Theme: Structure.

Week: ONE.
Date: ……… May, 2023..
Class: SS 2 …... Period: …..
Time: …………………………….
Duration: …………………….
Subject: English Language
Unit topic: Structure.
Lesson topic: Introduction to Clauses.
Specific (behavioural) objectives: At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
● define a clause,
● state the features of clauses,
● mention the two types of clauses we have and cite examples of each,
● differentiate between a clause and a phrase.

Instructional resources: a flex banner showing the types and examples of clauses.

LESSON PRESENTATION
Step 1:IDENTIFICATION OF PRIOR IDEAS.

Teacher asks students on what they understand about the day’s lesson topic.
Mode: a couple of students.
Teacher’s activities: teacher asks students the following questions:
● What is a clause?
● Differentiate between a clause and a phrase.
● How many types of clauses do we have? Mention them.
● Cite some examples of clauses.
Students’ activities: students respond to the questions asked based on their knowledge of the
topic.

Step 2:EXPLORATION.
Mode: entire class.
Teacher’s activities: teacher guides the students to define a clause and a phrase:
What is a clause?

A clause is a group of related words that has both a subject and a predicate (verb). In other
words, a clause is made up of a finite verb. Every complete sentence is made up of at least a
clause. E.g. He came.

What is a phrase?
A phrase is a group of related words that does not contain a subject and predicate (verb). Put in
another word, a phrase doesn’t have a finite verb. In other words, a phrase is made up of a
non-finite verb, for example, on the table.
What is a finite verb and none-finite verb?
A finite verb is a verb which has a subject and shows tense, person and number. If there is just
one verb in a sentence, it is finite. In other words, a finite verb can stand by itself n a sentence.
Sometimes, finite verbs are called tensed verbs. For example,
● I go/went. (1st person, singular, present/past tense).
● He/she/it goes/went. (3rd person, singular, present/past tense).
● We/they/you go/went. (1st person plural, 2nd person, singular/plural, 3rd person, plural
present/past tense.

Other examples:
● He painted the fence.
● He varnished the painted fence.
● You promised me the last ticket.
● I ate his food.
● A boy’s best friend is his mother.
● How do you identify a finite verb?
Here are some of the things to look out for when trying to identify a finite verb:

Nearly all finite verbs take an –s to indicate present tense when the subject of the verbs 3rd
person singular. For example, cough: he coughs, celebrate: she celebrates. The exceptions to
this rule are auxiliary verbs like can and must.

Most finite verbs can take and-ed or a –d at the end of the word to indicate time in the past. For
example, cough: he coughed, celebrate: she celebrated.

Finite verbs usually follow their subjects. For example; she cooked the food, they built the
house, he painted the house.

Finite verbs surround their subjects when some forms of a question are asked. For example, is
he coughing, did they celebrate?

Finite verbs are often group of words that include such auxiliary verbs as can, must, have and
be. For example; he must eat, they would have gone.

A non-finite verb
A non-finite verb (also known as verbal) is the term used to describe a verb that doesn’t show
tense. There are three types of non-finite verbs: gerund, infinitives and participles.

What are gerunds? A gerund is a noun formed from a verb. All gerunds end in –ing. For
example, swimming, running, drinking. Even though gerund s a noun, it can take object like a
verb: running a mile, drinking a beer.

More examples of gerund:

● Acting is funny. (Gerund as the subject of a sentence.
 ● Playing football is fun. (Here, football is the gerund complement of the gerund playing).
● Acting is merely the act of keeping a large group of people from coughing. (Sir. Raph
Richardson, 1902-1983). (acting is gerund as a subject, keeping and coughing are
objects of prepositions).
● I love acting. (acting is the object of the verb love).

What are infinitives? An infinitive is a non-finite verb. In other words, it cannot be the main verb
in a sentence. An infinitive can be used as a noun, an adjective or an adverb.
Infinitive as a noun:
● To dance was a passion. (the infinitive is the subject of the verb was). Compare: dancing
was her passion.
● He likes to hunt. (Infinitive as direct of the verb likes). Compare: he likes hunting.

Infinitives as adjectives
I need a volunteer to take the minutes. (the infinitive qualifies the volunteer that means it is
functioning as an adjective). Compare: I need a volunteer who is prepared to take the minutes.
● Give him an ornament to polish.(the infinitive qualifies ornament, meaning, it acts like an
adjective). Compare: give him an ornament that he can polish.

