2.2.1. Classes of clauses

At the rank of 'clause', the first distinction to be made is that between independent and dependent clauses. An independent clause (indep.cl.) is complete in itself, whereas a dependent clause (dep.cl) is necessarily related to an independent clause. This is illustrated in: They locked up the house (indep.cl), before they went on holiday (dep.cl).

A further necessary distinction is that between finite and non-finite clauses. It depends on the type of the clause pattern and form of the verb chosen. If the speaker needs to allocate the situation in time and space (express tense, person or number), a 'finite' form of the verb is chosen, such as is, eats, locked, went and the clause is then called a finite clause (Clf). For example, all the marked verbs, and therefore the clauses, in the following paragraph are finite:

/// This was a school / that looked like a school in a storybook. /// It was all red brick, / with three sets of steps / that were arched by to three sets of tall, white columns. /// The central steps led to the main entrance and on in to the principal’s office. /// The other two sets of steps // I learned later // led to the auditorium and the cafeteria. /// Mother and I went in the doors toward the office, // but were quickly sent down a long hall of classrooms and into the auditorium for the assembling of new first graders. ///

(Donald Davis, Listening for the Crac of Dawn)

If the verb-form does not express full information about time and space reference of the verbal 'process', the clause is classified as 'non-finite' (Clnf). The non-finite verb forms are:

(a) the infinitive (inf.) (be, eat, lock, go), which may be preceded by to and is then called the to-infinitive form (to-inf);

(b) the participial -ing form (-ing) (being, eating, locking, going);

(c) the past participial form, symbolized as -en (been, eaten, locked, gone).

Most of these non-finite verb forms are illustrated in the following passage:

Mother has worked her way through teacher’s college and than taught school for four years before she and Daddy ran away and got married. I was born the next year, and Joe-brother followed a year later. As soon as we were both old enough to be in school, Mother did what she had been waiting for since marriage: she went back to teaching (Donald Davis, Listening for the Crack of Dawn).

All independent clauses are finite, as can be seen in the examples above. Dependent clauses can be either finite or non-finite, as it is in: They locked up the house // before they went on holiday, the finite dependent clause before they went on holiday can be replaced by a non-finite clause before going on holiday.

A subsidiary type is composed of minor clauses (Clm). These are clauses which lack all or part of the Mood element (Subject + Finite) and are therefore 'moodless'. The omitted verb is typically a form of be and is recoverable from the context or the co-text; e.g.

Take travellers' cheques abroad, whenever possible. (= whenever it is possible)

Though rather too rich for some of us, the food was excellent.

(= Though it was rather too rich for some of us).

We shall also classify as minor, 'moodless' clauses many irregular constructions such as the following:

(a) WH-questions without a finite verb: Why not sell your car and get a new one? How about a nice glass of beer? What if the roof leaks while we’re away?

(b) Adjuncts with the force of a command, sometimes with a Subject: Hands off!; Into the shelter, everybody!

(c) Proverbs of the type Out of sight, out of mind.

Finally, we shall call abbreviated clauses, those such as Can you? I won't, has she?; they consist of the tag element alone, with the rest of the clause ellipted because it is known. These clauses typically occur as responses or initiators in conversational exchanges, but may express illocutionary meaning such as reprimand (Must you?), given an appropriate social context