SPOCA | Coordinate and Subordinate clauses

GRAMMAR / SPOCA

 Coordinate and Subordinate clauses

1.  . A compound or coordinate clause / sentence is a sentence of two main clauses.
2.  . Main clauses are independent clauses – they stand as complete meaningful sentences made of different parts BUT they are not parts of any other sentence.
3.  . Accordingly, we cannot label them since by labelling we mean giving the form and function of a clause WITHIN a sentence.
4.  . We cannot label them BUT we can bracket them which mean we can delimit them by putting them between square brackets.
5.  . Bracketing shows that we can recognize clauses; recognizing whether a clause is a main clause (ONE independent clause), a coordinate clause (TWO or MORE independent clauses or a subordinate clause (a dependent clause inside a main clause)
6.  . A subordinate functioning within a main clause as: 

 

A) one of its major elements (as S, O, C or A) 

 

B) one major element of a larger subordinate clause.

 ↪Examples (mirroring the six numbered points above)

 1. A compound sentence or a coordinate clause enriches our writing by allowing us to join two or more independent clauses with a coordinator such as for, and, but, or a semi-colon.

 ↪ I'm looking forward to our family reunion; I am meeting my twin-sister. 

 If asked to bracket and label sentences like the above, you simply and only bracket them since they stand by themselves. They are independent clause and consequently have no grammatical function that you can label:

[ [ We are having a family reunion next week ] ; [ I am meeting my twin-sister.] ]  

   ↪ and the SPOCA of this sentences is: SPO(A) ; SPO

📢 If any of the two independent clauses of the above compound / coordinate sentence embedded any subordinate clause(s), their own bracketing will remain the same BUT the subordinate clause(s) within any of them (or in both of them) should be bracketed AND labeled as shown thus:

 [ [ I'm looking forward to our family reunion ] ;  [I am meeting my twin-sister ] [ who is coming home after her honey moon in Majorca. ] ]

  finite wh-relative clause- PM 

  ↪ and the SPOCA of this sentences is: SPO(A) ; SPO 

The relative clause is a Poste-modifier of the O; it is an adjectival clause that comes         after the NP-O and therefore should not show in the general SPOCA pattern. 

       To recapitulate: 

       ⇒A subordinate clause is to be bracketed and labelled (whether it is a element of the main clause or an element of another subordinate clause).

      ⇒ A coordinate clause is to be bracketed ONLY.