Week 11: Types of Clauses

Types of clauses
How many ways can we divide the clause types?
What are they?
 C = Complement
- word, phrase or clause necessary to complete the
meaning of a given expression
- Normally follow linking verbs: be, look, sound, smell,
feel, taste, appear, seem, become, grow, turn, prove,
remain
- Brandon is a gifted athlete. John is weak. (Cs)
- The vote made John's position untenable. We voted John
chairman (Co)
- You are amazing in gymnastics. Mary is very bright in
applied physics. He is loving to his pets. I am curious what
my surprise will be.
- (Adj Comp): a noun clause or prepositional phrase
 A= Adverbials
- Normally there can be only one Subject, one
Verb, one Object and one Complement per
clause
- A can be several
- Fred had climbed /with some difficulty/ /into the
train/ /on Friday night/.
- Gives extra information to the main clause
 Realization of adverbials
-To Infinitive: He plays to win I have been there
- Ed: Whenever left alone, he
cried
When I came to the
club, I saw Laura

The baby was We sat in a dark

playing, unaware corner
of the danger

I saw her last week

 A= Adverbials
- Composes of three kinds:
- Adjuncts- (Integrated in clause structure): give extra
information of time, place, frequency, manner,
condition, purpose,, reason, result, concession
- Disjuncts- (peripheral): provide a comment on the
information (e.g. honestly, fortunately, actually,
as a matter of fact, understandably, in my
opinion)
- Conjuncts- (peripheral): linking words and phrases
 Adjunct, Disjunct, Conjunct?
1. It is almost always this warm in Texas. A
2.Frankly, Martha is a bit scary.
D
3.If she starts singing again, then I’m not staying.
C
4. She often plays the piano alone.
5. I love chocolate; however, I’m allergic to it. A
6. She told him the instructions repeatedly, yet C
he just sat there.
C
7. His mom told him to come home before dark.
8.Although he was an actor, he could sing well, too
9. She yelled his name loudly A
10.Fortunately, no one was hurt D
A
D
 Types of clauses
• In terms of clause types
SV, SVC, SVA, SVO, SVOO, SVOC, SVOA
• In terms of verb phrases
finite; non-finite & verbless clauses
• In terms of clause connections
independent & dependent clauses
• In terms of clause functions
nominal, adverbial & adjectival clauses
 Overview

A clause is a unit formed around a lexical verb,
including all optional and obligatory elements
associated with the verb.

Constituent structure: Subject (NP) + predicate (VP)

Sentence elements: S, V, O, C, A (They selected him
chairman yesterday)
 Types of clauses
• In term of clause patterns
SV, SVC, SVA, SVO, SVOO, SVOC, SVOA
• In term of verb phrase
finite; non-finite & verbless clauses
• In term of clause subordination
independent & dependent clauses
• In term of clause functions
nominal, adverbial & adjectival clauses
 Verb
Types of clauses complementation?
according to clause patterns

SV : She smiles.

SVC : He is a genius.

SVA : They were out of cash. A = obligatory
V= copula

SVO : I lost my key.

SVOO : They gave him a black box.

SVOC : She found him crying.

SVOA : He put the vase on the table.
 Exercise 3
Determine the sentence pattern (clause structure) for each sentence given
below.
1. The coach will offer free tennis lessons today at noon.
SVO
2. On Friday the judge gave the thief a five-year sentence.
SVOO
3. I will be at the meeting tonight.
SVA
4. Most women consider Snodgrass a handsome man.
5. Your approval would be nice. SVOC
6. Masie and I talked on the telephone for
SVCfour hours.
7. The pie in the over smells delicious.
SV
8. Jackson was the most competent man in the company.
SVC
9. That young man will probably become a famous movie star.
10.Jim found your remarks outrageous. SVC
SVC
SVOC
Determine the sentence pattern (clause structure) for each sentence given
below.
11.Ethan gives us piano lessons each Friday.
SVOO
12.An inner circle of politicians made Matthews treasurer of the campaign.
13.Children are often good judges of character.
SVOC
14.The farmer at the roadside stand gave me an extra ear of corn.
15.We felt at home during our visit. SVC SVOO
16.The child behaved horribly in the store.
SVC
17.On his last trip to Russia in the spring, Hilda finally felt comfortable.
18.In another life I must have been a dancer. SVA
SVC
19.Upon his return, the people elected Jasper king of the entire country.
20.My brother showed me the stream behind the wooded area.
SVC

