.g. He asked whether he might go
home with her.
whether = subordinator; he = subject;
go= verb.
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13. are DEPENDENT CLAUSES.
A DEPENDENT CLAUSE:
• DOESN’T express a complete thought.
• CAN’T stand alone as a sentence.
• SOUNDS like something else should follow in order
to make sense.
• MUST have a subject and a predicate that contains a
predicator (verb) otherwise it’s a phrase.
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14. • The important point to remember about
is that they can never
stand alone as complete sentences.
• To complete the thought, you must attach each
to a main clause.
• He closed the window because it was
windy.
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15. can come at the
end or at the beginning of a sentence.
1. She drove the car so that her
brother could walk.
2. After mother got home, she went
to bed.
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16. begin with
: rather than
even if since
after even so that
although though until than
as if when that
as if if only whenever though
as long as in order where till
as though that whereas unless
because now that wherever
before once while
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17. :
• Usually have a comma when they are
found in the first part of a sentence.
•If found at the end of the sentence,
there will not be any comma.
1. Before the dance, she went home.
2. The boys help out if they get to
listen to music.
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18. Application
His aunt feared that he might catch something.
• Bracketing the above constituent gives the following
result:
[ s His aunt feared [ that he might catch something]]
something]]
• It is clear that the string ‘’he might catch something’’
‘’he
is also an S, but what about ‘that’? The sentence is to
be bracketed as follows:
[ s1 His aunt feared [ X that [ s2 he might catch something]]]
something]]]
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19. • S2 Is a sentence inside sentence S1 : it
is a constituent of sentence S1.
• the role of ‘that’ is linking S2 (the embedded
sentence) to the sentence inside which it
occurs: that is the subordinator. The
constituent X, compising the subordinator and
S2, S (S-bar) or S’ (S- prime), is often labelled
(S- (S-
• It is a unit containing the subordinator and
the subordinate clause;
•S that - S
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20. The element that occupies the so-called
complementiser slot (COMP slot) in front of the
sentence S2. Thus the previous bracketing may be
adapted as follows:
[ s1 His aunt feared [S that [ s2 he might catch something]]]
something]]]
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21. HAVE A
NICE DAY!
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