A Sentence is a grammatical unit that expresses a complete thought or idea. It typically consists of one or more clauses, which are groups of words that contain a subject and a predicate. Clauses play an important role in determining the structure and meaning of a sentence.

There are two main types of clauses: independent clauses and dependent clauses.

 Independent Clauses: 

An independent clause, also known as a main clause, can stand alone as a complete sentence. It expresses a complete thought and contains both a subject and a predicate.

Example: "Sheila enjoys hiking." In this sentence, "Sheila" is the subject, and "enjoys hiking" is the predicate.

Dependent Clauses: 

A dependent clause, also called a subordinate clause, cannot stand alone as a sentence because it does not express a complete thought. It relies on an independent clause to form a complete sentence.

Dependent clauses can function as adverbial, adjectival, or nominal clauses. 

Adverbial Clauses: 

Adverbial clauses modify or provide additional information about the verb in the independent clause. They indicate time, place, reason, condition, purpose, or concession.

Example: "After she finished her work, she went for a walk." The dependent clause "After she finished her work" provides information about the time when the main action happened. 


Adjectival Clauses: 

Adjectival clauses, also known as relative clauses, provide more information about a noun or pronoun in the independent clause. They usually begin with relative pronouns (e.g., who, which, that).

Example: "The book that I borrowed from the library was excellent." The dependent clause "that I borrowed from the library" describes the book and provides additional information.

Nominal Clauses: 

Nominal clauses function as nouns within a sentence. They can act as subjects, objects, or complements.

Example: "What she said surprised me." The dependent clause "What she said" acts as the subject of the sentence.


In complex sentences, independent and dependent clauses are combined to convey more complex thoughts and relationships. The dependent clause adds extra information or context to the independent clause. 

Example of a complex sentence: "Although she was tired, she continued working on her project." Here, the independent clause is "she continued working on her project," and the dependent clause is "Although she was tired." The dependent clause adds a contrasting condition or circumstance.

 

It's important to note that sentence structures can vary significantly across languages and writing styles. The information provided here represents a general overview of sentence and clause types in English.