Clauses
Clause: a complete message or thought expressed in words. The essential component of a clause is a verb or verb group e.g. She played in the sandpit. Dave was running home.
A main clause (also known as a principal or independent clause) is a clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence or may join with other clauses e.g. I am waiting for you.
A dependent clause (also known as a subordinate clause) is a group of words that cannot usually stand alone as a sentence, e.g. While I was waiting for you…
Sentences
Sentences: a collection of words consisting of either one clause or several clauses that are grammatically linked. A written sentence will begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark.
a simple sentence: consists of a single independent clause, e.g. She ran to the train.
a compound sentence: two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction, e.g. The bell rang and Kim went home.
a complex sentence: an independent (main) clause and one or more dependent (subordinate) clauses linked by a conjunction indicating time, place, manner, reason, condition etc. e.g. When the bell rang, Kim went home.