A sentence may take the form of a single clause or be formed from
several clauses. The typical clause has a noun phrase for a subject and
a verb phrase for a predicate. The verb phrase may have another
noun phrase or two embedded within it which serves as direct object or
indirect object. Noun phrases and verb phrases can also have
prepositional phrases embedded within them. Adjective phrases and
adverb phrases may also occur within clauses.
Clauses may be finite or non-finite. The main clause of a
sentence (sometimes the only clause) has the finite form (inflected
form) of a verb, so it is a finite clause. If the verb portion of
a clause is not inflected for person, tense, or number, but is instead
an infinitive, participle, or gerund, then it is a non-finite clause.
CJ