SVOC SVOO
Determine the sentence pattern (clause structure) for each sentence given
below.
21.You are very quiet today.
SVC
SVOC
22.The personality test found Jenkins unsuitable for the position.
23.After much deliberation, Millie bought the biggest car on the lot. SVO
24.Later, Smithers became the most important person in his life.
25.The poor sailor was at sea for a year. SVC
26.Under most circumstances, we would be happySVA
with your work.
SVC
27.The professor considered the student a genius at mathematics.
28.Ulcers give people pain.
29.He waited in the rain for an hour. SVOC
SVOO
30.During my teen years, I grew tall.
SV
SVC
Determine the sentence pattern (clause structure) for each sentence given
below.
31.On the Fourth of July, people in my neighborhood meet at the park for a picnic.
32.He bought me a largeSVA
jade pin for my birthday
SVOOthis year.
33.The squadron found the enemy formidable.
34.Since last August I have been a member of that club.
SVOC
35.Out of everyone in the room, Susan is by far the laziest.
SVC
36.The rescue workers called George a hero for his actions.
37.The young woman defiantly put her books on the table. SVC
38.The cornbread tasted like mush. SVOC
39.Until 3 p.m. Uncle George will be at the bank. SVOA
40.At graduation, Joe will officially become a pilot.
SVC
SVA
SVC
 Types of clauses
• In term of clause patterns
SV, SVC, SVA, SVO, SVOO, SVOC, SVOA
• In term of verb phrase
finite; non-finite & verbless clauses
• In term of clause subordination
independent & dependent clauses
• In term of clause functions
nominal, adverbial & adjectival clauses
 Finite and Non-finite clauses?
To speak in class is difficult for some children but not for
Charlie. He raises his hand constantly and loves to
participate in class discussions. He does his homework and
is very well prepared. Prepared students are more
successful. And Charlie is doing well in kindergarten.
Sometimes Charlie talks a little too much. The teacher reminds
him to share the discussion time. Other students are quiet
and may think that they don't have anything important to say.
But the teacher values all the the students' opinions and
helps quiet students stand out more.
 Non-finite clauses?
To speak in class is difficult for some children but not for
Charlie. He raises his hand constantly and loves to
participate in class discussions. He does his homework and
is very well prepared. Prepared students are more
successful. And Charlie is doing well in kindergarten.
Sometimes Charlie talks a little too much. The teacher reminds
him to share the discussion time. Other students are quiet
and may think that they don't have anything important to say.
But the teacher values all the students' opinions and helps
quiet students stand out more.
 Finite or non-finite

Raise your hands! – finite or non-finite?

Finite: mood included

 2/2

Types of clauses

By verb phrase Finite clause

Nonfinite clause

Verbless clause
 Types of clauses

By verb phrase Finite clause

Nonfinite clause
- contains a subject and a predicate
- verb phrase having tense, person & number, concord, & mood
Verbless clause

[1] She writes home every day (finite clause -- present tense verb)
[2] She wrote home yesterday (finite clause -- past tense verb)
………
 He told me to go shopping

How many clauses?

What are they?
 Types of clauses

By verb phrase Finite clause

Nonfinite clause

Infinitive with to -ing participle

Infinitive without to - en participle

 Types of clauses

By verb phrase Finite clause

Nonfinite clause

Infinitive with to -ing participle

Infinitive without to -ed participle

Without S: The best thing would be to tell everybody.
With S: The best thing would be for you to tell everybody.
 Types of clauses

By verb phrase Finite clause

Nonfinite clause

Infinitive with to -ing participle

Infinitive without to -ed participle

Without S: Leaving the room, he tripped over the mat.
With S: Her aunt having left the room, I declared my
passionate love for Celia..
Charlie dislikes sitting quietly.
Charlie isn't interested in sitting quietly.
Charlie regretted his shouting the wrong
answer.
Charlie enjoying attention raises his hand all the
time.
 Types of clauses

By verb phrase Finite clause

Nonfinite clause

Infinitive with to -ing participle

Infinitive without to -en participle

Without S: All I did was hit him on the head. (after do)
With S: Rather than John do it, I’d prefer
to give the job to Mary.
Charles helped us answer the question
 Types of clauses

By verb phrase Finite clause

Nonfinite clause

Infinitive with to -ing participle

Infinitive without to -en participle

Without S: Covered in snow, he looked like a snowman.

