Sentence vs Clause
Sentence and Clause are two words that appear to be alike in the sense, but strictly speaking there is a difference between sentence and clause. A sentence is complete in construction and sense. In other words, it contains subject, object and verb as the case may be. A clause, on the other hand, is incomplete in the sense. This is the main difference between sentence and clause. Also, one should always remember though clauses are incomplete in the sense that does not mean that a clause is not important for the English language. A clause plays an important part in the language as well as a sentence.
What is a Sentence?
The definition given by the Oxford English dictionary for sentence is as follows. A sentence is “a set of words that is complete in itself, typically containing a subject and predicate, conveying a statement, question, exclamation, or command, and consisting of a main clause and sometimes one or more subordinate clauses.”
A sentence is of several kinds. Some of them include declarative or assertive sentence, interrogative sentence, exclamatory sentence and imperative sentences.
Francis goes to church every day.
Robert lives in the nearby village.
Both are sentences for that matter since they are complete in the sense. Both the sentences contain a subject, an object (direct or indirect) and a verb. In the first sentence, Francis is the subject, church is the indirect object and goes is the verb. On the other hand, in the second sentence, Robert is the subject, village is the indirect object and lives is the verb. This is all about the construction and the completeness of a sentence. Moreover, a sentence contains an object too.
What is a Clause?
The definition given for a sentence by the Oxford English dictionary is as follow. A clause is “a unit of grammatical organization next below the sentence in rank and in traditional grammar said to consist of a subject and predicate. ”
On the other hand, a clause is incomplete in its construction and also in its sense. In other words, it can be said that a clause forms a part of a sentence. At times, two clauses make a sentence as in the case,
She was tired, but she went to work.
As you know, I work very hard.
In the sentences above, you can see that two clauses make them. The first sentence is made with the joining of two clauses, namely, ‘she was tired’ and ‘she went to work’. The second sentence is made from the joining of the two clauses ‘as you know’ and ‘I work very hard’.
A clause usually contains a subject and a predicate. It does not contain an object.
What is the difference between Sentence and Clause?
• A sentence is complete in construction and sense. In other words, it contains subject, object and verb as the case may be. A clause, on the other hand, is incomplete in the sense. This is the main difference between sentence and clause.
• There are several kinds of sentences such as declarative or assertive sentence, interrogative sentence, exclamatory sentence and imperative sentences.
• It can be said that a clause forms a part of a sentence.
• A clause usually contains a subject and a predicate. It does not contain an object. On the other hand, a sentence contains an object too. This is the main difference between sentence and clause.