clause

/klɔːz/ (bre, ipa) · /klɔːz/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈklȯz/ (ame, mw)

clause — 名詞

  • clausesingular
  • clausesplural

1. A section within a formal written document, such as a contract or a law, that st

1.名詞
釋義

條款

正式文件中的具體規定

A section within a formal written document, such as a contract or a law, that states a specific rule, obligation, or condition that people must follow.

例句

Leila asked her lawyer to explain each clause in the insurance policy before signing.

Leila 請她的律師在她簽署前解釋保單中的每一項條款。

collocation: 'clause in [a policy/contract]'

The employment contract contains a clause that prevents workers from sharing company secrets.

僱傭合約中包含一項禁止員工洩漏公司機密的條款。

structure: 'contains a clause that [verb phrase]'

同義詞
  • provision

    A condition or stipulation within a legal document; slightly broader than clause and often implies something that must be fulfilled

  • article

    A numbered or titled section in a formal legal document, especially in constitutions or treaties

  • term

    A specific condition of an agreement, commonly used in business and commercial contracts

用法筆記

Frequently used with verbs such as 'include,' 'contain,' 'add,' 'breach,' or 'violate.' The subject is typically a document (contract, agreement, law, treaty) and the clause itself names a specific requirement or prohibition.

常見錯誤

❌The company violated a paragraph of the contract.
✅The company violated a clause of the contract.
💡A clause is a specific provision within a legal document, not the same as a paragraph.
❌Sign each clause of the agreement.
✅Sign the agreement, which contains several clauses.
💡You sign the whole document, not individual clauses.

2. In grammar, a set of words built around a verb that has its own subject, forming

2.名詞B2
釋義

子句

包含主詞和動詞的句子組成單位

In grammar, a set of words built around a verb that has its own subject, forming either a complete sentence by itself or a part of a longer sentence.

例句

The teacher showed how a complex sentence joins one main clause to one or more subordinate clauses.

老師示範複雜句如何將一個主要子句與一個或多個從屬子句連接。

main clause + subordinate clause structure

Priya studied each clause in the paragraph to check whether every sentence was complete.

Priya 仔細檢查段落中的每個子句，以確認每個句子在文法上都完整。

用法筆記

Clauses are divided into main (independent) clauses, which can stand alone as a sentence, and subordinate (dependent) clauses, which cannot. A clause is different from a phrase: a phrase lacks a subject-verb structure.

常見錯誤

❌A phrase is the same as a clause.
✅A phrase differs from a clause because a phrase lacks a subject-verb relationship.
💡A clause must contain a subject and a verb; a phrase does not.
❌Every clause can stand alone as a complete sentence.
✅Only main clauses can stand alone; subordinate clauses depend on a main clause.
💡Subordinate clauses cannot function as independent sentences.