MAIN CLAUSE

Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language | 1998 | 344 words | Copyright

MAIN CLAUSE, also principal clause. A CLAUSE in a SENTENCE to which other clauses are subordinated, and which is not itself a subordinate clause. In a simple sentence, the main clause is the entire sentence. In a compound sentence, there is more than one main clause. Complex sentences contain a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses.

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TOM McARTHUR. "MAIN CLAUSE." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

TOM McARTHUR. "MAIN CLAUSE." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-MAINCLAUSE.html

TOM McARTHUR. "MAIN CLAUSE." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-MAINCLAUSE.html

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