What is an embedded clause?

Understand and use embedded clauses with confidence with our plain-English parents' guide,
including examples and details of how this aspect of sentence construction is taught in Key Stage
2 grammar.

What is an embedded clause?

An embedded clause is a clause used in the middle of another clause.

In other words, an embedded clause is a clause (a group of words that includes a subject and a
verb) that is within a main clause, usually marked by commas.
Information related to the sentence topic is put into the middle of the sentence to give
the reader more information and enhance the sentence.

Commas are usually (but not always) used to separate the clause that has been embedded
from the main clause.

If you removed the embedded clause the main clause would stand alone as a complete
sentence. However the embedded clause is reliant on the main clause so it does not make
sense on its own (it's a subordinate clause).
For example:

The coat, which was old, had a hole in the pocket.

The main clause makes sense on its own: The coat had a hole in the pocket.
The embedded clause doesn't make sense on its own: which was old
The embedded clause has to be supported and explained by the main clause in order to make
sense.
An embedded clause usually begins using the words which, who or where and relates to
the noun or pronoun in the main clause.

When are embedded clauses taught in primary school?

In Year 2 children will be taught to use the term ‘clause’.

By Year 3 and 4 children are expected to begin extending the range of their sentences by
using more than one clause in their writing. It is most likely that teachers will introduce the
idea of an embedded clause to add information into children’s writing at this stage.
In Year 5 and 6 children should be confidently using a range of sentence types with more than
one clause in their writing.

How will embedded clauses be taught in the classroom?

The national curriculum, which was revised in 2014, states that children should be explicitly
taught grammatical terminology. Therefore, teachers will introduce the concept using the terms
‘clause’ and ‘embedded clause’.
 The children will be shown examples and the teacher will model how to write and use
embedded clauses correctly to the whole class or small groups.
The children may be given grammar activities to complete independently or in small groups
such as:

 Identifying and highlighting examples of embedded clauses in a text or sentence.

 Adding given embedded clauses to simple sentences.
 Adding their own embedded clauses to simple sentences.
 Chopping up and manipulating sentences written on pieces of card.
 Writing their own embedded clauses when completing pieces of extended writing.
 Identifying or adding embedded clauses when editing their own pieces of extended
writing.
Use embedded clauses correctly by:
1. Using commas to embed a clause in a sentence.
2. Adding information that links with the topic of the sentence.
3. Start the clause with which, who or where.
How to Use an Embedded
Clause
An embedded clause is often used in a sentence to create a level of
sophistication and detail. Using an embedded clause in your writing or in
your daily speech can help to improve your level of English and give your
language more variety. You should first recognize the purpose of an
embedded clause before you apply them to your writing and your speech.

Part 1
Recognizing the Purpose of an Embedded Clause
1.

1
Recognize the difference between a root clause and an embedded
clause. The root clause in a sentence is also known as the main clause, as it forms
the main section of the sentence. The embedded clause is then insert inside the
main clause to expand on it. The root or main clause will contain the embedded
clause.[1]

 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”.
2.

2
Learn the primary function of an embedded clause. An embedded clause is a
clause used in the middle of a sentence, or in the root clause. The embedded clause
should give the reader more information and enhance the overall meaning of the
sentence. Using embedded clauses will help to create more detail to your sentences
and raise your writing to a higher level.[2]

 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.

3
Note the two types of embedded clauses. There are two types of
embedded clauses: nominal clauses and relative clauses. Nominal
clauses use “that” or “for” to create the embedded clause. Relative
clauses use “who”, “which”, and “where” to create the embedded
clause.[3]
 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.
Using Embedded Clauses
1.

1
Use “which” or “where” to create an embedded clause. You will use “which”
in an embedded clause when you are referring to an inanimate object, such as an
item you own. You will use “where” when you are referring to a location or place,
such as the house where you were born or your current address. [4]

 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.

