Mastering Subordinate Clauses: Types, Functions, and Examples
Understanding Subordinate Clauses
Subordinate clauses play a crucial role in the main proposition of a sentence.
Examples:
- I like heavy rain (Subject)
- I want to buy a car (Direct Object)
There are three main types of subordinate clauses, categorized by their function: noun, adjective, or adverb.
Examples:
- I like to try so hard (noun clause)
- I have a friend who works hard (adjective clause)
- They arrived when we had finished dinner (adverbial clause)
Substantive (Noun) Clauses
Noun clauses function as nouns within the main clause, acting as subjects, direct objects, or complements.
Common linking words include the conjunction that and if, especially in disjunctive (Tell me if you’re coming or going), doubtful (I wonder if it will be in senses), and interrogative sentences (I do not know if you’re listening). They can also be juxtaposed without a conjunction, or introduced by interrogative adverbs and pronouns (indirect questions). Example: I do not know where I put it; tell me who gave it to you.
Adjectival (Relative) Clauses
Adjectival clauses function as adjectives, modifying a noun in the main clause, known as the antecedent.
Example: Will adopt the child who smiles at me.
They are connected to the main clause by:
- Relative pronouns: what, who, whom, which, and their plurals.
- Possessive adjectives: whose.
- Adverbs: where, how, when (only if they refer to an antecedent).
Example: This is the place where we met.
These clauses serve as a link between the main clause and the subordinate clause, acting as an anaphoric reference to the antecedent. They reflect the meaning of the antecedent but not its grammatical function.
Example: I like that car you saw in the store. (The antecedent that car is the subject in the main clause, while the relative clause functions as the direct object in the subordinate clause.)
The antecedent is usually a noun but can also be a pronoun, adverb, or even a proposition.
Types of Adjective Clauses:
- Restrictive (Specifying): We clean the rooms that were dirty. (No commas; only the dirty rooms are cleaned.)
- Nonrestrictive (Explanatory): We clean the rooms, which were dirty. (Commas indicate all rooms were dirty.)
Sometimes, the relative pronoun is omitted, and the clause functions as a noun clause: The ending may leave. (There is no antecedent, so it’s a noun clause acting as the subject.)
Adverbial Clauses
Adverbial clauses function as adverbs, modifying the verb in the main clause. They are divided into two types: adverbial clauses that can be replaced by adverbs and those that cannot.
Adverbial clauses that can be replaced by adverbs indicate place, time, or manner. They are also called circumstantial clauses.
- Location: Linked by where, sometimes preceded by a preposition. Example: He turned his gaze to where he was shouting.
- Time: Linked by when, just, while, etc. Example: I came when it stopped raining.
- Manner: Linked by as. Example: I did as I could.
Adverbial clauses that cannot be replaced by adverbs include:
- Reason/Cause: Linked by because, since, as. Example: I bought it because I liked it a lot. Sometimes, the reason is due to the intensity of an element in the subordinate clause: No studies, nothing is vague. My feet hurt so much as I went.
- Consecutive/Result: Linked by so much … that, therefore, consequently, then, so, etc. Example: I think, therefore I am. It is so loud that it can not be out the door.
- Conditional: Linked by if, like (with subjunctive), provided, etc. The subordinate clause is called the protasis, and the main clause is the apodosis. Example: If you want to study medicine, you must take good note.
- Concessive: Linked by although, despite the fact that, even though. Example: Although I do not want to go to the party.
- Comparison: Linked by more … than, less … than, as … as, etc. Example: I like ham more than lobster.
- Purpose/Final: Linked by for that, that, in order that, etc. Example: I came to pay me.