1. Sentence Structure

2. What is a Clause?
A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb.
Some students work in the food pantry because they care about helping hungry people.
There are two kinds of clauses, independent and dependent.
subject
verb
subject
verb

3. Independent Clause
An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence.
Some students work in the food panty.

4. Dependent Clause
A dependent clause does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence.
because they care about helping hungry people

5. Subordinate Clauses
A dependent clause, also known as a subordinate clause, can be joined to an independent clause to add to the complete thought that the independent clause expresses.
Students also make bag lunches that are distributed at a shelter.

6. Simple Sentences
A simple sentence contains one independent clause and no dependent clauses. Remember that even a simple sentence can be quite elaborate. Each of the following sentences has only a single independent clause.
Shawn tutors.
Benita teaches young children acrobatics after school.

7. Compound Sentences
A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses an no dependent clause. The clauses in a compound sentence must be closely related in thought.
Shawn tutors, and he helps students learn math.
Independent clause
Independent clause

8. Coordinating Conjunctions
Independent clauses can be joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction or by a semicolon.
Some children have no books, and volunteers can hold book drives for them.
Some children have no toys; volunteers can collect donated toys for them.
Coordinating Conjunctions
For Or
And
But
Nor so
Yet

9. Don’t mistake a simple sentence with a compound predicate for a compound sentence. No punctuation should separate the parts of a compound predicate.
The Newcomers’ Club wrote a clever script and then filmed it.

10. Complex Sentences
A complex sentence contains one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. Most dependent clauses start with words like when, until, who, where, because, and so that. Such a clause might tell when something happened, which person was involved, or where the event took place.

11. Mrs. Smith was a photographer until she was drafted.
When we visited, Mrs. Smith shared her memories of working in a shipyard during World War II.
Mrs. Smith was a photographer until she was drafted.
Dependent
Clause
Independent
Clause
Independent
Clause
Dependent
Clause

12. Compound-Complex Sentences
A compound-complex sentence contains two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.
When our school celebrates Earth Day, we
sign up for environmental projects, and we try
to complete them all in one day.
Dependent clause
Independent clause
Independent clause

13. Kinds of Dependent Clauses
There are 3 kinds of dependent clauses
Adjective clauses
Adverb clauses
Noun clauses

14. Adjective Clauses
An adjective clause is a dependent clause used as an adjective. An adjective clause modifies a noun or a pronoun. It tells what kind, which one, how many, or how much. Student volunteers read stories to the children (who were in the daycare center.)
Modifies noun
Adjective clause

15. Adjective Clauses
Adjective clauses are usually introduced by relative pronouns.
The story, which made them laugh, is about a monkey.
Notice that a clause that begins with “which” is set off with commas.
Relative Pronouns
Who
Whom
Whose
That
which

16. Adverb Clauses
An adverb clause is a dependent clause used as an adverb. It modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. An adverb clause might tell where, when, how, why, to what extent, or under what conditions.

17. Adverb Clauses
Adverb clauses are introduced by subordinating conjunctions such as…
Adverb Clauses As
That If
While
Because
Where
Even though
When
Than
As if so
since
Modifies adj.
They were happy because they were going to the zoo
Adverb clause

18. Adverb Clause
An adverb clause should be followed by a comma when it comes before an independent clause. When an adverb clause comes after an independent clause, a comma may or may not be needed before it.
When the field trip ended, the volunteers took the children back to the daycare center.
The volunteers took the children back to the daycare center when the field trip ended.

19. Noun Clauses
A noun clause is a dependent clause used as a noun. Like a noun, a noun clause can serve as a subject, a direct object, an indirect object, an object of a preposition, or a predicate noun.
What frustrates many physically challenged people is the problem of getting around.
Noun clause serving as subject

20. Noun Clauses
Noun clause serving as a direct object
Volunteers know that physically challenged people do not want special treatment.
Christopher will tell whoever is volunteering the locations of the elevators.
Noun clause serving as an indirect object

21. Noun Clauses Nouns clauses are introduced by words such as…
If you can substitute the word something or someone for a clause in a sentence, it is a noun clause.
That
How
When
Where
Whether
Why
What
Whatever
Who
Whom
Whoever
Whomever
Which
whichever