With S: We left the room and went home, the job finished.
Charlie likes ice cream dipped in chocolate.

Charlie, admired by his classmates, raised his hand – w/w.o S?

 Recognize the non-finite
The weather is strange this year. In the South,
weather marked by exceptionally high
temperatures and exceptionally little
precipitation has destroyed crops. In the East,
rain falling endlessly has flooded city streets.
It is unusual for us to have so much rain in the
East and none in the South. In the West,
temperatures remain about the same. However,
precipitation has diminished.
 Recognize the non-finite
The weather is strange this year. In the South,
weather marked by exceptionally high
temperatures and exceptionally little
precipitation has destroyed crops. In the East,
rain falling endlessly has flooded city streets.
It is unusual for us to have so much rain in the
East and none in the South. In the West,
temperatures remain about the same. However,
precipitation has diminished.
 Modifier and Complement
Modifier Complement
Add to the meaning of a sentence
Modify the meaning Completion

Optional Necessary to complete the

meaning and structure:
The book on the table is mine
The cute cat/ The fat cat * Harold seems
 Harold seems to work well: Cs

•An old cottage nearby Immediately after the head

•A tall man with grey hair •A rise in inflation
•That antique table she bought last •A feeling of fears
year •The idea that the school should
•The tall woman in black talking to control their finance
Marcus •We all felt a sense of despair.
 For nouns
1. Modifier: before or after concrete nouns
2. Appositive:
The rumour that she is pregnant has spread all
over.
The rumour - she is pregnant - has spread all
over.
The rumour (she is pregnant) has spread all over
3. Complement
 Noun complement
• Noun complements are normally used with abstract
nouns (nouns which represent an idea rather than a
thing) - idea, thought, reason, criticism, belief and need..
The complement, or additional information, explains what
that idea relates to
• Noun complements can come in the form of prepositional
phrases, full clauses or infinitives.
• The Mayor’s criticism of his rival was unfounded. (prepositional
phrase)
• She did not like the idea that they were going to have to run
home in the rain. (full clause)
• The dog did not feel the need to bark. (infinitive)
 Exercise 1
Identify the type and function of each nonfinite
clause.
Example: Infinitive with to
I plan to make some Mint Juleps.
-ing participle
Answer:
to make some Mint Juleps -en participle

Type: to-infinitive Infinitive without to

Function: dO
He is asking where to go Wh - Infinitive
(a) There was still one last task for him to achieve.
Type: to-infinitive Function: Mod of N (task)
(b) Anderson and his son had often talked about hiking to
Shoshone Lake. ing-infinitive Obj of Preposition (OP)

(c) We've had to hire people to answer the phones.

to-infinitive Mod of N (people)
(d) My parents asked me where to eat lunch.
wh-infinitive Od
(e) The patient had earlier denied having been bitten or
scratched by a cat.
-ing participle Od
(f) A bank employee loudly turned down her application
to open an account.
to-infinitive Comp of N
 (g) Worried about his future, he went to college.
-en participle Adjunct Adverbial/ Modifier of he
(h) Judging from the online photos, the place looked

adorable. -ing participle disjunct adverbial

(i) He asked her what made her think she could paint.
bare infinitive Co
(j) Yet he remained committed to Irish republicanism.
-en participle Cs
(k) We think that's not the best idea to raffle off guns.
to-infinitive Comp of N
(l) Half the money spent on a political campaign is wasted.
-en participle Mod of N
(m) Having been founded by the Saracens in the ninth

century, Nettuno still attracts tourists.

-ing participle Adjunct Adverbial

(n) Consumed by a sudden curiosity, Buridan follows.

-en participle Adjunct Adverbial

(o) It's hard to know where to draw the line.

to infinitive wh-infinitive
extraposed subject: eS Od

* It seems that he'll be late again

 extraposed subject
• Subject is sometimes postponed until the end of the
sentence. Here are some examples:
• In first place is Red Rum
Inside the house were two detectives
More important is the question of compensation

• The Subject is also extraposed when the sentence is

introduced by anticipatory it:
• It is a good idea to book early
It is not surprising that he failed his exams
 Exercise 2
Identify the function of the italicized nonfinite clause in
each sentence.

(a) He is anxious to be getting away. complement of A

(b) I was surprised at Sid's criticizing my work. object of P

(c) For them to lose their son was a great tragedy. subject
Modifier of N
(d) Do we have the money to buy that car?
complement of A
(e) We were pleased to be seeing our old friends.

