As the name suggests, comment clauses make comment about another clause. They’re parenthetical disjuncts, which means they’re adverb clauses included parenthetically (or loosely connected) in a sentence, occurring at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a sentence. They’re often short. They often come across as cliched. They’re often used in speech. And they can be dropped without affecting the meaning of the sentence. Examples:
Bear in mind, the new policy will affect all employees.
She accepted the offer, I’m told, without hesitation.
The new treatment is significantly more effective than the previous one, as the evidence shows.
More resources on comment clause:
- Test yourself with exercises on comment clause
Comment clauses can be finite or non-finite. Here are six types of them:
1. Independent clause look-alike as comment clause
They look like an independent clause: They’re not introduced by a subordinating conjunction, and they contain a subject and a finite verb. But they’re not an independent clause because they lack an essential complement. The first comment clause below I suspect, for example, sounds incomplete: I suspect what? With a complement though, say favoritism, it’ll be an independent clause: I suspect favoritism. But you can’t use an independent clause as a comment clause. Try doing it. It’ll make the sentence weird.
These comment clauses are used in few situations:
A. To hedge the truth in rest of the sentence
The outcome, I suspect, will be favorable.
He answered the question confidently, I believe.
The new marketing strategy is working well, I think.
B. To express certainty
The decision, I admit, was riskier than anticipated but it paid off.
The restaurant’s service, I must say, was impeccable and exceeded our expectations.
The book, the librarian assured me, has been checked out frequently.
C. To show speaker’s emotions
I’m sorry to say, the proposal has been rejected, despite our best efforts.
The project did not meet our expectations, I’m disappointed to say.
The solution was not as effective as we hoped, I’m frustrated to admit, and further adjustments are needed.
D. To attract others’ attention
The decision to expand was crucial, you see, for addressing the market demand effectively.
Let me remind you, the performance reviews are due by the end of the week.
The deadline is approaching fast, you may know, and we need to finalize all details soon.
2. As-clause as comment clause
Clauses introduced by as function as comment clause. Examples:
The weather, as we feared, ruined our plans for an outdoor picnic.
The product launch, as we had anticipated, was a great success, exceeding all expectations.
The results were better than expected, as it turned out.
The company is expanding its operations overseas, as you may know.
The new marketing strategy has significantly boosted sales figures, as the data indicates.
As the sun set, the sky turned a deep shade of orange. [Incorrect. The clause is not making a comment. It’s an integral part of the sentence and can’t be dropped.]
Comment relative clause
In its role as comment clause, as-clause can be either a type of sentential relative clause (it’s a type, and not exact) or an adverb clause.
Sentential relative clause
As a type of sentential relative clause, also called comment relative clause, as functions as a relative pronoun and can be replaced by relative pronoun which. The last two examples we just saw can be rewritten as:
The company is expanding its operations overseas, which you may know.
The new marketing strategy has significantly boosted sales figures, which the data indicates.
Unlike sentential relative clause though, it need not come at the end. It may come before the antecedent independent clause or be inserted in it.
Adverb clause
As-clause though is an adverb clause – and as is a subordinating conjunction – if it contains it referring to the antecedent independent clause, like in the third example we saw earlier: The results were better than expected, as it turned out.
3. Nominal relative clause as comment clause
What’s very strange, he doesn’t seem to remember the incident.
What’s particularly alarming, the safety measures have not been updated in years.
What shocks me, the instructions seem to contradict themselves.
What’s most evident, team’s performance has improved dramatically.
4. To-infinitive clause (or infinitive phrase) as comment clause
To be frank, I don’t think the plan will work.
To be clear, the meeting has been postponed to next week.
To catch the first train, he set an early alarm. [Incorrect. It’s not a comment. It’s an integral part of the sentence, expressing purpose.]
The event, to my surprise, attracted a large audience. [Incorrect. It’s a comment, but not by a non-finite clause. It’s by a prepositional phrase.]
The movie was, to tell the truth, quite disappointing.
She did her best, to put it simply.
5. –ing clause as comment clause
Speaking figuratively, the company’s growth is like a rocket taking off.
Stating candidly, the decision was a huge mistake.
Reporting honestly, the project faced several challenges.
She was, speaking frankly, not the best candidate for the position.
The weather during the trip, putting it mildly, was far worse than we had anticipated.
6. –ed clause as comment clause
Put simply, the project exceeded all our expectations.
The results were, stated briefly, better than we had hoped.
The meeting was, described accurately, a complete waste of time.
The report, written meticulously, provided all the necessary details for the board’s decision. [Incorrect. It’s an –ed clause, but it’s not commenting or not loosely connected to the sentence. It’s modifying The report. It’s in fact the reduced form of relative clause which was written meticulously.]
