1. Building Blocks to Meaning
Clauses
Building Blocks to Meaning

2. Language is the human way of communicating thoughts.
Our thoughts are frequently in a heirarchy of meaning.
When we communicate we arrange our ideas in a relationship where one idea flows into another.

3. Language is the human way of communicating thoughts.
These ideas can be of equal importance or one idea may be secondary, explaining a main thought more completely.

4. The basic unit of a complete thought is the clause.
A clause has a subject and a verb.
There are different kinds of clauses to reflect relationships between clauses.

5. The basic unit of a complete thought is the clause.
Some clauses are used to express a complete thought that is not strongly related to any other clause.
Example: I am going to the store.
This thought is complete in itself and not related to other information.

6. The basic unit of a complete thought is the clause.
Some clauses are used to express a complete thought that is related to another complete thought.
Example: I am going to the store, and I will buy spaghetti.
Both thoughts are complete in themselves but related.

7. The basic unit of a complete thought is the clause.
Some clauses are used to express differing importance between two thoughts.
Example: I am going to the store because I will buy spaghetti.
Both thoughts are complete in themselves but ‘ going to the store ’ is the more important concept.

8. There are special words to link clauses.
Coordinating Conjunctions link clauses of equal importance.
Common coordinating conjunctions include:
and, or, but, yet

9. There are special words to link clauses.
Subordinating Conjunctions link clauses of unequal importance.
Common subordinating conjunctions include:
Linking words of time
After, before etc
Relative pronouns
Who, what, which

10. There are special words to link clauses.
Common subordinating conjunctions include:
Relative adverbs
whose, where (Units in Grammar Book)
Conditional clauses
If (Units )

11. There are special words to link clauses.
We will be looking at:
Linking Words of Time
Unit 27
Relative Pronouns
Unit 137

12. Why I chose these two Units
Students almost ALWAYS confuse tenses in subordinate clauses that use adverbs of time.
Students frequently use ‘ who ’ incorrectly.