THE CLAUSE

• Clauses come in four types:

main [or independent], subordinate [or
dependent],
adjective [or relative], and noun.
• Every clause has at least a subject and
a verb. Other characteristics will help you
distinguish one type of clause from another.
Every main clause will follow this pattern:

SUBJECT + VERB =

COMPLETE THOUGHT
1.Lazy students whine.
2.Cola spilled over the glass and
splashed onto the counter.
3.My dog loves pizza crusts.
A subordinate clause will follow this pattern:

SUBORDINATE CONJUNCTION +

SUBJECT + VERB =

INCOMPLETE THOUGHT
1. Whenever lazy students whine
2. As cola spilled over the glass and
splashed onto the counter
3. Because my dog loves pizza
crusts
 The important point to
remember about subordinate
clauses is that they
can never stand alone as
complete sentences. To complete
the thought, you must attach
each subordinate clause to a
main clause.
 Remember:

MAIN CLAUSE+ Ф +SUBORDINATE CLAUSE .

SUBORDINATE CLAUSE + , +. MAIN CLAUSE.

1. Whenever lazy students whine,
Mrs. Russell throws chalk erasers at
their heads.
2. Anthony ran for the paper towels as
cola spilled over the glass and
splashed onto the counter.
3. Because my dog loves pizza crusts,
he never barks at the deliveryman.
 Relative Clauses

• A relative clause will begin with a relative

pronoun [such as who, whom, whose, which,
or that] or a relative adverb [when, where,
or why].
• Remember:
Relative Pronoun or Adverb + Subject + Verb=
incomplete thought
Relative Pronoun As Subject + Verb =
Complete thought
• Whom Mrs. Russell hit in the head with a chalk
eraser
Whom = relative pronoun; Mrs. Russell =
subject; hit = verb.
• Where he chews and drools with great
enthusiasm
Where = relative adverb; he =
subject; chews, drools = verbs.
• That had spilled over the glass and splashed onto
the counter
That = relative pronoun; had spilled, splashed =
verbs.
 Like subordinate clauses,
relative clauses cannot stand
alone as complete sentences. You
must connect them to main
clauses to finish the thought.
 Revisions:
1. The lazy students whom Mrs. Russell hit in
the head with a chalk eraser soon learned to
keep their complaints to themselves.
2. My dog Floyd, who loves pizza crusts, eats
them under the kitchen table, where he
chews and drools with great enthusiasm.
3. Anthony ran to get paper towels for the
cola that had spilled over the glass and
splashed onto the counter.
 Identifying Adjective Clauses

Instructions: In each
sentence, underline once the
adjective clause and twice the
main clause. Also, encircle the
relative noun or relative
adverb.
1. I met a woman who works with your mother.
2. Have you thought of a place where we can
meet?
3. Is this the person whom you saw in the
library?
4. I found the book that I needed.
5. She remembers the days when there were
trolley cars.
6. Did Harriet tell you the reason why she left?
7. I lost the sweater that Aunt Susie made me.
8. Have they found the girl who was lost?
9. Most people who visit the museum are
impressed.
10.The pictures that I took are not ready yet.
11.The scene that reveals the heroine’s secret is the
best.
12.The dessert that I ordered never came.
13.Did you find all the tools that you needed?
14.They can subpoena anyone who refuses to
testify.
15.Is he the one who told you about the meeting?
Correctly attach a subordinate clause
to a main clause.
• When you attach a subordinate
clause in front of a main clause, use
a comma, like this:

SUBORDINATE CLAUSE + , + MAIN CLAUSE.

1. Even though the broccoli was covered in
cheddar cheese, Emily refused to eat it.
2. Unless Christine finishes her calculus
homework, she will have to suffer Mr.
Nguyen's wrath in class tomorrow.
3. While Bailey slept on the sofa in front of the
television, Samson, the family dog, gnawed
on the leg of the coffee table.
• When you attach a subordinate
clause at the end of a main clause,
you will generally use no
punctuation, like this:

MAIN CLAUSE + Ø + SUBORDINATE CLAUSE.

1. Tanya did poorly on her history exam
Ø because her best friend Giselle insisted on
gossiping during their study session the
night before.
2. Jonathon spent his class time reading comic
books Ø since his average was a 45 one
week before final exams.
3. Diane decided to plant tomatoes in the back
of the yard Ø where the sun blazed the
longest during the day.
Punctuate carefully when the
subordinate clause begins with a
relative pronoun.
• Subordinate clauses can begin with relative
pronouns [and thus are called relative clauses,
a type of subordinate clause]. When a
subordinate clause starts with who, whose,
or which, for example, punctuation gets a
little bit trickier. Sometimes you will need a
comma, and sometimes you won't, depending
on whether the clause is essential or
nonessential.
• When the information in the relative clause
clarifies an otherwise general noun, the clause
is essential and will follow the same pattern
that you saw above:

MAIN CLAUSE + Ø + ESSENTIAL RELATIVE CLAUSE.

