Teacher’s Talk Official
SSC & HSSC Grammar
CLAUSE and its Types:
What is a Clause?
A Clause is comprised of a group of words that include a subject and a finite verb.
It contains only one subject and one verb. The subject of a clause can be mentioned
or hidden, but the verb must be apparent and distinguishable.
Example:
• I graduated last year. (One clause sentence)
• When I came here, I saw him. (Two clause sentence)
• When I came here, I saw him, and he greeted me. (Three clause sentence)
Types of Clause:
A dependent clause, or subordinate clause, can function in three ways in a
sentence: as a noun, as an adjective, or as an adverb.
What is a Noun Clause?
A noun clause is a dependent clause that takes the place of any noun in the sentence,
whether they are subjects, objects, or subject complements.
For example:
She was saddened by what she had read. (Object of preposition by)
3 Tips for Understanding a Noun
Clause:
1. Noun Clauses can replace any noun in a sentence, including subjects, objects,
and complements
For example:
No one knows why she is afraid of lizards.
In the sentence above, the noun clause replaces the direct object of the verb, knows.
2. Noun Clauses are not modifiers; they are placeholders
Noun Clause (acting as a subject): When she will arrive is depend on traffic.
As you can see, it is easy to confuse these different types of dependent clauses with
one another. If you are unsure whether a clause is adverbial or nominal (noun),
simply ask some questions:
3. If the clause answers the question, “who?” or “what?”, then it is a noun clause.
John did not know what would make his life any more perfect.
Examples:
I think that he will come tomorrow.
I believe what she said is true.
The fact is that we are running late.
I don't know what he wants.
The question is whether we can afford it.
She believes that love conquers all.
The truth is that we are lost.
I wonder why he didn't call.
The problem is that we don't have enough time.
I heard that the concert was amazing.
Adjective Clause:
An adjective clause is a dependent clause that functions as an adjective in the
sentence. Adjective clauses can also be called relative clauses. An adjective clause
begins with a relative pronoun.
How to find an Adjective Clause?
An adjective clause will begin with a relative pronoun. Does the clause that
you found begin with one of those?
Finally, does the clause answer the same types of questions that an adjective
answer. Does it tell you, Who, which one, what kind, or how many? Does it give
you more information about a noun or pronoun that comes before it?
Examples of Adjective Clause:
Below are some examples of sentences containing adjective clauses, with
explanations.
The lady who lives across the street is my aunt.
The subject of the clause is "who" and the verb is "lives". This clause is giving us
more information about the "lady"-which one?
The book that is on the chair belongs to Marvin.
This clause is giving us more information about the "book"-which one.
I do not like people who are mean to animals. (gives more information about
people)
Did you go to the school where my friend Jim goes? (gives more information
about school)
The moment when the clown burst in to surprise the teacher was great! (gives
more information about the moment)
The reason why I left is a secret.
Can you see the bird that is on the fence?
The cat whom we were watching just caught a mouse!
The boy whose shoes are on the floor is my little brother.
I like pizza which is also the favorite one of my sister.
What is an Adverbial Clause?
Subordinate clause function as an adverb. An adverbial clause, sometimes referred
to as an adverb clause. It is a group of words that, together, functions as an adverb,
describes or modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb.
How to find Adverb Clause?
Adverb Clause always answer like questions, where, when, how much, how
often, why.
He bakes cakes weekly.
He bakes cakes before he leaves for work every Sunday.
Eagerly, my brother agreed to the business proposal.
As dollar signs flashed in his eyes, my brother agreed to the business
proposal.
She finished her project before the deadline approached (adverb clause of
time).
The tourists got lost where the roads intersected (adverb clause of place).
He speaks loudly because he wants everyone to hear (adverb clause of reason
or cause).
She worked hard so that she could achieve her goals (adverb clause of
purpose).
She drove as carefully as she could (adverb clause of manner).
When the clock strikes twelve, the celebration begins (adverb clause of time).
The children played where the grass was soft (adverb clause of place).
He ran quickly because he was being chased (adverb clause of reason or
cause).
She studied diligently so that she could pass the exam (adverb clause of
purpose).
Types of adverbial clauses
Adverbial clauses come in many different forms. Each of these forms is
characterized by the nature of the information the clause is communicating.
Adverbial clauses of manner
An adverbial clause of manner describes how the action described in the sentence’s
main clause is taking place or previously took place. Here are a few examples:
She addressed the crowd as she had practiced in the mirror.
They designed the new product the way innovators problem-solve
around design flaws.
Adverbial clauses of place
Adverbial clauses of place describe where the action in a sentence’s main clause
takes place. See how they work in these examples:
My son told me another fight broke out where he eats lunch at school.
They drove beyond where the city ends.
Adverbial clauses of condition
With an adverbial clause of condition, you can communicate the conditions related
to the verb, adverb, or adjective in the sentence’s main clause. These examples
demonstrate a few ways to use adverbial clauses of condition:
We’ll be sitting in the conference room until they tell us to leave.
Whether my husband likes it or not, we’ll be celebrating
Adverbial clauses of reason
Adverbial clauses of reason tell us the reason for the action being taken in the
sentence’s main clause. Generally, use subordinating conjunctions like because,
unless, and since.
We adopted these two cats because they are a bonded pair.
He’s amazing at billiards since he spent his youth working in a pool hall.
Adverbial clauses of time
Adverbial clauses of time communicate when the action in a sentence takes place:
Before she got home, she called and ordered a pizza.
They assembled, dressed, and marched out as the band played
Adverbial clauses of purpose
Like adverbial clauses of reason, adverbial clauses of purpose frequently involve
subordinating conjunctions. These two kinds of clauses can look similar, but they
have one key difference: While adverbial clauses of reason give the reason why
something is happening, adverbial clauses of purpose explain the reason to take a
specific action. Here are a few examples:
We studied all night so we would pass the exam.
So that they could ease the traffic flow, the event organizers split the group
into three cohorts.
Adverbial clauses of comparison
Adverbial clauses of comparison are clauses that communicate how the subject of
the dependent clause compares to the subject in the main clause. There are two
types of adverbial clauses of comparison: adverbial clauses of comparison of
degree and adverbial clauses of comparison of manner.
Here are a few examples of adverbial clauses of comparison of degree:
Felix is as good at video games as he is good at weight lifting.
We expected the afternoon class to perform better on the test than the
morning class did.
Here are a few examples of adverbial clauses of comparison of manner:
The events unfolded as the oracle prophesized.
My wedding vows went as well as I’d hoped.
Adverbial clause of concession
In an adverbial clause of concession, the writer acknowledges or admits a factor that
modifies the main clause.
Take a look at these adverbial clauses of concession:
Despite how I had good intentions, the interaction went horribly wrong.
The department head hired the first person they interviewed, though twenty
people applied for the job.
Examples of adverbial clauses
They can also appear in the middle;
Examples:
Our team, whenever they win a match, acts like a swarm of bees and comes
together as a cohesive unit.
Ahmed sat, because his usual spot at the table was taken, in a chair in the
corner.
Adverbial clauses can be long, sometimes even longer than their sentences’ main
clauses:
Because there was ice on the road and I’d already slipped and fallen twice
in the last week, I stayed home from school.
My sister, although she showed more patience than I’ve ever seen her
have before, still rushed ahead.
They can also be quite short:
I took out the trash because it stunk.
It was dark in the hallway, so Nina illuminated it with a match that she found
in her backpack.