Below are explanations for the two Clause Type Samples:

Clause Types from The Heart of Darkness

The tidal current runs to and fro in its unceasing service, crowded with memories of men and ships it had borne to the rest of home or to the battles of the sea. It had known and served all the men of whom the nation is proud, from Sir Francis Drake to Sir John Franklin, knights all, titled and untitled—the great knights-errant of the sea.

As the interactive exercise instructs, the first step is to highlight the Main Verb Phrases to determine the clauses for analysis:

The tidal current runs to and fro in its unceasing service, crowded with memories of men and ships it had borne to the rest of home or to the battles of the sea. It had known and served all the men of whom the nation is proud, from Sir Francis Drake to Sir John Franklin, knights all, titled and untitled—the great knights-errant of the sea.

There appears to be four clauses in the passage:

1. THE TIDAL CURRENT RUNS TO AND FRO: Type I - Intransitive Main Verb - TO AND FRO is adverbial (can be moved)
2. [THAT] IT HAD BORNE TO THE REST . . .: Type I - Intransitive Main Verb - TO THE REST . . . is adverbial (can be deleted)
3. IT HAD KNOWN AND SERVED ALL THE MEN: Type V - Transitive Main Verb - ALL THE MEN is the direct object
4. WHOM THE NATION IS PROUD: Type III - BE Main Verb - Adjectival Subject Complement (PROUD)

Challenge Sample adapted from Heart of Darkness

The sea-reach of the Thames stretched before us like the beginning of an interminable waterway. In the offing the sea and the sky were welded together without a joint, and in the luminous space the tanned sails of the barges drifting up with the tide seemed to stand still in red clusters of canvas sharply peaked, with gleams of varnished sprits. A haze rested on the low shores that ran out to sea in vanishing flatness. 

Again, the first step is to highlight the Main Verb Phrases to determine the clauses for analysis:

The sea-reach of the Thames stretched before us like the beginning of an interminable waterway. In the offing the sea and the sky were welded together without a joint, and in the luminous space the tanned sails of the barges drifting up with the tide seemed to stand still in red clusters of canvas sharply peaked, with gleams of varnished sprits. A haze rested on the low shores that ran out to sea in vanishing flatness. 

For this sample, there appears to be five clauses in the passage:

1. THE SEA-REACH . . . STRETCHED BEFORE US: Type I - Intransitive Main Verb - BEFORE US is an adverbial prepositional phrase (can be deleted)
2. THE SEA AND THE SKY WERE WELDED TOGETHER: Type I - Intransitive Main Verb - Passive Main Verb - TOGETHER is adverbial (can be moved)
3. THE TANNED SAILS . . . SEEMED TO STAND STILL: Type V - Transitive Main Verb - TO STAND STILL is a nominal infinitive phrase serving as the direct object
4. A HAZE RESTED ON THE LOW SHORES: Type I - Intransitive Main Verb - Passive Main Verb - ON THE LOW SHORES is adverbial prepositional phrase (can be moved)
5. THAT RAN OUT TO SEA IN VANISHING FLATNESS: Type I - Intransitive Main Verb - TO SEA is an adverbial prepositional phrase (can be deleted)

Tips to Keep in Mind

The KEY MARKER for identifying Clause Types is recognizing the Main Verb Phrase. Once you have identified the Main Verb, you can use this simplified set of prompts: Is it a BE Main Verb? Yes, Types II-IV. No, Type I or Type V. If Type I or Type V, is a direct object present? Yes, Type V. No, Type I.

If you have questions about these sample analyses, please contact your instructor or start a conversation in your work group.