English Grammar: Clauses and Sentence Structure

Study Notes

A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a predicate.
Independent clause: a clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence.
- Has a subject and a predicate.
- Expresses a complete thought.
Dependent clause: a clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.
- Has a subject and a predicate, but does not express a complete thought.
- Begins with a subordinating conjunction (e.g. because, although, if).

Simple sentence: a sentence with only one independent clause.
- Has a single main idea.
- Typically follows a subject-verb-object (SVO) word order.
Compound sentence: a sentence with two or more independent clauses.
- Joins two or more independent clauses with a conjunction (e.g. and, but, or).
- Can be separated into individual simple sentences.
Complex sentence: a sentence with an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.
- Has a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses.
- Uses subordinating conjunctions to connect clauses.

A syllable is a unit of sound in a word.
Syllable division: breaking down a word into its individual syllables.
- Rules for syllable division:
  - Divide between two vowels (e.g. ba-na-na).
  - Divide before a single consonant between two vowels (e.g. ca-ter).
  - Divide after a consonant cluster (e.g. black-board).
Syllable types:
- Monosyllable: a word with one syllable (e.g. cat).
- Polysyllable: a word with two or more syllables (e.g. banana).
- Syllable stress: the emphasis on a particular syllable in a word (e.g. em-PHA-sis).

A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a predicate, and can be either independent or dependent.
Independent clauses can stand alone as a complete sentence, have a subject and a predicate, and express a complete thought.
Dependent clauses cannot stand alone as a complete sentence, have a subject and a predicate, but do not express a complete thought, and begin with a subordinating conjunction (e.g. because, although, if).

Simple sentences have only one independent clause, a single main idea, and typically follow a subject-verb-object (SVO) word order.
Compound sentences have two or more independent clauses, join two or more independent clauses with a conjunction (e.g. and, but, or), and can be separated into individual simple sentences.
Complex sentences have an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses, have a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses, and use subordinating conjunctions to connect clauses.

A syllable is a unit of sound in a word.
Syllable division involves breaking down a word into its individual syllables, following rules such as dividing between two vowels (e.g. ba-na-na), dividing before a single consonant between two vowels (e.g. ca-ter), and dividing after a consonant cluster (e.g. black-board).
There are three types of syllables: monosyllable (a word with one syllable, e.g. cat), polysyllable (a word with two or more syllables, e.g. banana), and syllable stress (the emphasis on a particular syllable in a word, e.g. em-PHA-sis).