We have been studying grammar and getting in-depth knowledge of all the things that right from sentence structure formation to complex sentence functioning. From our previous sessions, you are already familiar with the embedded clauses or subordinate clauses. But the most important thing that we need to know is the different types of subordinate clauses and their application.
Before we learn about the types of the subordinate clause, let’s brush up our knowledge by looking at the definition.
What is a Subordinate Clause?
Subordinate clauses are a set of words that have both subject and verb in it. But subordinate clauses cannot stand alone as a sentence. Generally, subordinate clauses are attached to the main clause or embedded in the matrix clause.
Subordinate clauses begin with subordinating conjunctions or a relative pronoun and both of them have a significant role to play in forming the subordinate clause.
Basically, a subordinate clause cannot function as a complete sentence. Ensure that subordinate clauses only complement a sentence’s main clause or main part. Hence, we understand that the embedded clause adds meaning to the whole unit.
Examples of Subordinate Clauses
Let’s look at some more examples of Subordinate Clauses to give us a clear understanding:
1. Because they said so (They=subject; said=verb)
2. When they were five (They=subject; were=verb)
3. Since it would be cold today (it=subject; would be cold=verb)
4. In case you pass the exam. (you=subject; pass=verb)
With all these examples you might have understood the basis of the subordinate clause. Their application in the English language and how to identify the subordinate clause. Keep practicing these sentences to have a grip on the language and a proper command. These small lessons will help you keep improving your language skills and help you develop a powerful negotiation skill and communication skill.
As we know that clause is generally a group of words that contain both the subject and the verb.
Basically, a subordinate clause can act as noun, adjective, and adverb in a given sentence. So there are three different types of subordinate clauses.
- Noun Subordinate Clause
- Adjective Subordinate Clause
- Adverb Subordinate clause
1. Noun Subordinate Clause
Whenever a subordinate clause act like a noun in a given sentence, then it is called a noun subordinate clause. The noun subordinate clause starts with words such as ‘that’, ‘what’, ‘whtever’, ‘who’, ‘whom’, ‘whoever’. This subordinate clause acts exactly like the noun in a sentence. It will act as the noun either as a subject or object.
Let’s see some of the examples to understand the noun subordinate clause in a better way.
- Whatever you study in school increases your knowledge.
- What you eat determines the health of our bodies.
- You must not buy whatever you find expensive.
- Now you realized that what you thought was not exactly correct.
2. Adjective Subordinate Clause
When a subordinate clause which acts as the adjective in a given sentence is called an adjective subordinate clause.
Just like adjectives, the adjective subordinate clause modifies a noun or pronoun in a sentence. The adjective clause generally starts with the relative pronoun. The words used are ‘that’, ‘who’, ‘whom’, whose’,’ which’ or ‘whose’.
Let’s see the examples which can help you to understand the application of the subordinate adjective clause.
- He saw a baby who was playing on the bed.
- She hates people who are not serious in life.
- You must watch a movie which is motivational.
- The bike, which he liked, was very expensive.
- The flat, in which she lived, had multiple rooms.
3. Adverb Subordinate Clause
When a subordinate clause acts as an adverb in a sentence then it is called the Adverb Subordinate Clause. Similar to adverbs, the subordinate clause also modifies the verb or another adverb clause in a sentence. It will modify the verb of the main clause. The subordinate clause modifies the main clause in terms of time, frequency and condition.
Let’s see some of the examples to understand the application of the adverb subordinate clause.
- You can call me, when you need my help.
- If you are not avoiding salt in your food, you will increase your blood pressure.
- The injured patient fainted before doctors could operate him.
- You can live a happy life as long as you are thinking positively.
- She worked in a factory while she was living in Netherland.
- It was really good to work in a corporate world even if you are not so experienced.
How to Identify Subordinate Clause in Sentence
Now, let’s see some of the examples and understand what they convey and how they are formed.
“We have finished cleaning our room.”
In this sentence, ‘we’ is the subject and the verb ‘finished’. We can easily understand that the sentence has both a subject and a verb and also it sounds complete. So this is a type of independent clause where they are not dependent on anything to complete it.
Let’s examine the next sentence.
‘After we returned from my aunt’s farmhouse.’ We can now see that the ‘we’ is the subject and ‘returned’ is the verb. But the sentence seems to be incomplete and can be considered as a part of some other sentence or a fragment. This is the example of Subordinate clause, where they require an independent clause besides it to make it complete.
Conclusion:
We hope the blog was quite helpful in understanding the concept of three different types of subordinate clauses along with the examples. If you still have a doubt regarding the concept, you can get back to us through the comment section. Stay Tuned!
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