Clauses
A CLAUSE, in any language, has a subject
(sometimes indicated just by the verb ending in
Spanish) and a verb.
1. I am here.
2. When you finish…
3. He loves his wife.
4. …that you read.
(Yo) estoy aquí.
Cuando (tú) termines…
(El) quiere a su esposa.
…que (tú) lees.
Numbers 1 & 3 are independent clauses. They
can stand alone. They are sentences all by
themselves.
Numbers 2 & 4 are dependent (subordinate)
clauses. They can’t stand alone. The
subordinators (when & that) link them to
another clause, & they are subordinate to that
clause.
PHRASES are written below. They don’t have a
subject/verb combination:
in the room
walking to the store
written in English
to be honest
These are PHRASES. The difference between clauses
& phrases is that clauses have a subject & verb
and phrases don’t.
Click here to go to go to a practice.
Now click here to go to a second one.
Clauses & phrases HAVE to function as some part of speech.
They can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
Noun
I know the truth. – I know that he is here.
Truth & that he is here are direct objects.
Your brain could fit in a thimble. -- What you understand
could fit in a thimble.
Your brain & What you understand are subjects.
I’ll give it to you. – I’ll give it to whoever wants it.
You & whoever wants it are objects of the preposition (to).
Adjective
The tall boy is my son. – The boy who lives here is my son.
Both tall & who lives here tell you which boy.
I know the pretty girl. – I know the girl who is eating.
Both pretty & who is eating tell you which girl.
I visited my sick mother. – I visited my mother, who is sick.
Both sick & who is sick describe “mother.”
Adverb
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, & other adverbs &
USUALLY answer one of the following questions: when,
why, where, how, how much, under what circumstances.
He left yesterday. – He left when she called.
Both yesterday & when she called answer the question
when.
He left because he was tired.
Because he was tired answers the question why.
Most noun & adjective clauses start with that,
who, whom, or which. Virtually every other
subordinating conjunction (the word that
connects the dependent clause to the
independent clause) introduces an adverb
clause: if, because, before, after, although,
when, where, until, unless, etc.
NOTE
Subordinating conjunctions (that, when, after, although,
if, etc., as mentioned on previous slides) are one type
of conjunction. The other type is coordinating
conjunctions. They link 2 INdependent clauses. It’s like
2 sentences joined together, not a sentence that has
another clause dependent on it:
Juan left early, and the teacher lowered his grade.
There are only 7 of these, so they’re easy to memorize:
and but or
nor for
so
yet
Knowing what type of clause you have is
essential in understanding how to use the
subjunctive in Spanish.
It’s also pretty important if you’re going to be
teaching English.
Click here to go to your homework 1.
homework 2.
homework 3.