(f) It is very tedious writing papers. extraposed subject

(g) He has been warned about taking on that job. object of P

 Exercise 2
adjunct adverbial
(h) I will write the manager to get my money back.

(i) Where is the best place to buy fish? Comp of N

(j) We regretted his decision to leave university. complement of N

(k) We were not able to get away until now.complement of A

(l) Anyone not registered in this course must leave.Comp of N

(m) To tell you the truth, I don't know. disjunct adverbial

Comp of N
(n) He is the person wanting to see you.

(o) Wanting to see him, I visited his office. adjunct adverbial

 Types of clauses

By verb phrase Finite clause

Nonfinite clause

Verbless clause

1. Ellipsis of the verb ‘be’

- Dozens of people died in the accident, many of them children. (SVC)
-Whether right or wrong, he always dominates the arguments.
- Mavis sat in the front seat, her hands in her lap (SVA)
 Types of clauses

By verb phrase Finite clause

Nonfinite clause

Verbless clause

2. Reduction of non-finite clauses

- Too nervous to reply, he stared at the book in front of him
and dared not look up.
 Other examples
TIME, CONDITION, CONCESSION,
• Really delicious! COMPARISON, CONTRAST
• A brilliant idea! although, though, as though, as if, if,
even if, even though, unless, once,
• Tired? when(ever), while, whilst, whether...or..
• (Where are you going?) – To the canteen
• I want to try the cheese, however small
• Although tired, I kept moving on
• With resources so slender and so hazardous, Martine had
trained her daughter with a need to succeed....
• The sooner the better

He just stood there, as if totally unaware of what was going on.

 Non-finite or verbless?
1. Knowing my temper, I didn’t reply.
2. Although always helpful, he was not much
liked. Susan telephoned before coming over.
3. Although exhausted by the climb, he continued
his journey.
4. While at Oxford, she was active in the dramatic
society
 Types of clauses
• In term of clause patterns
SV, SVC, SVA, SVO, SVOO, SVOC, SVOA
• In term of verb phrase
finite; non-finite & verbless clauses
• In term of subordination
independent & dependent clauses
• In term of clause functions
nominal, adverbial & adjectival clauses
 MONOTRANSITIVE - SVO
[B1] Noun phrase as Tom caught the ball.
object (O)
[B2] Noun phrase Paul lacks confidence
[B3] that-clause I think that we have met.
[B4] wh-clause Can you guess what she said?
[B5} wh-infinitive
. I learned how to sail a boat.
[B6] to-infinitive (-S) We've decided to move house.
[B7] -ing clause (-S) She enjoys playing squash.
[B8] to-infinitive (+S) They want us to help.
[B9] -ing clause (+S) I hate the children quarrelling.
DITRANSITIVE (Type SVOO)
[D1] Noun phrases as Oi & Od They offered her some food.

[D2] With prepositional O Please say something to us.

[D3] O + that-clause They told me that I was ill.

[D4] O + wh-clause He asked me what time it was.
[D5] O + wh-infinitive clause Mary showed us what to do.
[D6] O + to-infinitive clause I advised Mark to see a doctor.
COMPLEX TRANSITIVE (Types
SVOC and SVOA)
[C1] Adjectival C That music drives me mad.

[C2] Nominal C They named the ship Zeus.

[C3] O + adverbial I left the key at home.
[C4] O + to-infinitive They knew him to be a spy.
[CS] O + bare infinitive I saw her leave the room.

[C6] -ing clause I heard someone shouting.

[C7] -ed clause I got the watch repaired.
 Types of clauses

1. Independent clause

A clause that can form a sentence itself

Can be conjoined by means of a conjunction.
E.g.
 She loves him.
 He doesn't love her.
 She loves him but he doesn't love her.
 Types of clauses
2. Dependent/Subordinate clause

A clause that is part of another clause, which may be
introduced by a subordinating marker.
E.g
 She think (that) she will win.
 If you try, you'll make it.
 He earns as much as you do.

A subordinate clause can function as S, O, Cs, Co, A,
complement of NP or Adj.

