Keep in mind embedded clauses are sometimes called subordinate clauses. Most subordinate clauses begin with “because”, “since”, and “although”, which are called subordinators. For example, a subordinate clause would be found in the sentence: “Ashley left the room because she hated dancing. ” “Because she hated dancing” is the subordinate clause as it adds more detail to the beginning of the sentence, “Ashley left the room”.
The clause are usually a group of words that include a subject and a verb. The embedded clause will then be bracketed by commas in the sentence. Most embedded clauses begin with “who”, “which”, “where”, and “that”. Embedded clauses cannot stand separately from the sentence.
You can use either type in sentences when you are trying to use an embedded clause. However, some sentences may work better if you use the nominal clause and some might work better if you use the relative clause.
For example, you may say, “My phone, which is brand new, is not working. ” The embedded clause in this sentence is “which is brand new”, as it adds more information about the subject of the sentence, “my phone”. You may say, “This house, where I grew up, has changed over the years. ” The embedded clause in this sentence is “where I grew up”, as it provides more information about the subject of the sentence, “this house”. You’ll notice that the embedded clauses “which is brand new” and “where I grew up” are bracketed by commas. They also do not make sense as separate phrases and are only grammatically correct when they are placed in the sentences.
For example, you may say, “The nurse, who was very sweet, gave me a shot. ” The embedded clause in this sentence is “who is very sweet” as it provides more information on the subject of the sentence, “the nurse”.
For example, you may say, “I should have noticed that Mark does not like Mindy. ” The relative clause in the sentence is “that Mark does not like Mindy”. In this case, you are using the embedded clause to provide more information in the sentence and expand on “I should have noticed”.
For example, you may start with a sentence that does not have an embedded clause, such as, “I had a difficult day today. ” You may then expand on the sentence by using a sentence with an embedded clause, such as, “My computer, which is very expensive, is not working properly. ” When you are using embedded clause in academic papers or essays, you should use them to expand on an idea or thought you have introduced earlier. For example, you may have the sentence, “Social norms and rules are a major theme in 19th century British literature. ” You may then expand on the sentence with a sentence with an embedded clause, “Jane Austen, who is one of the more prominent novelist of the time, addresses this theme in many of her works. ”
