Question

Choose one paragraph from the novel that uses a variety of clauses and phrases. Identify and label at least three different kinds of clauses and phrases in the paragraph.

To kill a mocking bird

Answer 1

• Examples of clauses in this paragraph:

1) When he was nearly thirteen - dependent (adverbial) clause

2) Jem’s fears of never being able to play football - dependent (noun) clause

3) His left arm was somewhat shorter than his right - main clause

• Examples of phrases:

1) my brother Jem - noun phrase

2) about his injury - prepositional phrase

3) couldn't have cared less - verb phrase

Step-by-step explanation:

This paragraph is from the very beginning of the novel:

When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. When it healed, and Jem’s fears of never being able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury. His left arm was somewhat shorter than his right; when he stood or walked, the back of his hand was at right angles to his body, his thumb parallel to his thigh. He couldn’t have cared less, so long as he could pass and punt.

It is also important to note the difference between dependent clauses and main clauses. Dependent clauses do not express a complete thought, and they cannot stand on their own as a sentence (or if they do, it makes no sense). There are different types of dependent clauses - relative (adjectival), adverbial, and noun clauses. When it comes to main clauses, they convey a complete idea.