What are clauses?
English sentences are made up of clauses.
Every sentence has a main clause – a part that makes sense on its own. A sentence can have more than one main clause.
Sub-clauses can then be added to main clauses to make the sentence longer, more detailed and more interesting (a sub-clause cannot be a sentence on its own).
Sub-clauses and additional main clauses are added using conjunctions and punctuation.
Conjunctions
Clauses can be stuck together to make longer sentences.
The words that connect clauses are called conjunctions.
and, but, because, so, for, yet, before, after, since, whenever, until, although, as soon as, that, who, when
Examples of Clauses in Use
Main Clause: My teacher ate his shoes
Sub-Clause: because he was hungry
1. My teacher ate his shoes (main clause)
2. My teacher ate his shoes because he was hungry
3. Before entering the classroom, my teacher ate his shoes because he was hungry
4. Before entering the classroom, my teacher (who I think is insane) ate his shoes because he was hungry.
5. He had not eaten all day so, before entering the classroom, my teacher (who I think is insane) ate his shoes because he was hungry.
6. He had not eaten all day – his last meal was a salad last night – so, before entering the classroom, my teacher (who I think is insane) ate his shoes because he was hungry.
7. He had not eaten all day – his last meal was a salad last night that he had thought quite disgusting – so, before entering the classroom, my teacher (who I think is insane) ate his shoes because he was hungry.
8. He had not eaten all day – his last meal was a salad last night that he had thought quite disgusting – so, before entering the classroom, my teacher (who I think is insane) ate his shoes because he was hungry, and as he walked in he still had the shoelaces in his mouth.