A main clause has a subject and a verb. In a simple statement, the subject comes first and the verb comes next: I left, She sings, They arrived. Many clauses also need an object after the verb: We bought coffee. Other verbs need a complement to finish the idea: He is tired, The room looks clean. The main clause can stand alone as a sentence, and its core order is the pattern covered in Sentence Structure.

Basic main clause patterns

Idea
A main clause usually has a subject and a verb.
A transitive verb needs an object to complete the meaning.
A linking verb often needs a complement after it.

Adverbs usually go before the main verb, after be, or at the end of the clause. Compare She often calls, She is often late, and She called yesterday. A short adverb can also move to the front for emphasis or style: Yesterday, she called. The front position gives the adverb more focus, while the end position often sounds neutral. When an adverb modifies the whole clause, the end of the clause is a common place for it: They left early.

Common adverb positions in clauses

Usage	Explanation
Before the main verb	Use this position for many adverbs when you want to show how an action happens.
After the main verb	Use this position when the adverb naturally follows the verb or the object.
For emphasis at the beginning	Use this position when you want to give special emphasis to the adverb.

To make a clause negative, add not after the auxiliary. With do, the pattern is subject + do/does + not + base verb: I do not know, She does not work here. With be, the pattern is subject + am/is/are + not: I am not ready, They are not here. If the verb is be, no extra do appears. The negative word stays close to the verb that carries the clause meaning.

Forming negative clauses with do and be

Idea
Use do not or does not before the base verb in present simple negatives.
Use did not before the base verb in past simple negatives.
Use be plus not to make negatives with am, is, or are.

Yes-no questions move the auxiliary before the subject. The pattern is auxiliary + subject + verb: Are you ready?, Do they live here?, Can she swim? If the clause uses be, do, or another auxiliary, that word comes first. The main verb stays after the subject, or after the auxiliary when the verb form needs it. This word order signals a question and often appears in everyday Asking Questions.

Auxiliary order in yes no questions

Idea
Put the auxiliary before the subject in a yes no question.
Use do, does, or did when the main verb has no auxiliary.
Keep the base verb after the subject in the question.

A wh-question begins with a wh-word such as who, what, where, when, why, or how. After the wh-word, place the auxiliary before the subject: Where are you going?, What did she buy?, Why is he waiting? If the wh-word is the subject, there is no inversion: Who called you? The wh-word names the missing information, and the rest of the clause keeps question word order. These forms are central to Asking Questions.

Wh question structure in clauses

Idea
Start with the wh word to ask for specific information.
Put the auxiliary after the wh word in most questions.
Use the base verb after the subject when the question needs do support.

A subordinate clause starts with a subordinator such as because, if, when, or although. It has a subject and a verb, but it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence: because it was late, if she comes, when we finish. The subordinator shows the clause’s role in the larger sentence. It can give a reason, condition, time, contrast, or other relationship. Many of these links belong to Subordinating Conjunctions.

thatbecausewhileuntilalthoughwhensinceifafterbefore

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This word introduces an event that happens earlier than another eventThis word shows that something continues up to a point in timeThis word often introduces a content clause after a verbThis word introduces a reason clauseThis word introduces a contrast clauseThis word introduces a condition clauseThis word introduces an event that happens later than another eventThis word introduces a time clauseThis word introduces an action that happens at the same time as another actionThis word can show a time point or a starting point for a state

Common subordinators for dependent clauses

Word	Definition
because	This word introduces a reason clause.
when	This word introduces a time clause.
if	This word introduces a condition clause.
although	This word introduces a contrast clause.
that	This word often introduces a content clause after a verb.
while	This word introduces an action that happens at the same time as another action.
before	This word introduces an event that happens earlier than another event.
after	This word introduces an event that happens later than another event.
until	This word shows that something continues up to a point in time.
since	This word can show a time point or a starting point for a state.

Scramble

Dependent clauses keep normal subject + verb order. After a subordinator, do not use question word order: I stayed because I was tired, not because was I tired. The same rule applies in clauses with wh-words used as connectors: I know where she lives, not where does she live in the dependent clause. The clause sounds complete inside the larger sentence only when the subject comes before the verb. This pattern also works with many structures built from Coordinating Conjunctions and other clause linkers in longer sentences.

Word order inside dependent clauses

Idea
A dependent clause usually keeps normal subject verb order.
Do not use question order inside a dependent clause.
The subordinator often signals that the clause cannot stand alone.

Relative clauses follow a noun and describe it. The relative pronoun introduces the clause: who for people, which for things, and that for people or things in many common cases. Compare The woman who called me and The book which I borrowed. The relative clause comes right after the noun it identifies, so the listener knows which person or thing you mean. In many everyday sentences, that is the most general choice for a defining clause. Relative clauses are part of the sentence patterns used in Sentence Structure and often support clearer Making Statements.

Relative pronouns and noun modifiers

Idea
Use who for people.
Use which for things and animals.
Use that for people or things in many defining relative clauses.
Put the relative clause after the noun it describes.

Non-finite clauses use verb forms that do not show tense. A to-infinitive clause often works as a subject, object, or complement: To travel is exciting, I want to leave, Her plan is to study. An -ing clause can also fill these roles: Swimming helps, I enjoy reading, After finishing the work, he left. These clauses can act like noun phrases or modifiers while still keeping their own verb meaning. They let one sentence carry two ideas without using a full finite clause for each one.

Non finite clause forms and uses

Idea
Use a to infinitive clause after many verbs and adjectives.
Use an ing clause as a subject or object in many cases.
Use a to infinitive clause to show purpose.
Use an ing clause after some verbs and prepositions.

Clauses connect with coordinating and subordinating linkers. A coordinator such as and, but, or or joins two main clauses: She called, and he answered. A subordinator such as because or although joins a dependent clause to a main clause: We stayed home because it rained. A comma usually appears before a coordinator that links two full clauses. A dependent clause at the front often takes a comma: Because it rained, we stayed home. Relative clauses with extra information also use commas, but defining relative clauses usually do not.

Linkers and comma patterns between clauses

Usage	Explanation
Coordinating addition	Use coordinating words to join clauses that are equally important.
Coordinating contrast	Use coordinating words to show contrast between two main clauses.
Subordinating reason	Use a subordinator to connect a reason clause to a main clause.
Subordinate clause with comma first	Use a comma when a subordinate clause comes before the main clause.
Defining relative clause without comma	Do not use a comma when the relative clause is essential to the noun meaning.