Page 8 - Modul Academic Writing
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When we write longer sentences with more than one subject or verb, however, we
frequently lose track of these structures. Hence, we have to be well aware of the clauses
we are writing.
Match the following four clause types on the left with the appropriate definition on the
right:
1 main clause a clause joined to another by ‘and’, ‘but’, or ‘or’
2 relative clause b clause that can stand independently
3 co-ordinate clause c clause beginning with ‘who’, ‘which’, etc.
4 subordinate clause d clause that is dependent on another clause
Knowing this terminology is helpful for it allows us to discuss the structure of a text (or
sequence of sentences), which is fundamental in academic writing. It provides a way of
analyzing the formal components of a text – phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs –
even if the content is hard to understand.
The text below is part of an abstract for a talk. Analyze it grammatically into the
categories shown under the box. Tick the categories to show which of them are present
in the six sentences.
Taken from: Grammar for academic writing, Lynch & Anderson. English
Language Teaching Centre University of Edinburgh.
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