clause

            What is a clause?

& a group of words that includes a subject and a verb, and forms a sentence or part of a sentence

ក្រុមពាក្យដែលមានប្រធានមួយ និងកិរិយាសព្ទមួយ ហើយបង្កើតបានជាល្បះមួយ ឬផ្នែកមួយនៃល្បះ។

( Oxford University Press, 2010:Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 8th edition)

A clause can be   ៖

·         a main clause  ឃ្លាច្បង

·         a dependent clause or (subordinate clause) ឃ្លារណប

Ex: She comes to class regularly because she enjoys it very much.

                      main clause                            subordinate clause

         

          When he returns, he will tell you what you want to know.

                                               

subordinate clause              main clause

                                                         

v  Note:

  A main clause can stand alone, but a dependent clause can’t ​because it doesn’t have a complete meaning.

ឃ្លាច្បងអាចឈតែឯងបាន ប៉ុន្ដែឃ្លារណប មិនអាចទេព្រោះវាគ្មានន័យគ្រប់គ្រាន់។

We can say ‘ She comes to class regularly’. It has a complete meaning.

យើងអាចនិយាយ​ ‘នាងមករៀនទៀងទាត់’។ វាមានន័យពេញលេញ។
But we can’t say ‘because she enjoys it very much’​​ because it doesn’t make sense on its own.

ប៉ុន្តែយើងមិនអាចនិយាយថា ‘ពីព្រោះនាងពេញចិត្តវាណាស់’ ពីព្រោះវាគ្មានន័យគ្រប់គ្រាន់ ។

A subordinate clause can stand in front of or after the main clause. But notice that when the subordinate clause stands before the main clause, there is a comma after it.

ពេលឃ្លារណបអាចឈនៅមុខ ឬខាងក្រោយឃ្លាច្បង ប៉ុន្ដែពេលឃ្លារណបនៅមុខឃ្លាច្បង ត្រូវមាន សញ្ញាក្បៀសបន្ទាប់ពីឃ្លារណបនោះ (comma = , )  ។

• After she got her master degree, she decided to teach at universities. 

(after she got her master degree=dependent clause) 

• She decided to teach at universities after she got her master degree.