Glossary of Linguistic Terms

Clause

Definition: 

A clause is a grammatical unit that:

  • includes, at minimum, a predicate and an explicit or implied subject
  • expresses a proposition.
Examples: 

(English)

The following example sentence contains two clauses:

  • It is cold, although the sun is shining.

The main clause is it is cold and the subordinate clause is although the sun is shining.