A Clause is a group of words that has a subject and verb. An independent clause has a subject and verb and can stand in its own. A subordinate clause has a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone.

Noun clauses perform the same functions in sentences that nouns do. A noun clause can be a subject of a verb: What Bob did shocked his friends. It can be an object of a verb: Bob’s friends didn’t know that he couldn’t read. It can be a subject complement: Bob’s mistake was that he refused to drink milk. It can be an object of a preposition: May is not responsible for what Bob did. A noun clause (but not a noun) can be an adjective complement: Everybody is sad that Bob drowned.

You can combine two independent clauses by changing one of the sentences into a noun clause. To change a statement to a noun clause use that: I know + Billy made a mistake = I know that Billy made a mistake. To change a yes/no question to a noun clause, use if or whether: George wonders + Does Fred know how to cook? = George wonders if Fred knows how to cook. To change a wh-question to a noun clause, use the wh-word: I don’t know + Where is George? = I don’t know where George is

An adjective clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun or pronoun. Mostly they start with the 5 relative pronouns: that, which, whom, who, or whose. They answer the questions “What kind?” or “Which one?”

They visited the memorial that remembers Holocaust victims. The British stamp, which depicts Queen Victoria, will be sold at auction. The man who opened the door is my brother-in-law. Marcia is the student whom we chose to represent us in the debate.

2 sentences can be combined into one sentence by changing one of the sentences into a adjective clause. This is useful when the information is in the two sentences are closely related.

Separated: Israel is a small country in southwestern Asia. Israel is made up of the Coastal Plain, the Judeo-Galilean Highlands, the Rift Valley, and the Negev Desert. Joined: Israel, which is made up of the Coastal Plain, the Judeo-Galilean Highlands, the Rift Valley, and the Negev Desert, is a small country in southwestern Asia.

An adverb clause is a subordinate clause that modifies verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. It answers the questions “Where?” “When?” “In what manner?” “To what extent?” “Under what condition?” or “Why”. It begins with a subordinating conjunction. If an adverb clause begins a sentence a comma is used.

Jerusalem is interesting because it is home to several diverse religions. When she reached the station, Marie phoned.

In an elliptical adverb clause, the verb or subject is understood rather than stated. Many elliptical adverb clauses are introduced by one of the subordinating conjunctions, as or than.

My brother can eat as much as I (can eat). I liked this book more than (I liked) that one.

All content of this PowerPoint was from: The Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar Silver Level pgs copyrighted 2003 by Pearson Education Inc. and /stories/storyReader$23.