Main and Subordinate Clauses Overview

Study Notes

Main and Subordinate Clauses

Clauses are groups of related words that contain a subject and a predicate. They are used to express complete thoughts within sentences. There are two types of clauses: main clauses and subordinate clauses.

Differences between Main and Subordinate Clauses

The main difference lies in their independent versus dependent relationship with other clauses. A main clause is a standalone sentence: it can convey a complete thought by itself. On the other hand, a subordinate clause cannot function independently; it relies on a main clause to form a complete sentence.

For example:

A group of people were watching a movie (subordinate clause) when suddenly the lights went out.
It was raining heavily (main clause), so I decided to stay home instead of going out.

Connectives

Connectives help to link clauses together. Common connectives used with subordinate clauses include relative pronouns like who, whom, whose, which, what, where, and when. For instance:

This is the man who bought you a car.
Look over there, where he's pointing.
That is the house in which they spent their childhood.

Examples

Subordinate clauses are often introduced by subordinating conjunctions such as after, although, because, before, even if, even though, if, once, since, so that, than, that, though, until, until now, unless, when, whether, whereas, while, why, etc.. For example:

He arrived late because his alarm clock didn't ring.
She was afraid even if she knew he would be forgiven.

Definition

A main clause is a group of words that contains both a subject and verb and can stand alone as a separate sentence. For instance, "I am reading a book.".

On the other hand, a subordinate clause depends on another clause to make sense. It can act as an adjective phrase, adverb phrase, noun phrase, or whole sentence. A subordinate clause introduces necessary information that helps to specify, describe, give reasons, compare, contrast, time, place or result.

Description

Learn about main and subordinate clauses, the differences between the two, how they are connected using connectives, and examples of their usage in sentences. Main clauses can function independently as complete sentences, while subordinate clauses rely on main clauses for context and meaning.

Main and Subordinate Clauses Overview

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Questions and Answers

Which type of clause can convey a complete thought by itself?

What is the main difference between main and subordinate clauses?

Which connective is commonly used to introduce subordinate clauses?

What type of pronouns are commonly used as relative pronouns in connecting clauses?

In the sentence 'He arrived late because his alarm clock didn't ring,' what type of clause is 'because his alarm clock didn't ring'?

Which word is an example of a common subordinating conjunction used to introduce a subordinate clause?

What purpose do connectives serve in linking clauses?

'That is the house in which they spent their childhood.' What does 'in which they spent their childhood' function as in the sentence?

'Look over there, where he's pointing.' What type of clause is 'where he's pointing'?

'This is the man who bought you a car.' What role does 'who' play in the sentence?

Study Notes