main clause
noun
,
Grammar
1.
a clause that can stand alone as a sentence, containing a subject and a predicate with a finite verb, as
I was there
in the sentence
I was there when he arrived.
Also called
independent clause
.
Compare
subordinate clause
.
Examples from the web for
main clause
The objection is that the interposed phrase or clause needlessly interrupts the natural order of the
main clause
.
Do not use a semicolon between a clause and a phrase, or a
main clause
and a subordinate clause.
Use commas to set off a nonrestrictive dependent clause that follows a
main clause
or falls within the
main clause
.
The colon is placed between two clauses when the first
main clause
introduces an explanation or description.
Their use is for sudden breaks in thought that change the sentence structure or amplify and expand a phrase in the
main clause
.
It is used to join a dependent clause to a
main clause
.
British Dictionary definitions for
main clause
main clause
noun
1.
(
grammar
) a clause that can stand alone as a sentence
Compare
subordinate clause