Prácticas Discursivas:

Lectura y Escritura II
Unit 2
Grammar: Clauses
SUBORDINATION vs. COORDINATION

COORDINATION: The two sentences that SUBORDINATION: One clause functions as a

do not depend on one another. Neither is dependant, rather than a co-head
embedded in the other.
The Three Basic Types of Subordinate Clauses
COMPLEMENT CLAUSES ADJUNCT OR ADVERBIAL RELATIVE CLAUSES
CLAUSES

They occur as a complement to a They function as an adjunct or They modify the head noun within
verb. They typically function as adverbial of another clause. a noun phrase.
the subject or object of another
clause. E.g.: Mary makes her bed when E.g.: The woman that I love lives
her mother comes to visit her. in Argentina.
E.g.: Simon believes that the
earth is flat.

NOTE: the tree structure may vary

depending on the presence or absence of
the subject in the clause.
Finite vs. Non-finite
FINITE NON-FINITE

These clauses contain a verb which is in a
recognisable verb form.
Main clauses are usually finite. Some subordinate
clauses as well,
E.g.: She hasn’t moved a muscle since the phone
rang.
The girl I love has long wavy black hair.
Tell me where did you sleep last night.
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=t58S73Jt3qs
Here, the verb, if there is one, is either a past
participle, a gerund or an infinitive, therefore,
they are tenseless.
Non-finite clauses are always subordinate
clauses and may be adverbial, relative or noun
clauses.
E.g.: I wanted to talk to her.
Ellen shook her head, smiling.
The novels of Mary Webb, praised by Stanley
Baldwin, were great favourites of mine.
You’ve got to do something in depth in order
to understand it.
The man wearing a black shirt is my dad.
A REMINDER
Finite Clauses

ADVERBIAL CLAUSES

They tell us information about

the main clause. They start with
a conjunction which expresses
the relation of the subordination
to the main clause.
Finite Clauses
NOUN CLAUSES (A.K.A. COMPLEMENT CLAUSES)
They are known as noun clauses because they can take the place of a noun.
Some grammars consider them as a type of direct object. Like D.O.s, they contain
the most important information in the sentence.
E.g.: I don’t know what time it is.
I’ve no idea where I put it.
I had a hunch that you’d call.
She said she liked him.
Finite Clauses
RELATIVE CLAUSES
They provide information about someone or something that we have already usually
specified. They can be compared to an adjective in terms of their grammatical function.
Also, relative clauses enable us to combine clauses without repeating information.
They are usually introduced by a relative pronoun, but it is their position in the sentence
and the context which usually tell us about their function.
E.g.: The thing I like the most is singing.
She’s the person who owns the blue car.
It’s something that you use to type texts on a computer.
I had to translate the whole text, which was difficult for me.
Finite Clauses
TYPES OF RELATIVE CLAUSES
DEFINING
They provide information that is essential to
understand the message in the main
clause.
E.g.: The man who came into the room
was tall and slender.
This is something (that) I’m very proud of.
NON-DEFINING
The information they provide is not needed
to identify the person, thing or group you
are talking about
E.g.: I saw Thom Yorke, who was staying
in the room opposite.
Denis, who is 78, has let everybody know
that much of what he owns is to be left for
charity.
Non-Finite Clauses
Non-Finite Clauses
Non-Finite Clauses
Non-finite Clauses
READING COMPREHENSION - Text #1
Turning Points in Life Can Create a Mess or a Miracle, You Choose
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1) What’s the purpose of the text? Justify with lines from the text.
2) Where do you think you might find a text like this one? Why?
3) What are the main ideas?
4) Is the writer’s view optimistic or pessimistic? Why? Find examples in the text.
5) What resources does the writer use to engage the reader?

LOOKING AT LANGUAGE:

1) Find examples of both finite and non-finite clauses.

2) Specify the type of clauses that you’ve found in 1.

VOCABULARY:

Find the following expressions in the text and use them in sentences.
AMID - HEED AND APPLY THOSE LESSONS - RETRIEVE YOUR CLOAK FROM THE CLOSET
-A TAP ON THE SHOULDER - THRIVE - STAGGERING - VENTURE - A KNOT IN THE STOMACH -
HAVE NO REGRETS - REGARDLESS OF - SNUCK UP -