Types of Clauses: Definitions and Examples

A clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb. Once you can spot the subject and the verb, the types of clauses stop being confusing. This guide explains what a clause is, the difference between independent and dependent clauses, and the three main kinds of dependent clause (noun, adjective, and adverb), with simple examples you can copy in your own sentences for MDCAT and ECAT English.

What is a clause?

A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. That is the whole test. "She runs" is a clause because "she" is the subject and "runs" is the verb. "In the morning" is not a clause, it is a phrase, because it has no subject and no verb.

A phrase is a group of words with no subject-verb pair. "Under the table", "running fast", and "a tall boy" are all phrases. The moment a subject and a verb appear together, you have a clause.

How many types of clauses are there?

There are 2 main types of clauses: independent (also called main) and dependent (also called subordinate). An independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence. A dependent clause cannot stand alone, it leans on a main clause to make sense.

• Independent (main) clause: "The exam was hard." Complete on its own.
• Dependent (subordinate) clause: "because the exam was hard." Has a subject and verb, but cannot stand alone. It leaves you waiting for more.

A dependent clause usually starts with a subordinating word such as because, although, when, if, that, which, who, or while. That opening word is your biggest clue. If a clause begins with one of these and feels incomplete on its own, it is dependent.

Independent clause vs dependent clause

The one difference that matters: an independent clause makes complete sense alone, a dependent clause does not. Both have a subject and a verb, so the subject-verb test alone will not separate them. You judge them by whether they can stand as a full sentence.

Join an independent clause with a dependent clause and you get a complete sentence: "I passed the test because I studied daily." Two independent clauses can also be joined with a comma plus and, but, or, so: "I studied daily, and I passed the test."

What are the 3 types of dependent clauses?

Dependent clauses come in 3 types based on the job they do in the sentence: noun clauses, adjective (relative) clauses, and adverb clauses. Each one acts like a single part of speech, which is the easiest way to tell them apart.

Noun clause

A noun clause does the job of a noun. It can be the subject or the object of a sentence. It often starts with that, what, who, whether, or why. Quick test: if you can replace the whole clause with "it" or "something" and the sentence still works, it is a noun clause.

• "What she said surprised me." (subject, replace with "It surprised me.")
• "I know that you studied hard." (object, replace with "I know it.")
• "Tell me why you are late." (object)

Adjective (relative) clause

An adjective clause, also called a relative clause, does the job of an adjective. It describes a noun and usually starts with who, whom, whose, which, or that. It sits right after the noun it describes.

• "The student who scored highest got the scholarship." (describes "student")
• "The book that I borrowed is on the table." (describes "book")
• "Lahore, which is in Punjab, has many colleges." (describes "Lahore")

Adverb clause

An adverb clause does the job of an adverb. It tells when, where, why, how, or under what condition something happens. It starts with a subordinating conjunction such as because, when, although, if, while, or since.

• "I will call you when the result comes." (tells when)
• "She passed because she practised daily." (tells why)
• "Although it was raining, we went to class." (tells under what condition)

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Common confusions about types of clauses

Most mistakes come from mixing up clauses with phrases, or from confusing the three dependent types. Here are the traps that cost marks.

• Clause vs phrase: a clause has a subject and a verb, a phrase does not. "Running in the park" is a phrase. "He was running in the park" is a clause.
• Noun clause vs adjective clause starting with "that": if the clause names a thing ("I believe that he is right"), it is a noun clause. If it describes a noun right before it ("the answer that he gave"), it is an adjective clause.
• Dependent clause is not a sentence: "Because I was tired." on its own is a fragment, a common error. Attach it to a main clause.
• Relative pronoun choice: use "who" for people and "which" for things. "That" can be used for both in defining clauses.

Quick way to identify any clause

Use these steps in order and you can label any clause in seconds.

1. Find the subject and the verb. No subject-verb pair means it is a phrase, not a clause.
2. Check if it stands alone as a full sentence. If yes, it is an independent clause. Stop here.
3. If it cannot stand alone, it is dependent. Now find its job.
4. Acts as a noun (subject or object)? Noun clause. Describes a noun before it? Adjective clause. Tells when, why, or how? Adverb clause.

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