Clause

In language, a clause is a constituent that comprises a semantic predicand (expressed or not) and a semantic predicate.[1] A typical clause consists of a subject and a syntactic predicate,[2] the latter typically a verb phrase composed of a verb with any objects and other modifiers. However, the subject is sometimes unvoiced if it is retrievable from context, especially in null-subject language but also in other languages, including English instances of the imperative mood.

A complete simple sentence includes a single clause with a finite verb. Complex sentences contain multiple clauses including at least one independent clause (meaning, a clause that can stand alone as a simple sentence) coordinated either with at least one dependent clause (also called an embedded clause) or with one or more independent clauses.


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