Agreement: What Is a Clause?
Agreement is a fundamental concept in the English language. It refers to the agreement of different parts of a sentence with each other. One of the key components of agreement is the clause.
In grammar, a clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. It can be a complete sentence on its own, or it can be a part of a sentence. There are two types of clauses: independent and dependent.
An independent clause, also known as a main clause, can stand alone as a sentence. It expresses a complete thought and contains a subject and a predicate. For example, „I went to the store“ is an independent clause.
A dependent clause, also known as a subordinate clause, cannot stand alone as a sentence. It is dependent on the independent clause and modifies it in some way. It begins with a subordinating conjunction, such as „because,“ „since,“ „although,“ or „while.“ For example, „Because I was hungry, I went to the store“ contains a dependent clause that modifies the independent clause.
When using clauses in a sentence, it is important to ensure that they are in agreement. This means that the subject and verb in each clause must agree in number and person. For example, „He drove to the store and buys some milk“ is incorrect because „drove“ and „buys“ do not agree in tense.
In addition to agreement, it is also important to use correct punctuation when using clauses in a sentence. Commas are often used to separate clauses that are joined by conjunctions, such as „and,“ „but,“ or „or.“ For example, „I went to the store, and I bought some milk“ contains two independent clauses joined together with a comma and a coordinating conjunction.
In summary, a clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. There are two types of clauses: independent and dependent. When using clauses in a sentence, it is important to ensure that they are in agreement and to use correct punctuation. By following these rules, you can write clear and grammatically correct sentences that convey your intended meaning.