Question

PLEASE HELP! Which examples are clauses? Select three options.

Answer 1

whenever I go to the movies

Samir lives on Green Street.

but it’s likely to rain that day

These three are clauses. A clause contains a subject and a predicate (verb). It can be a complete idea or an incomplete idea. The first is a subordinate clause because it begins with the subordinate conjunction "whenever" and contains a subject (I) and verb (go).

The second is an independent clause. It contains a complete idea with the subject Samir and the verb lives.

The third is also a subordinate clause. It begins with the conjunction "but" and contains a subject (It) and a verb (is).

The other options are NOT clauses. The choice "after the end of the school year" does not have a clear subject or verb. It is actually two prepositional phrases "after the end" and "of the school year".  The option "a tornado tearing through town" is also not a clause because it doesn't have a definite subject and verb. This is tricky because "tearing" seems like it could be a verb, but it isn't. It's a participial - a verb that's used as an adjective.  

Answer 2

The three options that are clauses are: "whenever I go to the movies", "but it’s likely to rain that day", and "a tornado tearing through town".

A clause is a group of words that contain a subject and a predicate AND is part of a complex or compund sentence.

"Whenever I go to the movies" and "a tornado tearing through town" are dependent clauses and are part of a complex sentence.

"But it's likely to rain that day" is also a clause because it has a subject and a predicate and "but" is a conjunction that signals the clause is part of a compound sentence. This clause is an independent one.