Clauses and Their Functions

A clause is a grammatical unit containing a subject and a predicate, although the subject may sometimes be understood rather than explicitly expressed.

Clauses are fundamental to sentence construction.

Independent Clauses

An independent clause can normally stand alone as a complete sentence:

She finished the work.

It contains a complete thought and can function independently.

Dependent Clauses

A dependent clause, also called a subordinate clause, cannot normally stand alone as a complete sentence in standard English:

because she finished the work

It needs to be connected to an independent clause:

We went home because she finished the work.

Noun Clauses

A noun clause functions in a way similar to a noun phrase:

What he said was surprising.
I know that she is honest.

It can function as a subject, object, or complement.

Relative or Adjective Clauses

A relative clause modifies a noun or noun phrase:

The man who lives next door is a doctor.
I read the book that you recommended.

Relative clauses commonly begin with who, which, that, whose, or related structures.

Adverbial Clauses

An adverbial clause functions like an adverbial and expresses relationships such as time, reason, condition, contrast, purpose, or concession:

I stayed home because it was raining.
Call me when you arrive.
If you work hard, you will succeed.

Finite and Non-Finite Clauses

A finite clause contains a finite verb:

She works here.

A non-finite clause contains an infinitive, participle, or other non-finite form:

To finish the work was difficult.
Having completed the task, she went home.

The distinction becomes increasingly important in advanced writing and sentence analysis.