A clause is a group of related words that contains a subject and a verb. A clause can either form a simple sentence on its own or be part of a compound or complex sentence containing more than one clause.

Examples.

• She is laughing.  (one clause)
• I waited for him, but he didn’t come.  (two clauses)

Clauses are divided into two main types:

• Independent Clause (Main Clause)
• Dependent Clause (Subordinate Clause)

Read the following example.

• I saw a man who was crying.

This sentence contains two clauses: “I saw a man” and “who was crying.”

• The first clause, “I saw a man,” can stand alone as a complete sentence because it expresses a complete thought. This is called the main clause or independent clause.
• The second clause, “who was crying,” cannot stand alone because it does not express a complete thought on its own. It depends on the main clause to make sense. This is called a subordinate clause or dependent clause.

A main (independent) clause can stand alone as a complete sentence because it expresses a complete meaning. It does not depend on any other part of the sentence. This means it can convey a complete idea even if written or spoken without the rest of the sentence.

It is called the main clause because it provides the foundation for any subordinate clauses in the sentence, which rely on it to convey complete meaning.

Examples.

• I saw a man who was crying.
• The teacher asked a question, but no one could answer.
• I met a friend who helped me a lot.
• They contacted the customer who had not paid the bill.
• He does not like the people who smoke.
• We met a person who could speak many languages.
• She loves her husband, who never tells her a lie.

A subordinate (dependent) clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because it does not express a complete thought. It is called a dependent clause because it depends on the main clause to give a complete meaning.

It is called subordinate because it plays a secondary role in the sentence, adding extra information to the main clause.

Examples.

• I saw a man who was crying.
• The teacher asked a question, but no one could answer.
• I met a friend who helped me a lot.
• They contacted the customer who had not paid the bill.
• He does not like the people who smoke.
• We met a person who could speak many languages.
• She loves her husband, who never tells her a lie.

Note. Subordinate (or dependent) clauses have three types: 1) Noun clause, 2) Adjective Clause, and 3) Adverb clause. Click here to read them.