= Main clause
A <main clause> is a <clause (grammar)> that functions as an independent grammatical unit in the construction being analyzed, contrasted with an embedded <subordinate clause>. It can be accompanied by subordinate material within a larger sentence. Its status concerns the <syntax> of that construction, not which information seems most surprising.<Clause in the SIL Glossary of Linguistic Terms>[Definition and main/subordinate example]{ref}
In the original example `The pump stopped although the tank was full`, `the pump stopped` supplies the main clause while `although the tank was full` contributes subordinate material. Moving that material to the beginning gives `Although the tank was full, the pump stopped`; the main clause is now later in the sentence. Position alone therefore does not identify it.
The example also separates a clause's own <subject (grammar)> and <predicate (grammar)> from its relationship to surrounding material. Both parts have internal grammatical structure. Annotating those structures and the embedding relation supports reproducible <linguistic annotation>, while the speaker's beliefs about the two statements remain a separate interpretive question.
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