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An $L$-substructure of a first-order structure $A\subseteq B$ has a nonempty domain containing all named constants and closed under the functions of $B$, and each relation of $A$ is the restriction of the corresponding relation of $B$. Consequently every quantifier-free formula with parameters in $A$ has the same truth value in $A$ and $B$. This is weaker than being an elementary substructure, which preserves all first-order formulas.

A universal sentence has the form $\forall \mathbf{x}\psi (\mathbf{x})$ with quantifier-free formula $\psi$, including an empty quantifier block. Its truth passes from a first-order structure to every substructure of a first-order structure: tuples from the smaller domain are also tuples of the larger domain, and quantifier-free truth agrees. Therefore a first-order theory of universal sentences has a first-order model class closed under substructures of a first-order structure.