INTRODUCTION
To write well in English Language and literature, students and other language and literature learners
have to master how to put sentences together. Students have to exercise their
writing skills in their exercise books, diaries and other note taking tools. By mastering
various grammatical sentence structures, the students and other learners will
keep themselves on the right track of professionalism as far as language and
literature are concerned. In this article, we will discuss the clauses in English Language.
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other articles about English sentences, visit the following:
CLAUSES IN ENGLISH
Clause is a group of words that contain both a subject
and a predicate. Or is a group of words with a subject and a verb.
1. Independent
Clause/Main Clause
This
is the kind of clause that can stand alone as a sentence without depending on
other clauses. It is also called the main clause because it is the essential
part of a sentence.
Examples of Independent clauses:
The President will arrive tomorrow.
The President will arrive tomorrow.
We played the match well.
You will be a father.
These sentences are independent because they can stand
alone or convey the complete thought or sense on their own without being
dependent on other clauses.
2. Dependent
Clause/Subordinate Clause
This
is the kind of clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence and it needs other
clauses to make it convey or bring a complete sense and thought.
Examples of dependent clauses:
If the contract is signed.
Although it was raining.
When you marry.
If you win.
Unless you
pass exams.
Provided
that you are a student.
Because you
are late.
While you
are a student.
These incomplete sentences above can only be complete
after adding independent clauses as in the sentences below:
If the contract is signed, the President will arrive tomorrow.
Although it was raining, we played the match well.
When you marry, you will be a parent.
If you pass
exams, you will receive rewards.
Unless you
pass an interview, you will not get a job.
Provided
that you are a student, you will be required to obey the
school rules.
Because you
are late, you will not be allowed to enter the class.
While you
are a student, you cannot be allowed to marry.
Just like an independent clause, dependent clause can
be placed at the beginning of a sentence or at the end.
Dependent
clause at the beginning of a sentence: Although it was
raining, we played the match.
Dependent
clause at the end of a sentence: We played the match although it
was raining.
Note: When the dependent clause is placed at the beginning
of a sentence, it is separated by a comma. When it is placed at the end, there
is no need for comma. See above example.
SENTENCE FRAGMENTS
A Sentence fragment is a group of words that does not
express a complete thought.
Examples
of sentence fragments:
Late
last night.
That
woman.
Agreed
to the plan.
These sentence fragments need other types of sentence
structures to make them being the sense to us.
For example, the sentence fragments above can be made
complete as follows:
Late
last night I visited my uncle.
That
woman is very beautiful.
Agreed
to the plan, the board will come to the conclusion.
THE TEXT
Ask the student to read the following passage and ask
them:
To identify any independent clauses
To identify any dependent clauses
Despite the fact
that discipline is always a cornerstone to the students' success at school,
colleges, or universities, commitment to the students' goals is important as
well. Whether you agree or not, your good discipline is your only way to reach
your goals. Despite being intelligent, a student who lacks discipline will make
no impact when it comes to studies. I like to advise students that there is a
certain point in the life of a person when someone should sacrifice for the
better future. One of those points in life is education. The young people like
you should sacrifice for your better future through studying hard. Don't ask
yourself foolish questions like; will mere ownership of the phone get me
expelled from school? How can fighting with my enemies at school get me
suspended? Notwithstanding the strength you have, you are always obliged to
obey the school rules and regulations. And in order to accomplish your studies,
your good discipline is vital. Ask yourself questions: Is it really necessary
to have the phone? Is it necessary to fight? Or do I really have the time to
waste breaking school rules and regulations? Although you may make various
mistakes at school, you will still have the chance to learn from your mistakes
and swear not to repeat the same mistakes for one more time. As a student, you
have to spend your time studying or refreshing your minds in various acceptable
activities like sports and games. Teachers and students should cooperatively
work together. So, students should make sure they follow teacher’s guidance
properly. Though teachers teach you, you and your parents, should work
cooperatively. You can consult them any time before deciding on the things that
can retard your progress at school. Being a student does not free you from committing
human mistakes, but it is possible to refrain from doing bad things at school
for the sake of your future. Although teachers are your guides at school, you
still need your own commitment to school rules and laws. Stop misbehaving! Stay
calm and committed. Your success is at your own hands. You may choose to
succeed or fail by your own decisions.
GROUP QUESTIONS
Ask students to
form two groups. First group should identify and discusses any five independent
clauses and the second group identifies and discusses any five dependent
clauses from the passage. The answers of each group should be presented before
the class and the class should ask questions from the presenting group in case
they need more clarification on the presented answers.
Note: A teacher can use any text that can be appropriate and use it to test
students on identifying the particular sentence structures. The teacher should
scan the text first to see if it contains the right or target grammatical
practice for students. It may be a passage from the newspapers, and online
content, or any excerpt of the book.
CONCLUSION
The writing process starts when you start thinking
about writing. You think about the subject, about the words, about the kind of
writing (description, composition, letter, e-mail, report, essay), about the
best way to put the words together.
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more on how to study & teach English Language topics, visit the following
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Resources
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