main clause

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noun Grammar.

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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also called in·de·pend·ent clause .

Compare subordinate clause.

Words nearby main clause

main, Mainbocher, main body, main brace, main chance, main clause, main course, main deck, main diagonal, main drag, Maine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use main clause in a sentence

On this roll, the subordinate clauses are attributes of one of the elements of the main clause (relative clauses).
Montessori Elementary Materials|Maria Montessori
Do not attach to a main clause by means of and, a word, phrase, or clause which you intend shall be subordinate.
The Century Handbook of Writing|Garland Greever
Rescue this main idea, express it in the main clause, and if possible subordinate the rest of the sentence to it.
The Century Handbook of Writing|Garland Greever
An adverbial clause which precedes a main clause is usually set off by a comma.
The Century Handbook of Writing|Garland Greever

They have, therefore, a logical dependence on the main clause.
Montessori Elementary Materials|Maria Montessori

British Dictionary definitions for main clause

main clause

noun

grammar a clause that can stand alone as a sentenceCompare 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