English Grammar: Types of Clauses

Learn what clauses are, different types of clauses along with examples and exercises. Necessary grammar for fluent English.
May 25, 2021 Uncategorized

Clauses are an important part of English language. They are the building blocks of sentences. It is essential to understand clauses when learning English grammar. In this blog post we’ll take a deep dive into the world of clauses; we’ll explore different types of clauses along with examples so that you get an idea of how to use clauses in the most correct way. This way you will ensure that you are speaking grammatically correct English.

What is a clause? 

A clause is a group of words including both a subject and a predicate. Example: 

  • Globalization has led to the growth of industries across the world. Subject – Globalization Predicate – has led to the growth of industries across the world
  • I look forward to hearing from you. Subject – I Predicate – look forward to hearing from you

Note: It is a clause that gives us a sentence. Clauses are of two types – independent and dependent. 

What are Independent Clauses?

The independent clauses do not require any support to complete the sense of the sentence. Example: 

  • Ecological balance is necessary for survival on this planet.
  • The endangered species should be saved at any cost.

The independent clause examples given above do not need anything else to complete them but each of them has only one predicate. Hence, they are examples of Simple sentences.  Simple Sentences with correlative conjunctions. 

  • Not only………but also
  • Physical exercise not only strengthens our muscles, joints and bones but also gives us flexibility.
  • She is not only beautiful but also smart.
  • Neither………nor
  • Neither the government nor the people are able to prognosticate any terror activities.

How do you structure Compound sentences?

You join independent clauses with the help of coordinating conjunctions – FOR, AND, NOR, BUT, OR, YET, SO When you join two independent clauses using a conjunction, you get a Compound sentence. Without a conjunction, you put semicolon mark (;) to connect them. However, when you use the conjunction and the subjects are different, you should place a comma before the conjunction. Example: 

  • Ecological balance is necessary for survival on this planet, and the endangered species should be saved at any cost.

Or 

  • Ecological balance is necessary for survival on this planet; the endangered species should be saved at any cost.
  • Online products can be meretricious, yet many people get lured by them and end up buying from a plethora of e-commerce websites.
  • Walking is an excellent exercise, but for some it is just a way to kill time.
  • Technology does not give us privacy, nor does it allow us to be creative.

How do you structure Complex sentences?

When you include a dependent clause in a sentence, it becomes a Complex sentence.

What are dependent clauses?

As mentioned earlier, these clauses need support of the independent clauses. Below are the different types along with dependent clause examples.

Noun clauses

  • That literates are governed by illiterates is a painful truth of our society.
  • Some believe that technology will soon make the teachers redundant.
  • Nobody knows where he is.
  • What used to be a dream earlier has now become a reality.

Adjective Clauses

  • The problem of Ebola virus, which could have been controlled in its incipient stage, has now become a pandemic.
  • Those children, who are street smart, are able to handle peer pressure.

Adverb Clauses

  • We can reduce unemployment if we engage in more skill-based training programmes.
  • If we engage in more skill- based training programmes, we can reduce unemployment.
  • Unemployment would not have become such a big problem if it had been handled at its nascent stage.
  • Children would become more confident if they got more exposure to the world.
  • Children would become more confident if they were allowed to learn from their mistakes.
  • Unless you make a mistake, you will never learn.
  • Although I love shopping, I did not accompany my friends to the mall.

So now you know what are clauses in English! By learning how to use different types of clauses, you can drastically improve the quality of your writing as well as your ability to communicate with others. Yuno Learning offers a wide range of spoken English courses to a wide range of people, be it, English courses for kids, students, housewives or working professionals. If you are looking to improve your English language skills, reach out to us at [email protected] or call on 7411781928.  

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