Infinitives as adverbs
● The officer returned to help. (the infinitive modifies the verb returned, hence; it functions
as xxx?returned so he could help (clause).
● He will complete the mission to set an example. (the infinitive modifies the verb will
complement). Compare: he will complete the mission so he could set an example.
(Clause).
● Note: infinitive can be used without to (bare infinitive). For examples: I watched them
bake the bread. (the main verb is watched, while bake is infinitive), Mark helped his
friend finish. (the main verb is helped, while finish bake is infinitive),

What are participles?

Participles are words formed from verbs which can be used as an adjective. Participles can be
divided into two:
● Present participle (ending in-ing).
● Past participle (endng in –ed, -d, -t, -en, or –n).
● Examples of present participle are
● A laughing man is stronger than a suffering man (Gustave Flaubert, 1821-1880).
● The only thing that comes to a sleeping man is dreams. (Tupac Shakur).
Note: Present participles are also used to form verb tenses (I went, was going, I had gone, I
had been going, etc.).
Examples of past participle are
● Having heard the news, he quickly sold his plot of land.
● Having been promised of a steak dinner, she looked less than impressed with her Happy
Meal.
Class activity One
Underline the non-finite verbs in the following sentences:
● I hate camping. (Camping-gerund).
● I want to go there. (To go-infinitive verb).
● We ate our roasted meat. (Roasted - past participle).
● Arriving late, I saw the other kids and the seemed to be excited. (Arriving-gerund, to be-
infinitive verb, excited-past participle).
● I started screaming at my parents for trying to send me to camp. (Screaming and trying-
gerund, to send-infinitive verb).
Underline the finite verbs in the following sentences:
● He drinks tea.
● We swam in the pool for two hours.
● He went to the market at 9 p.m.
● Emmanuella go to school by Lexus Jeep every day.
● She goes for morning walk daily.
Students’ activities: the students listen, repeat after teacher loudly and carryout the class
activity.

Step 3: DISCUSSION.
Mode: entire class.
Teacher’s activities: The teacher gives opportunity to students to state the two types of clauses
with examples, and differentiate between a clause and a phrase.

What are the two types of a clause?

There are two major types of clauses. These include main or independent clause and
subordinate or dependent clause.
Main or independent clause: this is the type of a clause that makes a complete thought and can
stand as a sentence. Examples:
● I met the boy who had helped me.
● She is wearing a shirt which looks nice.
● The teacher asked a question but no one answered.
● He greeted the woman who came to see me.
In the above sentences, each underlined part shows the main clause. It expresses a complete
thought and so can stand as a sentence. This is why a clause is normally referred to as a simple
sentence.
Subordinate or dependent clause: this is the type of a clause that does express a complete
thought and therefore depends on a main clause to express a complete idea. This type of a
clause cannot stand as a sentence. Examples:
● He likes Chinese rice which tastes good.
● He takes medicine because he suffers from fever.
● I met the boy that had helped me.
In the above sentences, each underlined part shows subordinate clause. It expresses
incomplete thought and hence depends on main clause.
Differences between a clause and a phrase:the underlined part of each of the following
sentences shows a phrase while the rest part (non-underlined) of each sentence shows a
clause:
He reached schoolin time.I was standing near a wall.They are singing in a loud office.I will meet
him in my office.You look beautiful in this picture.

Students’ activities: the students state the types of clauses explain them with examples and
differentiate between a clause and a phrase.

Step 4: APPLICATION.
Mode: entire class.
Teacher’s activities: the teacher engages the students in a class activity by taking them through
the exercise below:

Class activity
In the following sentences, indicate the main clause and the subordinate clause or clauses:
● James spoke as though he was a born orator.
● They felt that the farmer must be commended.
● When at last he returned to the village, the told him his father had died.
● The few books that were produced in the Middle Ages were written by hands.
● When the world was young, artists drew their pictures on stones.

Students’ activities: students carry out the class activity in their note books.

Step 5: EVALUATION.
Mode: a couple of students.
Teacher’s activities: the teacher asks students the following questions:
● What is a clause? What is a phrase?
● Mention the two types of clauses.
● Mention the differences between a clause and a phrase.
● Differentiate between a main and subordinate clauses.
Students’ activities: the students respond to the questions asked.

ASSIGNMENT: students are to list ten sentences containing the main and subordinate clauses.

REFERENCE MATERIALS.
F Ademola-Adeoye ettal(2012). New Concept English for Senior Secondary Schools, Book 2,
Learn Africa Plc, Lagos.
TeachingBanyan.com