The cluases and kind of subordinate clause

Put your heart, 

Clause

A clause is a group of related words containing a subject and a predicate.A clause may be either a sentence (an independent clause) or a sentence-like construction within another sentence (a dependent or subordinate clause).

Example I will meet him in office. 
The part of above sentence "I will meet him" is a clause because it has a subject(I) and a predicate(will meet him). On the other hand, the rest part of above sentence "in office" lacks both subject and predicate(verb) such group of word is called phrase.

Two types of clauses

• main clause (also called independent clause)
• subordinate clause (also called dependent clauses)

Main Clause and Subordinate Clause Comparison "He is buying a shirt which looks very nice" The above sentence has two clauses 1. "He is buying a shirt" : Expresses a complete thought and can alone stand as a sentence. Such a clause is called main or independent clause.
2. "which looks very nice" : Does not express a complete thought and can't stand as a sentence. It depends on another clause (main clause) to express complete idea. Such a clause is called subordinate or dependent clause. 
Main (or independent) clause is a clause that expresses a complete thought and can stand as a sentence. 
Examples

• I met the boy who had helped me.
• She is wearing a shirt which looks nice.
• The teacher asked a question but no one answered.
• He takes medicine because he suffers from fever.
• He became angry and smashed the vase into peaces.

In the above sentences each underlined part shows main clause. It expresses complete though and can stand as a sentence that is why a main or an independent clause is normally referred as a simple sentence.

Subordinate or dependent Clause: Which does not express complete thought and depends on another clause (main clause) to express complete thought.A sentence having a subordinate clause must have a main clause.

Example

He likes Chinese rice which tastes good.

The clause "which tastes good" in above sentence is a subordinate clause because it does not express complete thought and can't stand as a sentence. It depends on main clause (he likes Chinese rise) to express complete thought.

A subordinate (dependent) clause may function as a noun, an adjective or an adverb in sentence. On the basis of their function in a sentence, subordinate clauses can be divided in to following types.

• Noun Clause
• Adjective Clause.
• Adverb Clause

Noun Clause

"A dependent clause that functions as a noun in a sentence is called noun clause." A noun clause performs same function like a noun in a sentence.

Example

What he did made a problem for his family.

In above sentence the clause "what he did" functions as a noun, hence it is a noun clause.

A noun clause works as a noun that acts as a subject, object, or predicate in a sentence. A noun clause starts with words “that, what, whatever, who, whom, whoever, whomever”.

Examples

• Whatever you learn will help you in future.(as a subject)
• Now I realize what he would have thought.(s an object)

Adjective Clause

A dependent clause that functions as an adjective in a sentence is called adjective clause.

An adjective clause works like adjective in a sentence. The function of an adjective is to modify (describe) a noun or a pronoun. Similarly a noun clause modifies a noun or a pronoun.

Example

He wears a shirt which looks nice.

The clause “which looks nice” in above sentence is an adjective clause because it modifies noun “shirt” in the sentence. An adjective clause always precedes the noun it modifies.

Examples.

• I met the boy who had helped me.
• An apple that smells bad is rotten.
• The person who was shouting needed help.

Adjective clause begins with relative pronoun (that, who, whom, whose, which, or whose) and is also relative clause. Adjective (relative) clauses can be restrictive clause or nonrestrictive clause

A restrictive: clause limits the meaning of preceding noun or pronoun.

A nonrestrictive: clause tells us something about preceding noun or pronoun but does not limit the meaning of preceding noun or pronoun.

Restrictive clause:The student in the class who studied a lot passed the test.

Nonrestrictive clause:The student in the class, who had attended all the lectures, passed the test.

In the first sentence the clause "who studied a lot" restrict information to preceding noun(student), it means that there is only one student in the class who studied a lot, hence it is a restrictive clause.

In the second sentence the clause "who had attended all the lectures" gives us information about preceding noun but does not limit this information to the preceding noun. It means there can be several other students in the class who had attended all the lectures.

A comma is always used before a restrictive clause in a sentence and also after nonrestrictive clause if it is within a main clause. "That" is usually used to introduce a restrictive clause while "Which" is used to introduce a nonrestrictive clause.

Restrictive: The table that costs $ 100 is made of steel.

Nonrestrictive: The table, which costs $ 100, is made of steel.

Adverb Clause

A dependent clause that functions as an adverb in a sentence is called adverb clause

An adverb clause like an adverb modifies a verb, adjective clause or other adverb clause in a sentence. It modifies(describes) the situation in main clause in terms of "time, frequency (how often), cause and effect, contrast, condition, intensity (to what extent)."

The subordinating conjunctions used for adverb clauses are as follows.

• Time: when, whenever, since, until, before, after, while, as, by the time, as soon as
• Cause and effect: because, since, now that, as long as, so, so that
• Contrast: although, even, whereas, while, though
• Condition: if, unless, only if, whether or not, even if, providing or provided that, in case

Examples.

• Don't go before he comes.
• He takes medicine because he is ill.
• Although he tried a lot, he couldn't climb up the tree.
• Unless you study for the test, you can't pass it
• I will go to the school unless it rains.
• You are safe as long as you drive carefully.