Advanced English Grammar: Dependent Clauses
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- Do you have a hard time understanding dependent clauses? In English, we have four types of dependent clauses. In this advanced lesson, I'll help you understand each type of dependent clause and its purpose. I'll give you definitions and examples of each clause. Mastering these clauses will improve your reading comprehension and make you a better writer. After the class, take the quiz to practice what you've learned. www.engvid.com/...
Watch Adam's series on clauses!
Noun Clauses • Advanced English Gramm...
Adjective Clauses • Learn English Grammar:...
Adverb Clauses • Learn English Grammar:...
TRANSCRIPT
Hi. Welcome back to www.engvid.com. I'm Adam, and today's lesson is a special lesson. It's an introduction to dependent clauses. Now, before I begin, I want you to understand I'm only going to look at the functions of the dependent clauses today. I'm not going to look at how they're built, how to structure them, the conjunctions they use, the relative pronouns they use; only about the functions, because it's very important that you are able to recognize the different types of dependent clauses. Once you recognize the function of a clause, you know how it's built, you know what it's doing in the sentence, you can understand the sentence better, you can write better sentences.
So, dependent clauses, what are they? First of all, they're also called subordinate clauses. You might see "subordinate", you might see "dependent". They're very different from the independent clause. The independent clause is a clause that can stand by itself, and has a complete meaning. It doesn't have... It doesn't need any other information. A "clause" is a collection of words-sorry-that must include a subject and a verb.
Okay, we have basically four types. Technically, we think of three types, but there's one extra one that we're going to look at today. We have "noun clauses", we have "adjective clauses"-adjective clauses" are also called "relative clauses"-we have "adverb clauses", and we have something called a "that clause", which is really none of these three. It's closest to the noun clause, but it doesn't function like a noun clause.
We're going to start with the noun clause, then. What is a noun clause? First of all, a noun clause has a specific function in a sentence. It is used, just like it's called, it's used like a noun. You think of a noun clause as you would a noun, except that it's a clause. There's a subject, there's a verb, there's other pieces to it. We can use it as a subject of a sentence, we can use it as a subject of an otherwise independent clause. "What you do in your free time is your business." So, look... Let's, first of all, look at all the verbs, here. We have "do" and we have "is". We have two verbs. The subject for "you"... For "do" is "you". Okay? What is the subject for "is"? Well, if you look around, it's not "time", it's not "your", and it's not "you" because "you" is already being used. So the whole thing: "What you do in your free time", this is the subject, this is the verb, this is the subject complement. Okay?
Now, very rarely do people actually use noun clauses as subjects, especially in writing. What they might say is "it": "It is your business what you do in your free time." Okay? We call this a "preparatory 'it'". It means we prepare you for the subject that's going to come later. Why do we do this? Because it's more... It's a bit awkward to do it like this. It's more convenient to begin with "it", get to the verb, and get to whatever comes after the verb, and put the subject later because it's long. Okay? "What you do in your free time", subject, "is", verb.
Now, we can use it as a subject complement. A subject complement looks like an object, but it is not. It comes after a "be" verb. It comes after a "be" verb, okay? And it completes the meaning of the subject. So, Tom, what do we know about Tom? "Tom isn't"... Isn't what? He "isn't what you would call friendly." This is the noun clause. There is the subject, there is the verb. These, by the way, these are just called the pronouns or the conjunctions, whatever you want to call them. They begin the clause. Now, as we know from other lessons, "is" works like an equal sign. Tom, not really friendly. That's basically what this sentence means. This is the subject complement to Tom, noun clause. Notice the conjunction "what" can only be used in a noun clause; not in an adjective clause, not in an adverb clause.
One of the best teachers on the net. I am an ESL teacher and I truly respect your work.
did you get what he means by to mary lucy being a complement but didn't explain it further
Adam, who is always able to make English lessons seem so easy to be learnt, is the very skilled teacher who has been increasing my passion for English day by day.
I hope this sentence is correct because it costed me over than 50% of my cerebral capacities and a permanent damage was about to occur :).
Ciao from Italy
Hi Adam. Thanks for nice lessons always.
I got a question about last sentence; " I met the right person"
It seems like a kind of noun clause( object of verb ; believe)
Please give me the way to understand the difference between them!
Hi Adam, you are a great grammar professor! I learned a lot from your lessons. Thanks
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@Ninters i think maybe after 'easy' we can use the infinitive, maybe just "these lessons seem so easy to learn." i'm not sure we need the *be* verb there...
