Phrases and clauses

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What is a clause?

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A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. It can express a complete thought (independent clause) or may not (dependent clause).

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What is an example of an independent clause?

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'I enjoy reading books.' This clause can stand alone as a complete sentence.

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What is an example of a dependent clause?

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'Although I enjoy reading books,' this clause cannot stand alone and needs an independent clause to complete its meaning.

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What is a phrase?

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A phrase is a group of words that does not contain a subject-verb pair and does not express a complete thought.

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What is an example of a phrase?

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'Under the rock' is a phrase because it does not have a subject and a verb.

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What is the difference between a phrase and a clause?

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A clause has both a subject and a verb and can express a complete thought, while a phrase does not have both and cannot stand alone.

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What is a noun clause?

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A noun clause is a dependent clause that acts as a noun in a sentence.

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What is an example of a noun clause?

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'What you said' is a noun clause in the sentence 'I don't understand what you said.'

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What is an adjective clause?

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An adjective clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun or pronoun.

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What is an example of an adjective clause?

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'That I saw yesterday' in the sentence 'The book that I saw yesterday is interesting.'