This lesson introduces clauses as groups of words containing a subject and finite verb. Previous lessons in Unit 14X focused on phrases, which work as units but do not contain their own complete subject and finite verb structure. Lesson 145 now teaches clause hierarchy: main clauses and subordinate clauses. A main clause can stand alone as a complete grammatical unit, while a subordinate clause depends on another clause for completion. This is not yet a full sentence classification lesson; instead, students are learning the building blocks that later create simple, compound and complex sentences. In analysis, main and subordinate clauses matter because writers can make some information central and other information dependent, delayed, backgrounded or conditional.

By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

• identify clauses by finding a subject and finite verb;
• distinguish main clauses from subordinate clauses;
• and explain how clause hierarchy makes some information central and other information dependent.

A clause is a group of words that contains a subject (the who / what that is doing)and a finite verb (carries the dominant tense of the text):

The cat (subject) sprinted (finite verb).

A main clause can stand alone and make sense as a complete unit. A subordinate clause cannot stand alone in the same way; it depends on another clause. For example, “The gate opened” is a main clause. “Because the wind pushed it” is a subordinate clause. Together, they show a complete relationship: “The gate opened because the wind pushed it.”

What makes a clause different from a phrase is that a clause has a verb; “opened / pushed”. These verbs have a tense and suit the subject.

• Clause: a group of words containing a subject and finite verb.
• Subject: the person, place, thing or idea that the clause is about.
• Finite verb: a verb that shows tense and agrees with a subject.
• Main clause: a clause that can stand alone as a complete grammatical unit.
• Subordinate clause: a clause that is introduced with a subordinate connective.
• Dependency: the relationship in which one clause relies on another.
• Subordination: making one clause dependent on another clause.

• The clause is…
• The subject of the clause is…
• The finite verb is…
• This is a main clause because…
• This is a subordinate clause because…
• The subordinate clause adds…
• The clause hierarchy affects meaning because…

A subordinate clause may contain a subject and verb, but still may not stand alone clearly. “Although the rain stopped” has a subject, “rain,” and a finite verb, “stopped,” but it leaves the reader expecting more. A main clause completes the central idea.

Main and subordinate clauses are like stairwells with lifts. They both carry subjects through the story (storey? Get it??). The stairs are the most important one that cannot be removed, but along with the stairs is another method of conveying subjects to places – they do basically the same thing, but the lift could be removed without harm. Main and subordinate clauses both contain a subject.

The match was cancelled because the pitch was flooded

The sentence contains a main clause and a subordinate clause. “The match was cancelled” is the main clause because it can stand alone as a complete idea. The subordinate clause “because the pitch was flooded” explains the reason for the cancellation. The clause hierarchy makes the cancellation central and the flooding dependent as its cause.

The writer uses main and subordinate clauses to organise central and dependent information. The opening subordinate clause, “Although the council had promised repairs in spring,” creates a contrast before the main clause reveals that “the bridge remained closed.” This makes the council’s promise seem ineffective. Later, “Because the route was used by children walking to school” gives the reason for the parents’ argument, so the danger becomes the basis of their complaint. The final main clauses, “The council apologised” and “it did not give a new date,” make the official response clear and blunt. Clause hierarchy therefore helps the writer foreground delay, danger and weak accountability.