ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Existential clause

Think about a sentence like "I know that aliens exist." The part that starts with "that" is called an existential clause. It's a way of talking about something that exists or doesn't exist. So in this sentence, the clause "that aliens exist" is saying that there are aliens out there somewhere in the universe.

An existential clause is like a little part of a sentence that helps explain or describe something. We use them to talk about things that we believe are real or not real. It's like saying, "Hey, I know this thing is true (or not true) and now I'm going to tell you about it."

Sometimes, we use existential clauses without even realizing it. Like when we say, "I think that it's going to rain," or "She said that she's tired." In both of these cases, the word "that" is introducing an existential clause that tells us something about what the person is thinking or feeling.

So in summary, an existential clause is a part of a sentence that helps us talk about things that exist (or don't exist) and what we know or believe about them.