What is a clause in a sentence?

A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. However, it's not quite a sentence just yet!

Here's a breakdown:

• Subject: This is the noun or pronoun that the verb acts upon. Example: The cat (subject) sleeps (verb).
• Verb: This is the action or state of being described by the sentence. Example: sleeps (verb) in the sun (prepositional phrase).
• Complete thought: This means the clause could stand alone and convey a basic idea, although it might lack context or details. Example: The cat sleeps.

Sometimes, a clause can function as a complete sentence if it also has punctuation (such as a period or question mark). For example: "The cat sleeps." is a complete sentence.

However, clauses can also be parts of larger sentences. These are called dependent clauses or subordinate clauses, and they rely on another clause (an independent clause) to make complete sense. For example:

• Independent clause: The sun is setting.
• Dependent clause: While the birds sing (dependent clause), the cat dreams of chasing mice (independent clause).

Here are some key points to remember about clauses:

• They have a subject and a verb.
• They can express a complete thought but might lack context.
• They can be dependent clauses or independent clauses.
• Dependent clauses rely on independent clauses to make complete sense.