What does clause mean?
Word: Clause
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Clause means a group of words with its own subject and verb that forms part of a sentence. It can also mean a separate section of a legal document or agreement.
Synonyms: section, condition
Sounds like: claws (the sharp curved nails on an animal's feet)
How do you spell clause?
Syllables: clause
Tricky part: The 'aw' sound is spelt au, and the word ends in -se. It sounds exactly like claws, which is a different word.
Watch out for: clauze, clawse, cluase
Memory tip: Put an l into cause and you get clause: c-l-ause.
Clause in a sentence
Example 1: In 'I stayed home because it rained', the words because it rained form a clause.
Example 2: The rental agreement has a clause about late payment.
Example 3: Our teacher asked us to join two clauses with and or but.
Fun Fact
Santa Claus is not spelt like clause. His name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, meaning Saint Nicholas.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. clause 2. sentance 3. punctuasion 4. paragraf
a) marks such as commas and full stops used in writing
b) a section of writing that deals with one idea
c) a group of words with its own subject and verb, forming part of a sentence
d) a group of words that expresses a complete thought
Show answer
c) a group of words with its own subject and verb, forming part of a sentence. Sentence ends in -ence, paragraph ends in -ph and punctuation in -tion; clause is the word spelt correctly.
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to clause as used in the sentence:
The club's rule book has a clause that lets each member bring one guest a month.
a) signature
b) provision
c) payment
d) uniform
Show answer
b) provision. A clause in a rule book is a provision, one of its separate rules; a signature, a payment and a uniform are not parts of the text.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Underline the main suacle in each of the five sentences.
a) claws
b) cause
c) sauce
d) clause
Show answer
d) clause. The six letters are c, l, a, u, s and e: sauce and cause have no l, and claws has a w.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
In Kabir's essay on the village fair, the teacher circled one long sentence and suggested turning each clause into a seperate, shorter sentence.
a) clause
b) essay
c) seperate
d) shorter
Show answer
c) seperate. Separate has an a after the p: sep-a-rate. Clause, essay and shorter are all spelt correctly.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. 'The contract has a clause about delivery dates.' Here clause means ____.
a) a list of names inside it
b) a separate rule or section in it
c) the signature at the end of it
d) a short title at the top of it
Show answer
b) a separate rule or section in it
2. Pick out the clause:
a) when the bell rang
b) under the table
c) a red kite
d) very quickly
Show answer
a) when the bell rang
