Subordinating
Conjunctions
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The word conjunction comes from a Latin root meaning
"join." In grammar, a conjunction is a joining word.
There are three main
types of conjunctions in English: coordinating, correlative and subordinating.
This article focusses on subordinating conjunctions.
What is a subordinating conjunction?
A subordinating conjunction is a joining word that connects
two clauses. (A clause is a word group containing a subject and a verb.)
How are subordinating conjunctions different from other
conjunctions?
Other conjunctions join words, phrases or clauses of equal
value.
A subordinating conjunction joins clauses of unequal
value. The clause that begins with the subordinating conjunction is called a
subordinate (or dependent) clause. It is less important than the other clause,
which is called the main clause.
For example, consider
these two clauses:
- Audrey lit up a cigarette.
- Henry grabbed the fire extinguisher.
These clauses are
grammatically equal. They are both independent clauses (that is, they can stand
alone as sentences).
But the clauses are
not of equal value: they don't express equally important ideas. The second
clause seems to be the main idea, and the first clause seems merely secondary.
We can join these clauses of unequal value into a single sentence by placing
the subordinating conjunction as at the beginning of the less important
idea:
- As Audrey lit up a cigarette, Henry grabbed the fire extinguisher.
The first clause is now a subordinate or dependent clause.
It is no longer grammatically equal to the main clause because it cannot stand
alone. Therefore, it must be joined to the main clause so that the two clauses
form a single sentence.
Such a sentence is called a complex sentence. A
complex sentence is one that contains one main clause and at least one
subordinate or dependent clause. The main clause expresses the primary idea,
and the subordinate clause or clauses express secondary ideas.
Tip: You need to remember to join the
subordinate clause to a main clause. Left by itself, a subordinate clause is a fragment,
a common type of sentence error.
What words can act as subordinating conjunctions?
There are many subordinating conjunctions in English. Some
of the most common are shown below, grouped by the relationships they express.
In the examples, the conjunction is in bold font, and the subordinate clause
introduced by the conjunction is in italics:
Cause:
as, because, since
Because Heinrich's joints were creaking, he oiled them.
Comparison:
as, than
Condition:
if, provided (that), unless
Lacey won't win the perogy - eating contest if
she keeps eating faster than Hank can count.
Concession:
although, (even) though, whereas,
while
Although Gordon watered his cactus regularly, it didn't
thrive.
Manner:
as, as if, as though
Sylvester looked pleased, as if he had
swallowed a canary.
Place:
where, wherever
Wherever the mice laugh at the cat, there you will find a hole.
(Proverb)
Purpose:
in order that, so that
Jessica is learning to moonwalk so that
she can become an astronaut.
Time:
after, as, before, once, since,
till, until, when, while
Greta's letters are less regular since she
moved to Come-by-Chance.
Other:
that (used to introduce a clause
that functions as a noun)
Eric suspected that Lauren didn't like his
new haircut when she offered to lend him her toque.
How are subordinating conjunctions different from
prepositions?
Some subordinating conjunctions (especially those
expressing time) can also act as prepositions. As prepositions, they introduce
a prepositional phrase without a subject and verb:
- After dinner, we'll leave for the party.
- (prepositional phrase with no subject and verb)
As conjunctions, they
introduce a clause containing a subject and verb:
- After we eat dinner, we'll leave for the party.
- (subordinate clause with subject we and verb eat)