Build sentences with clauses

Short lesson

A clause is built around a verb. In the finite clauses practised here, look for a verb and its subject; in a command, the subject you is usually understood. “Close the gate” is a clause. “Under the old bridge” is a phrase without a verb.

A main clause can form a complete sentence on its own: “The dog waited.” A subordinate clause depends on a main clause: “because the gate was shut”. Joining these tells us why the dog waited.

Co-ordinating conjunctions such as and, but and or link equal elements. Subordinating conjunctions such as because, although and when introduce a dependent clause. Pick the relationship you mean: cause, contrast, condition or time.

A relative clause adds information about a noun: “The scarf, which was still damp, hung by the fire.” Here the commas mark extra information. Do not put commas around every relative clause: “The scarf that I borrowed is blue” identifies which scarf.

A sentence may function as a statement, question, command or exclamation. End punctuation helps, but it is not the whole test. “Stop!” is a command. A grammatical exclamation such as “What a remarkable bird that is!” has a different structure.

Worked example

Two ideas: “The path was muddy. We continued.” To express contrast: “Although the path was muddy, we continued.” “We continued” is the main clause; “Although the path was muddy” cannot stand alone here. Replacing although with because changes the relationship, not just the style.

Try it

Have a go on paper or say your answer aloud, then open the answer.

1. Foundation

   Which is a complete sentence: “Beyond the wooden fence” or “The fox waited beyond the wooden fence”? Explain what the first lacks.

   Show answer 1

   “The fox waited beyond the wooden fence” is a complete sentence. The first item is a preposition phrase and has no verb or complete clause. It could be a short conversational answer, but it is not a complete sentence in this task.

2. Core

   Identify the main and subordinate clauses: “Because the bus was late, we walked to the museum.”

   Show answer 2

   Main: we walked to the museum. Subordinate: Because the bus was late. The second supplies a cause and depends on the main clause.

3. Core

   Join “The room was small” and “It felt welcoming” using a conjunction that shows contrast. Keep both ideas.

   Show answer 3

   Examples: “The room was small, but it felt welcoming.” “Although the room was small, it felt welcoming.” Accept another grammatical contrast, such as yet. “Because” alone expresses cause, not the required contrast.

4. Core

   Add an extra-information relative clause about the suitcase: “The suitcase stood in the hallway.” Include suitable punctuation.

   Show answer 4

   Example: “The suitcase, which had a broken handle, stood in the hallway.” Accept a grammatical relative clause adding extra information about the suitcase, correctly enclosed in commas. Avoid treating a clause about the hallway as an answer about the suitcase.

5. Stretch

   Label each sentence's function and explain why an exclamation mark alone is insufficient: A. “Please wait here.” B. “Did the train arrive?” C. “What a splendid view this is!” D. “The train has arrived.”

   Show answer 5

   A: command; B: question; C: exclamation; D: statement. Their grammatical forms and purposes determine the labels. A command can end in “!” and remain a command. C has a What a… exclamative construction, rather than being classified only by its final mark.