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Showing results for main clause. Search instead for main claims.

main clause

American  

noun

Grammar.
  1. a clause that can stand alone as a sentence, containing a subject and a predicate with a finite verb, as I was there in the sentence I was there when he arrived.


main clause British  

noun

  1. grammar a clause that can stand alone as a sentence Compare subordinate clause

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

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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

A main clause contains a subject and a predicate and can 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

Most commonly it ends up there when it introduces an explanation that has been preposed in front of a main clause, as in: "Because you're mine, I walk the line."

From The Guardian ● Aug. 15, 2014

Most commonly it ends up there when it introduces an explanation that has been preposed in front of a main clause, as in Because you’re mine, I walk the line.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

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