clause
Sign in to saveIn language, a clause is a constituent or phrase that comprises a semantic predicand (expressed or not) and a semantic predicate. A typical clause consists of a subject and a syntactic predicate, the latter typically a verb phrase composed of a verb with or without any objects and other modifiers. However, the subject is sometimes unexpressed if it is easily deducible from the context, especially in null-subject languages but also in other languages, including instances of the imperative mood in English.
Article
19 sectionsContents
- Matrix clauses
- Major distinctions
- Standard SV-clauses
- Verb first clauses
- ''Wh''-clauses
- Relative clauses
- Clauses according to semantic predicate-argument function
- Argument clauses
- Adjunct clauses
- Predicative clauses
- Representing clauses
- Clauses vs phrases
- Non-finite clauses
- Gerund clauses
- ''to''-infinitive clauses
- Small clauses
- See also
- Notes
- References
In language, a clause is a constituent or phrase that comprises a semantic predicand (expressed or not) and a semantic predicate. A typical clause consists of a subject and a syntactic predicate, the latter typically a verb phrase composed of a verb with or without any objects and other modifiers. However, the subject is sometimes unexpressed if it is easily deducible from the context, especially in null-subject languages but also in other languages, including instances of the imperative mood in English.
A complete simple sentence contains a single clause with a finite verb. Complex sentences contain at least one clause subordinated to (dependent on) an independent clause (one that could stand alone as a simple sentence), which may be co-ordinated with other independents with or without dependents. Some dependent clauses are non-finite, i.e. they do not contain any element/verb marking a specific tense.