A clause is a set of words that contains both a main noun phrase and a main verb.
A clause is a group of words that explain an action within a sentence.
contain one main verb.
Then can contain constituents that can:
- subjects (noun phrases)
- objects (noun phrases)
- predicates (verb phrases)
- complements
- adverbials
independent or dependent
Clauses can be either independent or dependent. An independent clause is the main part of the sentence.
Example: She gave the dog a treat. She is the subject. The treat is the direct object. The dog is the indirect object. If we need to remove one object, the sentence is “She gave a treat.” So, the treat is the direct object.
Transitive verb.
- Take a direct object.
Intransitive verb.
- Don’t take a direct object.
Example - I gave a potato cake to the first person (that) I saw on my way to school.
She gave the dog a treat is one clause, because it has one main verb.
It has two clauses. “gave”, and “saw”.
Subject: “I”
Predicate: “gave a potato cake to the first person I saw on my way to school.”
Independent clause: “I gave a potato cake to the first person.”
Dependent clause: “I saw on my way to school.”
Direct object: “a potato cake”
Indirect object: “the first person I saw on my way to school”
complement phrases
Complement phrases
Example - My cat’s name is Jack.
Subject: “my cat’s name”
Subject Complement: “Jack”
Example: The night is cold.
Subject: “the night”
Subject Complement: “is cold”
Example - The mouse is red.
Subject: “the mouse”
Subject Complement: “is red”
Example - The mouse is on the table.
Subject: “the mouse”
Subject Complement: “on the table”
Example: We voted her school captain.
Subject: “we”
Object: “her”
Object complement: “school captain”
Example: They put the box over there.
Subject: “they”
Object: “box”
Object Complement: “over there”
adverbial phrases
An adverbial phrase is an adverb phrase or prepositional phrase. It is very easy to move around an adverbial phrase.
Example - The cat is sleeping on my lap.
Subject: “the cat”
Predicate: “is sleeping on my lap”
Subject Complement: “sleeping on my lap”
Adverbial: “on my lap”
Example - The bus will arrive in the morning.
Subject: “the bus”
Adverbial: “in the morning”
Example - Obviously a writer of this book likes potato cakes.
Subject: “a writer of this book”
Predicate: “likes potato cakes”
Direct Object: “potato cakes”