5.3 Clauses
Clauses are the basic building blocks that make up sentences. There are two main types.
Main clauses
The main clause is the group of words within a sentence that makes sense on its own. It tells us the main piece of information in that sentence. Any simple sentence will have only one clause.
Steven opened the door.
It is usually quite easy, however, to pull out the main clause even from a complex sentence. Just ask yourself what the main piece of information is in the sentence.
Having finished his dinner, John put the dishes in the sink.
Claire, who was feeling unwell, went home for the evening.
Subordinate clauses
A subordinate clause is a group of words in a sentence, with a verb in it, which usually does not make sense on its own. It depends on the main clause for its sense.
Having finished his dinner, George put the dishes in the sink.
Claire, who was feeling unwell, went home for the evening.
These clauses can be made as complicated as you want to make them. Just be wary of using too many of them as the meaning of the sentence can be lost.
5.4 Levels of syntactical analysis
Within the sentence we usually distinguish two syntactical levels of analysis, one belonging to the sentence proper, which is called the sentence level, and one belonging to various phrases treated as a whole and functioning in the sentence with the same force as separate words. This level is called the phrase level.
The subject and the predicate belong to the sentence level only. The object, the adverbial modifier, the attribute, and the apposition may belong either to the sentence level or to the phrase level.
He did not tell me anything about it. (Me, anything, about it are objects to the verb-predicate - the
sentence level.)
You are unhappy about something, aren’t you? (About something is an object to the predicative unhappy,
which is part of the predicate - the sentence level.)
He will come tomorrow. (Tomorrow is an adverbial modifier to the verb-predicate - the sentence level.)
You seem very tired. (Very is an adverbial modifier to the adjective tired, which is part of the predicate –
the sentence level.)
Poor Amy could not answer. (Poor is an attribute to the noun, which is the subject - the sentence level.)
In other cases objects, adverbial modifiers, attributes and appositions are included in various phrases within which they are not usually treated separately, the whole phrase functioning as part of the sentence on the sentence level.
He insisted on going by train. (On going by train is an object to the verb-predicate - the sentence level;
within the phrase on going by train we distinguish an adverbial modifier by train referring to the word-
form going - the phrase level.)
When analysing a sentence we deal mainly with the sentence level only, unless it is necessary for some reason to state the syntactical relations between the words within a phrase.
5.5 The subject
The notional subject denotes or points out a person or non-person, that is, various kinds of concrete things, substances, abstract notions or happening.
The formal subject expressed by it is found in two patterns of sentences: those with impersonal it and those with introductory it.
All sentences are about something or someone. The something or someone that the sentence is about is called the subject of the sentence. In the following sentences the subjects are shown in red. Note how the subject is often, but not always, the first thing in the sentence.
John often comes late to class.
The old hotel at the end of the street is going to be knocked down to make way for a new supermarket.
On Saturdays I never get up before 9 o'clock.
The predicate contains information about the someone or something that is the subject. The example sentences above are shown again, this time with the predicate marked in green.
John often comes late to class.
The grade 7 Korean boy who has just started at FIS speaks excellent English.
Lying on the sofa watching old films is my favourite hobby.