Loading…
GCSE English Language · key term
A group of words containing a verb. A main clause can stand independently as a sentence; a subordinate clause depends on a main clause.
Used by AQA, Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas
Paper 1, Paper 2
A group of words built around a verb. A main clause can stand independently; a subordinate clause depends on another clause.
Revise: Sentence forms and punctuation for effectA clause is a group of words built around a verb. A main clause can stand independently; a subordinate clause depends on another clause. This distinction helps you explain how a writer connects information.
Use a semicolon between closely related main clauses that could each stand as a sentence. Use a colon to introduce an explanation or detail after a complete clause.
Break a long sentence into clauses and identify who does what before considering the extra details.
Check sentence boundaries: join main clauses with suitable punctuation or a conjunction, rather than a comma alone.
Create a free account to keep every note you open and track your progress.
A group of words containing a verb; a main clause can stand as a complete sentence.
Paper 1
A group of words organised around a verb. A main clause can stand independently as a sentence; a subordinate clause depends on a main clause.
Revise: Crafting vocabulary and sentencesThe first two units are minor sentences: they do not contain a complete main clause, but their deliberate incompleteness creates a clipped, frustrated rhythm. The complete sentence ‘I stand helpless’ then states the narrator’s predicament clearly.
Paper 2
A group of words organised around a verb. A main clause can stand independently as a sentence; a subordinate clause depends on a main clause.
Revise: Crafting vocabulary and sentencesSentence structure concerns how its clauses fit together. A clause is organised around a verb; a main clause can stand independently, while a subordinate clause depends on another clause.
Paper 1, Paper 2
A part of a sentence built around a verb; identifying clauses helps a reader follow the relationships between ideas.
Revise: Reading 19th-, 20th- and 21st-century non-fictionFor a long sentence, find its main action, then fit the surrounding clauses around it. In Bird’s sentence beginning ‘My fatigue, giddiness, and pain’, the core idea is that she would not have continued without Jim dragging her along. The list explains her suffering; the final part explains Jim’s patience, skill and determination.
A group of words containing a verb, usually with a subject, that forms all or part of a sentence.
Component 1, Component 2
A group of words built around a verb. A main clause can stand alone as a sentence; a subordinate clause depends on a main clause.
Revise: Crafting vocabulary and sentencesA clause is a group of words built around a verb. A main clause can stand alone: ‘The phone rang.’ A subordinate clause depends on another clause: ‘When the phone rang’ leaves us waiting to hear what happened.
A group of words containing a verb, usually with a subject. A sentence can contain several clauses.
A group of words containing a verb; a main clause can stand alone as a complete sentence, while a subordinate clause depends on a main clause.
