Relating Ideas in a Sentence
Clauses
A clause contains both a subject and a verb. There are a variety of clause types.
There are many finished products that have been produced by environmentally damaging manufacturing practices for a hundred years.
That is the document which was issued to communicate our fixed manufacturing costs.
Tom, who studied at Harvard, was chosen to design our equipment.
Independent Clause
An independent clause is a complete sentence when used alone. It contains the subject and the verb of a sentence. Independent clauses are also named 'main clauses'.
Example:
There are a number of fast moving consumer goods for sale in our shop.
There is a technological gap between us.
Dependent Clause
A dependent clause is not a complete sentence and must be used together with an independent clause.
Example:
the tester who has been unemployed for more than six months
the tensiometer which has been manufactured for more than thirty years
Relative Clause
A relative clause modifies a noun or noun phrase and is dependent. Relative clauses provide additional information which identifies or describes a noun. Relative clauses are also referred to as adjective clauses.
Example:
There are a number of finished goods inventory debits on this income statement that have been overvalued for years.
There are a number of ball bearings at work that are in the tilt-tray sorter.