Hey! What's up with your English, It's been 4 years, could you improve it so well?
Getting good at these kinds of structures is especially useful in writing.
Thank you very much for your video and that is helpful to me.
+fina Kaphan It is not Alex's video :D
+English Lessons with Alex (engVid AlexESLvid) The Video really helps me out)
Alex I personally wait for some vocab vids from you) Thanks for your work!
'getting good at these kind of structures', is this a noun phrase or verb phrase?
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Smashh! I am making sarcastic jokes and everything. I feel like I know the language but still it dosen't change the fact that I kicked in the butt by IELTS academic.
i really need it, because when i was highschool this lesson never been teached, we spend 12 years just studying about? yes.. TENSES!!!
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I only feed the 'seed' of my curiosity--that way, I become fully aware of the subject matter; when I'm hungry I know exactly what food I want to eat--I sense it. I find it's the same with learning. 74 next and still curious.
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What you had taught an amount of the most inspiring technique to achieve a number of difficult clauses , which are noun, adjective, adverb,and that clauses , has given me to learn it repitiously to learn how ,what and where I use all the clauses.
Sir, you are a godsend... I've had to learn English since I was 3 and has been more a mother tongue to me than Filipino living abroad. I even think and dream in English. I've always loved it and languages. But due to how people in this country seemingly try to cope with their insecurities.... speaking it out on the streets earned me awful treatment... They feel as if it is necessary to put someone down, just because they thought I was showing off, even though English is taught as a second language in our country. ...
Constantly being put down... and just wanting to not be hurt... I ended up clamming up and and lost all my grammar and vocabulary over the years... It still makes me cry losing what I loved... I can still speak it... but I probably only pass English exams in jobs due to it "sounding right."
Thank you for helping me understand again... I'm truly grateful..
Thank you, very useful. Thanks for give us your time, I really appreciate your youtube classes.
+Lau Lala always use gerund after preopositions, thanks for _giving_ us {...} :)
thanks!
Thank you
Adam, who teaches advanced english grammar on TH-cam helped me understand some complex concepts, which will be effective in the academic writing skills required for my University courses.
I decided to study clauses, because in the TOEFL test reading section I've noticed I can't identify when a sentence has too much stuff. I thought this lesson was going to be somenthing complementary but I've wrote 6 pages with examples and watched 3 videos so far. Hopefully this will be helpfull and I can read correctly and write better. Thanks a lot!
thanks for your feedback, i am taking toefl too
I wonder how u can do it that easy, u really make me understand that issue so confusing to me. Thanks Adam!!!
This is the third time I review compound sentences. Although I always get a terrible score on your quizzes , I undertand a little bit better every time.
Hi
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THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! IM AN ARGENTINIAN STUDENT OF ENGLISH AND THIS VIDEO REALLY HELP ME TO UNDERSTAND VERY WELL THIS TYPES OF CLAUSES!! THAN U! :)
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THANK YOU TEACHER ADAM, VERY CLEAR EXPLANATION!
REGARDS FROM SAN LUIS, ARGENTINE.
Thanks!
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Adam, you're doing great, one of the best English teachers I've seen, I love your lessons. Best wishes from Russia. Andrew, CAE.
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Hi! Adam.I must say that I've come across one of the best English teachers.I'd say rather unique than one of the best because you teach and leave no scope of doubt for students.However, one last sentence which has all clauses -noun,adjective and adverb,"that" is included to understand "that" clause.We can use "because" instead of" that" because it gives reason for being happy.
Thanks & Regards
Prashant Mishra.
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I am very glad I've come across this video. So far, it;s the best explanations I got about dependent clauses.
YOU ARE amazing. So clear teaching style. Many thanks.
You are a great teacher Adam, the way you explained the clause is best. I really respect your work. :)
Actually i am proud of you my dear prof. As long as i follow your lesson, i get improved in english. Thank you so much.
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Please make more videos like mixed all clause and identify the clauses in sentence that helps me understand the dependent clause..thank you Adam masters..
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Greetings from Algeria ✨
Thanks you Adam for this informative and simple master class for clauses.
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Thank you very much for your excellent lecturer because my concept on the dependent clause got clear after watching your tutorial. Thank you once again, from Berlin!
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Thank you sir Adam for a very clear explanation of the different clauses.
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Thank you . The whole clause is a correlative to which ..
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Thank you for the Dependent Clause
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Best lecture of Clauses
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Thanks Adam. this video explain very clear about dependent clauses, which it helps me out not only in writing but also in reading.
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Greetings from Turkey.
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