What are English clauses?

A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb that have a relationship. The only defining characteristic of a clause is that it must contain a related subject and verb. Clauses play a variety of roles in English and because of this, there are numerous ways to structure and combine them.

What is a phrase and clause?

Both phrases and clauses contain groups of two or more words and help us to make sentences, but they both have different roles. A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. A phrase is a group of words, but it doesn’t contain a subject and a verb.

What is clause grammar?

Updated on June 21, 2021 · Grammar. A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb that have a relationship. This relationship is crucial; a clause conveys information about what that subject is or is doing, rather than simply being a random grouping of words.

How do you identify a clause?

A clause is a group of words that tells you two things. First, it has a subject: that’s who or what is doing something. Second, it has a predicate: that’s the action the subject is doing. “They run” is a clause. It tells you the who (they) and the action (run).

What is a clause for kids?

Children’s Definition. A clause is a feature of written English. Put simply, a clause is a group of words that includes a subject and a verb. Clauses are what make up a sentence. They are groups of words that contain a subject and a verb.

Can a clause be one word?

Noun Clauses A noun clause is a group of words that band together and act like a noun. Nouns clauses are used when a single word isn’t enough. They’re always dependent clauses. They often begin with words like how, that, what, when, where, which, who, and why.

What is a clause in writing?

Top Tip! A clause is a group of words that includes a subject and a verb. (A clause functions as an adjective, an adverb, or a noun.) A clause contrasts with a phrase, which does not contain a subject and a verb.

When can a part of a sentence be called a clause?

Therefore, a part of a sentence (other than the preposition, article and object) can be called a clause if it can stand alone as a simple sentence. See the following example with underlined part as a clause within each sentence. They are laughing at a joker. I saw a cat in the street. She cooks food in the kitchen.

What is the difference between a clause and a phrase?

DEFINITION OF CLAUSE AND PHRASE: • A clause is a group of words with a subject-verb unit; the 2nd group of words contains the subject-verb unit the bus goes, so it is a clause. • A phrase is a group of words without a subject-verb unit.

What is an independent clause in English grammar?

Clause (with Examples) A clause is a group of words that includes a subject and a verb. A clause can be distinguished from a phrase, which does not contain a subject and a verb (e.g., in the afternoon, drinking from the bowl). An independent clause can express a complete thought (and can be a standalone sentence).