Main clause

A clause in a sentence that makes grammatical sense by itself. It might not amount to much, and may be accompanied by a garrulous dependent clause, but it is of full legal age and may enter a public house unaccompanied. Which a dependent clause may not.

“Last night, I shot an elephant in my pajamas.

How an elephant got into my pajamas, I’ll never know.”

—Groucho Marx

In the sentence, “How an elephant got into my pajamas, I’ll never know”, “I’ll never know” is the main clause, and “how an elephant got into my pajamas” is the dependent clause.

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