2
Form an embedded clause with “who”. You will use “who” in an
embedded clause when you are discussing a person, such as a friend,
partner, or acquaintance.[5]
 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”.
 Make a relative clause using “that”. You can also use “that” to
create a relative clause, a type of embedded clause. This will allow you
to provide more information in a sentence with the use of “that”.[6]
  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”.


4
Use a variety of embedded clauses in your writing and speech. To
effectively deploy embedded clauses in your writing, you should try to vary
which ones you use and how you use them. Sprinkle them throughout a
section of writing to add more detail, but avoid using them in every sentence
or in two sentences in a row. Often, embedded clauses are more effective
when they appear sporadically.[7]
 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.”
What Is Embedding in Grammar?
When Sentences Include One Clause in Another
By 

Richard Nordquist

Updated November 04, 2019

In generative grammar, embedding is the process by which

one clause is included (embedded) in another. This is also
known as nesting. More broadly, embedding refers to the
inclusion of any linguistic unit as part of another unit of the
same general type. Another major type of embedding in English
grammar is subordination.

Examples and Observations

Clauses that stand on their own are known as root,  matrix,

or main clauses. However, in some sentences, there can be
multiple clauses. The following sentences contain two
clauses each:

 Wanda said that Lydia sang.

In this sentence, you have the root clause: [Wanda said that
Lydia sang], which has the secondary clause [that Lydia
sang] embedded inside it.  

 Arthur wants Amanda to vote.

In this sentence, the clause [Amanda to vote], which has

the subject Amanda and the predicate phrase [to vote], is
embedded within the main clause [Arthur wants Amanda to
vote].
Both examples of clauses within clauses are embedded
clauses.

The following examples illustrate three types of embedded

clauses. Note that the embedded clauses are in boldface and
that each matrix clause is also a main clause. You'll also see
that the embedded clauses are marked in some way. For
example, by the initial who, that, or when:

 Relative clause: The boy who came is his

cousin. (who  came)
 Noun clause: I told him that I would go. (that  I would go
 Adverb clause: He left when the bell rang. (when  the
bell rang)

Good Embedding vs. Bad Embedding

One way for a writer or speaker to expand a sentence is

through the use of embedding. When two clauses share a
common category, one can often be embedded in the other.
For example:

 Norman brought the pastry. My sister had forgotten it.

becomes

 Norman brought the pastry my sister had forgotten.

So far, so good. Right? Problems tend to arise when people go

overboard. Adding extensive embedding that includes a host of
optional categories can sink your sentence:

 Norman brought the pastry Mrs. Philbin baked yesterday

for her Uncle Mortimer who, it turned out, was allergic to
walnuts so my sister was going to take it off her hands
but she forgot to pick it up and bring it.
Rather than jamming everything into a single sentence, a good
writer would likely express these propositions in two or more
sentences:

 Mrs. Philbin baked pastry for her Uncle Mortimer

yesterday but it turned out he was allergic to walnuts. My
sister was going to take it off her hands but she forgot to
pick it up, so Norman brought it.

Of course, some very famous writers use this very type of

"sentence overload" as a literary construct that's intrinsic to
their personal writing style. William Faulkner set a world
record with a single sentence that contained a total of 1,288
words and so many clauses, it might take all day to count
them. Other notable writers who were masters of excess
include F. Scott Fitzgerald, Virginia Woolf, Samuel Becket,
and Gabriel García Márquez. Here's a fine example from
"Rabbit Run" by John Updike:

"But then they were married (she felt awful about being
pregnant before but Harry had been talking about marriage for
a while and anyway laughed when she told him in early
February about missing her period and said Great she was
terribly frightened and he said Great and lifted her put his arms
around under her bottom and lifted her like you would a child
he could be so wonderful when you didn’t expect it in a way it
seemed important that you didn’t expect it there was so much
nice in him she couldn’t explain to anybody she had been so
frightened about being pregnant and he made her be proud)
they were married after her missing her second period in
March and she was still little clumsy dark-complected Janice
Springer and her husband was a conceited lunk who wasn’t
good for anything in the world Daddy said and the feeling of
being alone would melt a little with a little drink."