Clauses

A clause is a group of words which can be used either as a whole sentence or as part of a sentence. A clause must always have a verb in it.

The monster looked fierce.

He stared at Garry.

(Here we have 2 single-clause sentences.)

The monster looked fierce and he stared at Garry.

(You now have a two-clause sentence by joining the two single-clause sentences together using a conjunction.)

Using an appropriate conjunction, make these two single-clause sentences into a two-clause sentence. Set it out like the example below.

The monster looked scary. He looked angry.

The monster looked scary and angry.

1. The monster jumped up and down. He stamped his feet.
2. The monster looked terrifying. He was very friendly.
3. He walked towards Garry. Garry told him to stop.
4. The monster put down his club. He looked at Garry's glasses.
5. Garry wasn't as scared. He was still cautious.
6. The monster moved towards Garry. He bit his head off!

Copy these sentences and underline the two clauses in each one.

1. The children were happy until the teacher shouted at them.
2. Mark was upset because his cat had disappeared.
3. Joan picked up the first prize and the best-groomed horse award.
4. Neil was excited but his brother was a bit worried.
5. Nobody would know until the end who the winner would be.

Each clause has a subject, who or what the sentence is about.

E.g. Harry held an apple. (Harry is the subject.)

Fill in a suitable subject to go with these single-clause sentences.

1. ___________ ate a big bag of sweets.
2. ___________ won the silver trophy.
3. ___________ held a snake in their hands.
4. ___________ lives in a lake in Scotland.
5. ___________ were trapped in the farmyard.
6. ___________ scored full marks in a test.
7. ___________ eat grass and hay.
8. ___________ shouted at the children.