Section outline

  • A Clause is a group of words that forms a part of a sentence and has a subject & a finite verb. 

    Features:

    1. It has a subject , finite verb & predicate.
    2. A sentence can have more than one clauses.
    3. It is the building block of the sentence.

    Examples:

    1. She thought that her book was lost.
    2. Jane is a girl with great courage.

    The above clauses have their own:

    1. Subject - 'Jane, her book'
    2. Finite Verb - 'was, is'

    • Difference between clause & phrase:

      Phrase Clause
      It doesn't have a subject and predicate. It has a subject & predicate.
      It has a non-finite verb. It has a finite verb.
      It doesn't make complete sense. It makes complete sense.
      It is used to add meaning to the sentence. It conveys more information.
      It cannot stand alone. Independent clauses can stand alone.
      Eg: I lost a book in the class. Eg: I lost a book that I borrowed from the library.