Clauses & Questions

41 guides, tagged by CEFR level.

• 'Because' clauses A1 Use 'because' to connect a result with its reason. It explains why something happens or why someone does an action.
• Advanced participle clauses C1 Participle clauses provide a concise way to express reasons, conditions, or simultaneous actions by replacing full adverbial or relative clauses. This guide covers negative forms, conditional usage, and absolute constructions where the participle has its own subject.
• Advanced relative clauses C1 Advanced relative clauses use quantifiers and prepositions before relative pronouns to provide specific information about a subset of a group. These structures are primarily found in formal writing and academic contexts.
• Alternatives to 'if' B2 This guide explores conditional conjunctions used to replace 'if' to add precision, emphasis, or specific conditions to a sentence.
• As if / As though B2 Use 'as if' and 'as though' to describe how a situation appears or to make comparisons with hypothetical scenarios.
• Basic word order A1 Standard English sentences follow a strict Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order. Adverbs of manner and place typically follow the object to complete the clause.
• Both...and B1 The correlative conjunction 'both...and' is used to emphasize that two items, people, or qualities are included together. It connects two grammatically equal parts of a sentence.
• By the time B2 The conjunction 'by the time' is used to indicate that one event happens at or before the moment another event occurs. It typically requires specific tense pairings to show the sequence of events.
• Cleft sentences (advanced) C1 Cleft sentences restructure a clause to emphasize a specific piece of information by using a dummy subject and a relative clause. They are essential for managing information flow and contrast in formal and academic English.
• Cleft sentences for emphasis B2 Cleft sentences divide a single clause into two parts to focus on specific information. They are primarily used to highlight a subject, object, or adverbial phrase for emphasis or contrast.
• Closed questions (Yes/No) A1 Closed questions are used to ask for a simple 'yes' or 'no' response. They are formed by placing the auxiliary or modal verb before the subject.
• Concessive clauses (reduced) C1 Reduced concessive clauses use conjunctions like 'although' or 'while' followed by an adjective or participle phrase to create concise contrast. They are common in formal writing and require the subject of both clauses to be identical.
• Correlative conjunctions B2 Correlative conjunctions are pairs of words that work together to connect two balanced parts of a sentence. They emphasize the relationship between two choices, additions, or exclusions.
• Defining Relative Clauses B1 Defining relative clauses provide essential information about a person, thing, or place. Without this information, the sentence would be incomplete or the meaning would change.
• Despite / In spite of / Although B1 These connectors show contrast between two ideas. They explain that something happened even though there was a reason for it not to happen.
• First conditional A2 The first conditional describes a likely or possible future situation and its result. It connects a specific condition to a probable consequence.
• Free (Nominal) Relative Clauses C1 Free relative clauses, also known as nominal relative clauses, function as noun phrases and contain their own antecedent within the relative pronoun. They are commonly used for emphasis or to define specific requirements and preferences.
• Indirect/Embedded questions B1 Indirect questions are questions placed inside another sentence or question to sound more polite or formal. They use statement word order instead of question word order.
• Inversion with adverbials C1 Inversion with restrictive adverbials shifts the auxiliary verb before the subject to emphasize limitation or rarity. This structure is primarily used in formal writing and sophisticated oratory to create a dramatic effect.
• Mixed Conditionals B2 Mixed conditionals combine different time frames, usually linking a past action to a present result or a permanent state to a past event. They allow speakers to express how hypothetical changes in one time period would affect another.
• No matter + wh- clauses B2 The structure 'no matter' followed by a wh- clause expresses that a condition or circumstance does not change the final result. It functions as a concessive connector, similar in meaning to 'regardless of'.
• Non-defining Relative Clauses B1 Non-defining relative clauses provide extra, non-essential information about a person, thing, or place. They are always separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.
• Noun clauses B2 Noun clauses are dependent clauses that function as nouns within a sentence, acting as subjects, objects, or complements.
• Open questions (Wh-) A1 Open questions use question words to ask for specific information rather than a simple yes or no answer. They typically begin with words like what, where, when, who, why, and how.
• Participle clauses B2 Participle clauses provide a concise way to give extra information about a noun or action in a sentence. They are typically used in formal writing to express time, reason, or result.
• Passive voice clauses for focus C1 Passive participle clauses function as adverbial modifiers to provide background information or establish a cause-effect relationship while maintaining focus on the main subject. These structures are common in formal writing and literature to achieve concision and stylistic variety.
• Question tags (advanced) B1 Question tags are short questions added to the end of statements to confirm information or seek agreement. Advanced forms include tags for imperatives, indefinite pronouns, and irregular subjects like 'I am'.
• Reason, result and purpose B1 Clauses of reason, result, and purpose explain why something happens, the effect of an action, or the intention behind it. These structures use specific conjunctions and infinitives to connect ideas logically.
• Relative clauses with 'whose' B2 The relative pronoun 'whose' indicates possession or a close relationship between a person or thing and a following noun. It functions as the possessive form of 'who' and 'which' in both defining and non-defining relative clauses.
• Relative clauses with prepositions B2 Relative clauses with prepositions describe a noun by linking it to a verb or adjective that requires a specific preposition. These clauses can be structured formally with the preposition before the relative pronoun or informally with the preposition at the end.
• Reported questions and commands B2 Reported speech for questions, commands, and requests involves shifting tenses and changing sentence structure to describe what someone else asked or ordered. It requires using reporting verbs like 'ask', 'tell', or 'order' followed by specific clause patterns.
• Reported Speech (statements) B1 Reported speech is used to communicate what someone else said without using their exact words. It typically involves shifting tenses backward and changing pronouns to reflect the new perspective.
• Second conditional B1 The second conditional describes hypothetical or imaginary situations in the present or future. It expresses events that are unlikely to happen or are contrary to current facts.
• Since (time) vs Since (reason) B1 The word 'since' functions as a temporal marker to indicate a starting point in time or as a subordinating conjunction to introduce a reason.
• So...that vs Such...that B1 Use 'so' and 'such' to add emphasis to a quality or characteristic that leads to a specific result. These structures connect a cause to an effect using a 'that' clause.
• Subject/object questions A2 Subject and object questions differ in whether the question word refers to the person performing the action or the person receiving it. Subject questions do not use auxiliary verbs like 'do' or 'does'.
• Third conditional B1 The third conditional describes hypothetical situations in the past and their imagined results. It is used to express regrets or to discuss how things could have been different.
• Time clauses (when/while) A2 Time clauses with when and while connect two events to show their relationship in time. They indicate whether actions happen at the same time or one after another.
• Whether vs If B1 Whether and if are used to introduce indirect questions or choices between two possibilities. While often interchangeable, whether is preferred in formal contexts and specific grammatical structures.
• Wish / If only B2 Expressions used to express regret about a current situation or a desire for a different past outcome. They indicate that the speaker wants reality to be different from what it actually is.
• Zero conditional A2 The zero conditional describes general truths, scientific facts, and habits that always happen under specific conditions. It uses the present simple in both parts of the sentence.