Examples?
S: What you do is not my business
Cs: He is who I love
O: I would choose whoever comes first
Co: You can call me whatever you like
A: He is where he is supposed to be
NP complement: The blame that the leaders are
corrupting is controversial
Adj complement: I am interested in what he is doing
Practice
 Types of clauses
• In term of clause patterns
SV, SVC, SVA, SVO, SVOO, SVOC, SVOA
• In term of verb phrase
finite; non-finite & verbless clauses
• In term of clause subordination
independent & dependent clauses
• In term of clause functions
nominal, adverbial & adjectival clauses
 Types of clauses

By function Nominal clause

Adverbial clause

Adjectival clause
 Types of clauses

By function Nominal clause

S: That you were wrong is undeniable.

Adverbial clause
Od: Do you know if the teacher has come yet?
Oi: She gave whoever came into the store a handful
of sweets.
Cs: The problem isAdjectival clauseto speak in court.
that he refuses
Co: You can call me whatever you like.
 Ex3: Bracket the that-clause in each of the following and identify its
function (Su, sC, dO, comp of A, comp of NP, or eSu).

(a) The employee complaint that triggered the investigation was

retracted. comp of N
(b) That he is gone seems unnatural. S/Su
(c) My guess is that he has a plan. sC
eSu
(d) It was apparent that the waiters know the kitchen and the wine list.
(e) She is confident that the Sioux will one day own the Black Hills
again. comp of A
(f) We know it's created a tremendous amount of fear. dO
(g) We were just happy he didn't get in. comp of A
comp of N
(h) The news that others are finding similar data is extremely exciting.
(i) The blast of heat told her that the lightning had struck nearby. dO
(j) It was outrageous that they e-mailed those things here. eSu
 Types of clauses

By function Nominal clause

Adverbial clause

Time: When I am retired, I will travel the world.

Place: Where they had been, we saw
Adjectival nothing.
clause
Condition: If you’re kind to her, she will do anything
for you.
Reason: I didn’t call him because I totally forgot.
 Ex4: Identify the nominal and adverbial
clauses in the following sentences
(a) That Nestor made that mistake is rather worrying. S
(b) It is rather unlikely that he will propose to her soon. S
(c) I hope they will visit me when I am in hospital. dO, A time
(d) Claude thinks that Stan and Louise would make a nice couple.dO
(e) My brother said that the man became a millionaire
before he reached the age of thirty. dO, A time
(f) The manager locked the safe because he was concerned
that someone might enter the office. A reason, Comp of A
(g) Although the economy is improving, it is not clear that we will see
growth this year. A concession, S
(h) His opinion is that you should take another course after you have
completed this one. Cs, A time A condition
(i) Unfortunately, we can't have our picnic if it rains tomorrow.
 Ex4: Identify the nominal and adverbial
clauses in the following sentences A time, Od
(j) He said he knew before he had completed the deal that he would be cheated.
S
(k) It is obvious to everyone that he has been telling the prosecutors lies.
(l) Can the absurd rumor that he will resign be true? Appositive
dO
(m) Did he tell the premier that he shouldn't be nervous about the disclosures?
(n) Could the professor have said that the essay by Swift was ironic?dO
(o) He was upset by the announcement that the plane would be delayed.
(p) I will explain it to him that honest politicians are a rarity. Appositive
dO
(q) Sherrill spread the news around the department that Sarah likes tofu.
Appositive
(r) The owner said that you should use extreme caution
Od
when approaching the dog. A time
 Types of clauses

By function Nominal clause

• Pizza, which most people love, is not very healthy.
• The people whose names are on the list will stay.
Adverbial clause
• He remembers the old days when there was no TV.

Adjectival clause
 Exercise 5: Identify the non finite in each sentence
and state the functions.
(a) Williams continued driving to the corner.
(b) Mr. Shapiro clearly wants to be running this defense team. a) Od
(c) Julie admits having stolen her father's money. b) Od
(d) Having been elected as a champion of the "forgotten middle
c) Od
class", Clinton will immediately bump up against unpleasant realities.
(e) I don't recall having asked for you, Peter! d) Adverbial/Mod
(f) One of them even reported his having been seen off the coast of
the British Zone on a red yacht.
of Clinton
(g) I much preferred to be thought of as a stylish dowager. e) Od
(h) He'd never before heard her say anything remotely like okey- f) Od
dokey.
(i) All the birds seem to have disappeared from the city.
(j) New York City's budget crisis appeared to have been settled. g) Od
(k) The young star wanted to strike out on his own.
(l) Removed from the ocean, Sarbin's slick skin would quickly dry out
h) Co
and crack. i) Cs
j) Cs
k) Od
l) A/Mod of skin