Nick gave a handful of potato chips to the dog

Ø who was sniffing around the picnic tables.
• When a relative clause follows a specific noun,
punctuation changes. The information in the
relative clause is no longer as important, and
the clause becomes
nonessential. Nonessential clauses require
you to use commas to connect them.
MAIN CLAUSE + , + NONESSENTIAL RELATIVE CLAUSE.

Nick gave a handful of potato chips to Button ,

who was sniffing around the picnic tables.
• Relative clauses can also interrupt a main clause.
When this happens, use no punctuation for an
essential clause. If the clause is nonessential,
separate it with a comma in front and a comma
behind. Take a look at these examples:
1. After dripping mustard all over his chest, the
man Ø who was wearing a red shirt Ø wished
that he had instead chosen ketchup for his
hotdog.
2. After dripping mustard all over his chest,
Charles, who was wearing a red shirt, wished
that he had instead chosen ketchup for his
hotdog.
THE ESSENTIAL CLAUSE

An essential clause is a relative clause that

limits a general, ambiguous noun. The
essential clause tells the reader which one of
many the writer means.
• The man who ordered another double
anchovy pizza claims to have a pet dolphin in
his backyard pool.

Which man among the billions of human

males on the planet? The one who ordered
the double anchovy pizza!
• Freddie hopes to return to the city where he
met a woman with haunting green eyes.

Which of the many cities on the planet? The

one where Freddie met a memorable woman!
• The student who needs an A on the final
exam is copying statistics formulae on her
bare ankle.

Which of the many students in the class? The

one who needs an A on the test!
• Mr. Hall, who ordered another double
anchovy pizza, claims to have a pet dolphin in
his backyard pool.
• Freddie hopes to return to Cairo, where he
met a woman with haunting green eyes.
• Veronica, who needs an A on the final exam,
is copying statistics formulae on her bare
ankle.
 Punctuate essential clauses correctly.
Since an essential clause provides necessary
limits on the vague noun it describes, use no
punctuation to connect it.
• The car that Madeline purchased from a
newspaper ad belches black smoke whenever
she accelerates.
• The rats are nesting in the closet where
Grandma hides her money.
• The waiter who served the salad did not
notice the caterpillar nibbling a lettuce leaf.
 Punctuate essential clauses correctly.

When the clause becomes decorative rather than

defining—or nonessential—you will then need to
separate it with commas:
• The ancient Buick, which Madeline purchased
from a newspaper ad, belches black smoke
whenever she accelerates.
• The rats are nesting in the master bedroom
closet, where Grandma hides her money.
• Javier, who served the salad, did not notice the
caterpillar nibbling a lettuce leaf.
Exercise 1: Tell whether the italicized words in
each sentence a phrase or a clause.

1. To photograph the ocean bottom, two women descended in a metal

sphere.
2. It was hard to believe that we would not see the coach again.
3. Herb started off down the road, rolling the tire ahead of him.
4. We had arranged to meet at the information desk.
5. Is this the prize for which you have been working so hard?
6. We would not see who was at the door.
7. After leaving high school, Mary will go to a business school.
8. Scientists are hopeful now of finding a cure for cancer.
9. The men were losing weight, for they had been too tired to eat
properly.
10. Moving carefully under the ice, the submarine inched its way to
safety.
Exercise 2: Encircle the subordinate clause in each
sentence below.

1. This is the turn where the accident occurred.

2. It was the statement that lost Blaine the election.
3. Do you know who sent the flowers?
4. Turn off the lights before you come to bed.
5. Unless the rain stops, the game will be postponed.
6. Who knows where Carl is living?
7. Prices of farm products fell after the Erie Canal started operations.
8. Mr. Bruce is the man who bought our house.
9. What will we do if the power fails?
10. When there is a heavy snowfall in the city, everything seems to
stop.
Exercise 3: Underline each adjective clause and encircle
the word it modifies.
1. August is the month when you can see falling stars.
2. Dorothy Hamill is the American figure skater who won the gold
medal.
3. We need leaders who are honest and fearless.
4. The trip that we are planning will take us all through the West.
5. Do you have all the money that you need for the Washington trip?
6. The lady whom you spoke is the director of our museum.
7. The books that we ordered in September finally arrived in
November.
8. One high school, which has only 900 students, bought 10, 000
paperbacks last year.
9. The aerial photographs showed buildings which no one had ever
seen.
10. Scientists have invented a light that does not produce heat.