main clause
Americannoun
noun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A main clause contains a subject and a predicate and can stand alone as a sentence.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021
Like a main clause, a subordinate clause has a subject and verb; however, unlike a main clause, it cannot stand alone as a sentence.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021
The main clause expresses the main idea of the sentence, and the subordinate clause expresses the less important idea.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021
Inserting "we find" or "we see" into the main clause to avoid a dangler can make the sentence stuffy and self-conscious.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 15, 2014
Inserting we find or we see into the main clause to avoid a dangler can make the sentence stuffy and self-conscious.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
