Types of Clauses in English Grammar with Examples

Definition of a Clause

A Clause is a part of a longer sentence containing a Subject and a Predicate. It is never considered to be a full sentence.

किसी भी बड़े वाक्य का वह भाग जिसका अपना कर्ता और विधेय हो तो उसे वाक्यांश कहते है. ये दो तरह के होते है – स्वतंत्र और दूसरा आश्रित वाक्यांश.

Clauses are of two types:

  • Independent or Main Clause and
  • Dependent or Subordinating Clause

Independent Clause or Main Clause

This kind of Clause is free; it is not depending in nature, as in;

  1. I know what he does not know. (The underlined part is the Main Clause)
  2. The children who are playing here belong to some other area than ours.

In the 2nd Sentence, ‘The children belong to some other area than ours’ is the Independent or Main Clause.

Dependent Clause or Subordinating Clause

आश्रित वाक्य तीन तरह के होते है – संज्ञा, विशेषण और क्रिया-विशेषण वाक्यांश. संज्ञा वाक्याश ‘कौन, किसको और क्या का जवाब होता है, विशेषण वाक्यांश ‘कैसा या कैसी’ का जवाब होता है जबकि ‘क्रिया-विशेषण वाक्यांश’ ‘कैसे, कहाँ, कब, क्यों, कितनी बार’ का जवाब होता है.

This kind of Clause depends on the Main Clause. It may be of following types:

  • Noun Clause (This is the answer to ‘who, what, whom’)
  • Adjective Clause (This is the answer to ‘what kind of’)
  • Adverb Clause (This is the answer to ‘how, where, when, why, how much)

Look at the examples

  • I know what his name is. (Noun clause as the underlined part is the answer to ‘what’)
  • The children who are playing here belong to some other area than ours. (Adjective Clause as it is the answer to ‘what kind of children’)
  • While he was playing, shila was studying. (Adverb Clause as it is the answer to ‘When Shila was studying)