Clause Confusion

It's been a while since I taught clauses to my students, beyond dependent and independent clauses. The section in our book on the subject was not clear at all, and I felt like I needed to brush up on the topic myself anyway, so I started researching from different sources. Wow. I ended up completely confused. Not only does it seem there is no consensus on the major categories, but they are often called by different names.

So, I sifted through all the resources I could find, and after one big headache, boiled it down what I think is the latest and greatest thinking on the subject, and included the categories that made the most sense for students: Independent, Dependent, Relative, Nonrestrictive, and Restrictive. Although I looked at a plethora of sources, the one that most informed my choices was from the online library at the University of Phoenix.

This power point is a great starting point for clearing up clause confusion. It has explanations and clear examples. I used it in my classroom this quarter, and the test scores on the subject confirmed that it helped. I hope you will find it helpful, also.

Ho, ho, ho!