IloveIndia

Figures of Speech IloveIndia
You may have come across the names of different types of clauses. Read on to know more about the various kinds of clauses with examples.

Types of Clauses

This is probably not the first time that you're hearing about clauses. They follow you all the way from your grammar classes till now. And just like the other concepts of English grammar, clauses are also very important in written English. There are different types of clauses; quite enough to confuse you, if not understood in detail. Sometimes, they may also appear overlapping, adding further confusion to your already perplexed mind. While referring to grammar notes, you may come across a number of clauses but, they are the subgroups of the two major clauses called independent and dependent clauses. So, as the first step to the world of clauses, it is better to learn about the basic groups of the clauses and their important subgroups. Once thorough with the basic grouping, you can proceed with more categories of clauses. So, for the time being, we will discuss about the independent and dependent clauses with examples. Read on!

Clause
Before heading into the types of clauses, it is important to learn about clauses in general. What is a clause? In simple words, it is a group of words which acts as a single unit. Clause is generally built around a verb. By definition, "a clause is the smallest grammatical unit that can express a complete meaning". Take the following example: "He lives in America". This is a Clause, which is built around the verb "lives".

Types Of Clauses
Clauses are broadly categorized into two major types:

Independent Clause
An Independent clause is capable of making or can make a sentence by itself, as it comprises of subject and verb and conveys a complete thought. Independent clause is an essential component in every sentence. And the absence of the same makes a group of words a mere fragment which is a major error in writing. Consider the example given below:

Tom works - This is an Independent clause as it contains a subject (Tom) and a verb (works) and also communicates a complete thought. As per English grammar rules, there should be at least one independent clause in a sentence. This indicates that there can be more than one independent clause in a sentence.

He is poor - This is an independent clause. Now consider another independent clause: He is unemployed. Now, these two independent clauses can be part of a sentence: He is poor because he is unemployed. Here, the two independent clauses are joined by the conjunction "because".

Independent Clause Examples
Examples For Compound Sentences Made Of Two Independent Clauses
Dependent Clause

Noun Clauses
A noun clause performs the same functions of a noun. It can be the subject of a verb, object of a verb, subject complement, object of a preposition, adjective complement:

Examples Of Noun Clauses
Adverb Clauses
An adverb clause serves the same function as that of an adverb. It explains about or modifies the main verb of the sentence giving inputs on when, where, why, under what conditions. Different types of adverb clauses are given below:

Adverb Clauses Of Time
It gives information on the time of action. Usually, it is indicated by the subordinating conjunctions like when, as soon as, while, before, until, after, since, till, as long as, etc.
Adverb Clauses Of Place
It gives information on the place of action. Usually, it is indicated by the subordinating conjunctions like where, wherever etc.
Adverb Clauses Of Purpose
It gives information about the purpose of action. It is usually indicated by subordinating conjunctions like that, lest, so that, in order that etc.
Adverb Clauses Of Cause Or Reason
It talks about the reason for the action and is usually introduced by subordinating conjunctions like as, since, because, that etc.
Adjective Clauses
Adjective pronoun usually contains subject, verb and a relative pronoun. It modifies a noun and can be used to combine two sentences to form one sentence. Adjective clauses usually begin with relative pronouns like who, which, that or whom or relative adverbs like when or where.

Examples For Adjective pronouns
Omitting The Relative Pronoun Or Adverb From The Adjective Clause
It should be noted that the relative pronoun or adverb introducing an adjective clause can be omitted sometimes. Look at the examples given below.
So, these were the basic types of clauses and there usages. Hope this article helped you tackle the confusions associated with the different types of clauses and help you identify and use them correctly in sentences.