ATS1340 ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES WORKBOOK 1 ISSUE 2 | Page 16

What are the clauses are in the following sentence:
An important social function undertaken by the Arts is to develop a society’s
self-understanding; therefore, the Arts have a critical role to play in society.
Number them (1) & (2) and identify each clause as either main or subordinate:
(1) ________________________________________
(2) ________________________________________
Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct (√ or X):
Even though the Arts can employ a variety of research methods.
The interpretive method often examines historical texts it was first
introduced in the late Nineteenth century.
The Arts contribute to the social reproduction of society, they assist us in
knowing who we are and where we are going.
Learning points
Understanding the grammar of clauses is important for the following reasons:
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It reduces the risk of including sentence fragments (incomplete sentences) in
your writing.
It reduces the risk of comma splice and/or fused sentence errors.
It encourages greater flexibility in your sentence construction.
It adds to the overall sophistication of your writing’s grammatical accuracy.
Why are clauses so important to enhanced style in academic writing?

Now we know what a clause is, what the two main types of clauses (independent and
dependent) and what subjects and verb are, we can identify different types of sentences,
the object of a sentence, and make the distinction between active and passive voice. Most
importantly, we can relate our new knowledge of sentences to style in academic writing.
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Simple sentences
= one main clause [The family went to the supermarket]
Complex sentences = one main clause + one dependent clause [Since it was shopping day,
the family went to the supermarket.]
Compound sentences = two main clauses [It was Friday and the Family decided to shop.]
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If subjects ‘do’ the verb in a sentence, then objects have the noun done to them. Not all
sentences have objects because not all verbs convey/transmit their action onto or over
something (i.e., an object): “I eat” (1) is quite different from “I eat bread”(2). In (2), the
action of the eating is received by ‘bread’, which is -- therefore -- the object of the verb.
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Actively voiced sentences: the subject heads the main clause and directly does the verb.
“I eat bread”
Passively voiced sentences: the object now heads the main clause.
“Bread was eaten by me.”
VERY important discussion/elaboration of these features is presented on the Slides.
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