clause (n.)

A term used in some models of GRAMMAR to refer to a UNIT of grammatical organization smaller than the SENTENCE, but larger than PHRASES, WORDS or MORPHEMES. The traditional classification is of clausal units into main (independent or superordinate) and subordinate (or dependent) clauses, e.g. The girl arrived/after the rain started. Some grammars distinguish FINITE and non-finite types of clause, depending on the FORM of the VERB used, and further subdivisions are sometimes made (e.g. a reduced ‘verbless’ clause, as in When ripe, these apples will be lovely). A more detailed subclassification would take into account the FUNCTION of clauses within the sentence, e.g. as ADVERBIAL, NOUN or ADJECTIVE. It would also analyze clauses into formal ELEMENTS of structure, such as SUBJECT, VERB, OBJECT, COMPLEMENT and adverbial.

Derived terms include wh-clauses, such as I wonder when they will leave; that-clauses, such as They decided that the journey was too far; and small clauses, a term used in GOVERNMENT-BINDING THEORY for clauses which contain neither a finite verb nor an INFINITIVAL to, such as I saw [him do it]. Mainstream GENERATIVE GRAMMAR makes no formal distinction between clauses and sentences: both are symbolized by S/S′ (or equivalents such as IP/CP). Some grammarians make use of the notion of kernel clause: such a clause forms a sentence on its own; is structurally complete, not ELLIPTICAL; is DECLARATIVE, not IMPERATIVE, INTERROGATIVE or EXCLAMATIVE; is POSITIVE, not NEGATIVE; and is UNMARKED with respect to all the THEMATIC systems of the clause. It should be noted that this is not an alternative term for the early generative grammar notion of ‘KERNEL sentence’.