Clauses - Introduction & Types | Extra Documents, Videos & Tests for Class 10 PDF Download

Clause is a group of words that includes a subject and a verb. It may be a sentence or part of a sentence.

There are three kinds of clauses:
1. Noun clause
2. Adverbial clause
3. Relative clause

1. Noun Clause

A noun clause works like a noun in a sentence. A noun clause starts with words that, what, whatever, who, whom, whoever, whomever.

Examples:
a. Whatever you learn will help you write the test.
b. What you said made me cry.

Noun clauses begin with the following connectives:
(i) Pronouns: what, which, who, whom, whose.
(ii) Adverbs: when, where, why, how.
(iii) Conjuctions: if, that, whether.

For example:
1. You can see what you have done.
2. Can you tell me who had done it?
3. I wonder if  the weather is going to be alright?
4. I don't know which book he has bought.

Functions of Noun Clauses: Noun clauses function like nouns or noun phrases. They can function as subject, object, complement, or object of a preposition, etc.
a. Subject: 
What you said surprised me.
When she will come is uncertain.
b. Object:
You must learn when you should speak.
He says that he will help me.
c. Complement:
This is where she works.
Our belief is that he will help us.

Object of Preposition:

1. You should pay attention to what the teacher says.

2. There is no complaint except that he comes late.

3. There is no meaning in what he says.

4. No one is aware of how he has opened the lock.

5. Everything depends on whether he helps us or not.

Complement of an Adjective:

1. I am not sure where he has gone.

2. They are confident that they will find out the thief.

3. It is doubtful whether she will reach in time.

Object of an Infinitive:

1. She wants to know what is going on here.

2. He came to see that he was mistaken.

3. She wanted to ask if l could help her.

In Apposition to a Noun (Noun + Noun clause)

1. The rumour that he was killed is true.

2. The idea that we should set up a factory should be pursued.

3. The fact that he has failed surprised his parents.

Object of a Participle:

1. Thinking that he would die, they took him to a hospital.

2. Hoping that they would win, they felt overjoyed.

2. Adverbial Clauses

1. Adverbial Clauses of Condition:

The adverbial clause of the condition is introduced by if, unless, whether:
1. If you run fast, you will catch the train.

2. Unless you work hard. you will not pass.

The underlined words in the above sentences form the adverbial clauses of condition. A conditional clause is a subordinate clause and expresses a condition.

The conditional clauses are of the following types:
(i) In an if-clause referring to a likely or possible situation in the future, the simple present tense is used. The future tense is used in the main clause: If it rains, we’ll go indoors.

Generally, the main clause has the form: shall/will/may/can/must+first form of the verb:
1. If you request me, I shall help you.
2. If you want to get good marks, you must work harder.

(ii) In an if-clause referring to a condition that always has the same result, the simple present is used. The simple tense is used in the main clause too:
If the engine gets too hot, it starts to smoke.
If you boil water, it evaporates.

(iii) If a conditional clause refers to an unlikely or impossible situation in the present or future, the simple past tense is used. In the main clause, we use ‘should, ‘could, ‘might’, ‘would’, etc + first form of the verb: If a thief entered your house, what would you do?

(iv) If a conditional clause refers to something that did not happen in the past, the past perfect tense is used. In the main clause, we use would have/should have/could have/might have + third form of the verb: If she had worked hard, she would have passed.

(i.e. She didn’t work hard, so she didn’t pass).

But when the main clause is about the present, ‘would’, ‘could, ‘might’, etc. without have is used: If you had followed my advice, we would be home by now.

(v) If a conditional clause refers to an unlikely situation in the future, ‘were to’ or ‘should’ followed by an infinitive, is sometimes used instead of the simple past tense:

If she were to die before you, who would look after your children?

(vi) ‘If only’ is used to express a wish with reference to present or future time: If only I knew her name.

(vii) ‘If only’ is used to express a wish that past events had been different: If only he had spoken the truth.

2. Adverbial Clauses of Time:

Adverb Clause An adverb clause works like an adverb and modifies a verb, adjective clause or another adverb clause in a sentence. The subordinating conjunctions used for adverb clauses are as follows:

3. Relative Clauses

The relative clause does the function of an adjective in a sentence. That is why it is also called an adjective clause. We put a relative clause immediately after the noun which refers to the person, thing, or group we are talking about.

Examples:
The boy who came into the house was my friend.

The house which our neighbour bought is made of stone.

A relative clause is essential to the clear understanding of the noun it defines or qualifies. For example, ‘Who came into the house ’ is a relative clause without which it will not be clear to which ‘boy’ we are referring.

Defining and Non-defining Relative Clauses:

There are two kinds of relative clauses—defining and non-defining relative clauses. Defining relative clauses limit the noun or pronoun to which they refer to a particular type or examples. They answer the questions which!, what? whose? In the two example sentences above the relative clauses restrict “the boy’ and ‘the house’ to a particular ‘boy ’ or a particular ‘house’.

Non-defining clauses simply give us additional information about the nouns, pronouns and clauses to which they refer.
For example: Anwar, who returned yesterday, will come to meet us.

There are some general rules which should be noted about relative clauses and relative pronouns:

(i) A non-defining clause is separated by commas (see the above sentence).

(ii) A defining clause is not separated by commas.

(iii) In a non-defining clause the relative pronoun cannot be omitted.
Examples: Satish, who/whom you met yesterday, is a friend of mine.

Here the relative pronoun ‘who/whom’ cannot be omitted.

(iv) In a defining clause, we can omit the relative pronoun except when it is the subject of a verb: The woman yon met yesterday is my mother.

In this sentence, the relative pronoun is omitted.
But we cannot omit it in the following sentence: The boy who gave you this book is my friend.

This is because here the relative pronoun ‘who’ is the subject of the verb ‘gave’.

(v) In a non-defining clause the preposition governing the relative is rarely placed at the end of the clause: This is Mohan, about whom I was talking.

(vi) In a defining clause the preposition governing the relative is generally placed at the end of the clause: This is the boy I was talking about.

(vii) The relative pronouns ‘which’, ‘who’, ‘whose’, ‘whom’ are found in both defining and non-defining clauses. But the pronoun ‘that’ is only found in defining clauses.
(viii) The relative pronouns differ according to whether they refer to persons or things and according to their case:

(ix) Relative clauses are introduced by relative adverbs ‘where’, ‘”when’, ‘why’.
Examples: This is the house where we lived.

This is the time when the winter season sets in.

This is the reason why I left this place.