A subordinate clause is a clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence; it merely complements a sentence’s main clause, thereby adding to the whole unit of meaning. Because a subordinate clause is dependent upon a main clause to be meaningful, it is also referred to as a dependent clause. Show
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Grammarly helps you communicate confidently Whether you use the term subordinate or dependent to describe the clause, this clause’s function is clear: It provides informational support to the main event of the sentence. This main clause will be independent: it can stand on its own as a complete sentence.
We can all go for ice cream. This sentence is an independent clause. It has a subject and a verb, and on its own, it presents a complete unit of meaning: All of us are able to go out and have ice cream. (Hooray!) But perhaps this isn’t all we need to convey.
We can all go for ice cream if I can find my wallet. If I can find my wallet adds substantially to the meaning of the sentence. It is too soon to celebrate about our ice cream outing because there is a task at hand. We have to first find that wallet. On its own, if I can find my wallet is a subordinate clause; it is not a full unit of meaning. If it was written separately as a sentence, the result would be a sentence fragment—your English teacher’s pet peeve. What will happen if I can find my wallet? If a clause in your sentence leaves us hanging like this when set apart on its own, it is a subordinate clause. Words that begin subordinate clausesSubordinate clauses will often begin with subordinating conjunctions, which are words that link dependent clauses to independent clauses, such as for, as, since, therefore, hence, consequently, though, due to, provided that, because, unless, once, while, when, whenever, where, wherever, before, and after. They can also begin with relative pronouns such as that, which, who, whom, whichever, whoever, whomever, and whose. Spotting these words can tip you off that you are dealing with a subordinate clause rather than a main clause. Why do I need to know which clauses are subordinate?Now that you can identify a subordinate or dependent clause, you may wonder how this information can be helpful to you. The answer to that is simple. It will help you to avoid hearing the words (from a teacher, editor, or coworker), “You should put a comma there.” Or the equally delightful, “You shouldn’t have put a comma there.” Knowing which clauses are main (independent) and which are subordinate (dependent) will help you organize your ideas and place your commas correctly. The best part is, it is actually quite simple. When a subordinate clause begins a sentence, it has a comma after it. When the main clause begins the sentence, there is no comma to separate it from the dependent clause.
If I can find my wallet we can all go for ice cream.
We can all go for ice cream, if I can find my wallet.
If I can find my wallet, we can all go for ice cream.
We can all go for ice cream if I can find my wallet. Comma placement level 2: Restrictive vs. nonrestrictive clausesPunctuating subordinate clauses only gets tricky when they begin with relative pronouns such as that, which, who, when, where, and whose. Conveniently, this type of subordinate clause can be referred to as a relative clause. There are two types of relative clauses: restrictive and nonrestrictive. Restrictive clauses are sometimes referred to as essential clauses. This is because they are essential to the meaning of the sentences they are a part of. Elements of a sentence that are essential should not be set apart with commas.
I enjoy watching movies that employ lots of special effects. There should be no comma separating the restrictive clause that employ lots of special effects from the main clause I enjoy watching movies because it is essential to the meaning of the sentence. The opposite is true with nonrestrictive clauses: They can be excised from a sentence without altering its core meaning. Since they are nonessential, they should always be set apart with commas in a sentence. Often, nonrestrictive clauses will “interrupt” a main clause, as in the example below, and when that happens, you should insert a comma both before and after the clause. Star Wars, which has lots of special effects, is my favorite thing to do.  Subordinate clauses are clauses that don’t form a simple sentence on their own, and are connected to the main clause of a sentence. In a way, they’re like little kids. They can’t be left alone and, often, their words don’t really make sense. See for yourself:
Confused? That’s an appropriate response. That confusion isn’t your fault—it’s just the nature of unaccompanied subordinate clauses. They contain subjects and verbs, but can’t stand on their own as complete sentences. They need help to express a complete thought. Until they get that help, these clauses won’t make much sense. What Is a Clause?A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. There are two main categories of clauses. You’ve already been introduced to the subordinate, also called dependent, clause. To have a full understanding of how dependent clauses work, it’s important to understand the other category: independent clauses. An independent clause can stand alone as a simple sentence. It expresses a complete thought. A dependent clause cannot. An independent clause has three components:
Examples of Independent ClausesIn these examples, the subjects are bold, and the verbs are highlighted.
Poor Joe—but hey, applause to him for trying! And, his loss has allowed us to observe the three components of independent clauses. Take that win, Joe! What Is a Subordinate Clause?Subordinate, or dependent, clauses also contain a subject and verb, but they do not express a complete thought. They cannot stand alone as sentences. Dependent clauses can only exist in complete sentences when connected to an independent clause. Let’s revisit those dependent clauses, in bold, from the opening of the post. This time, we’ll connect them with independent clauses and clear up the confusion they left us with.
See that? With a little hand-holding from independent clauses, the subordinate clause makes sense. It does its job, which is to add information to the independent clause. The dependent clause can’t stand by itself, but it does add meaning to a sentence. How to Use Subordinate Clauses in SentencesThere are three types of subordinate clauses: adverb, noun, and adjective. Adverb ClausesPredictably, adverb clauses function as adverbs; they explain where, when, why, how, and to what extent, and modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Adverb clauses begin with subordinating conjunctions, which are words that link dependent and independent clauses by establishing a relationship between the two clauses. The relationship can be based on time or place, condition, concession, cause/effect, and comparison/contrast. Some common subordinating conjunctions are because, since, if, whenever, even if, until, while, as long as, and though. The earlier examples of subordinate clauses, the ones about the monster situation, are adverb clauses; these adverb clauses answer “why?”
In those examples, the dependent clause comes before the independent clause, so a comma is required after the dependent clause. Here are a few more examples of subordinate adverb clauses. In these, the independent clause comes first, so no comma is required.
Noun ClausesNoun clauses function as nouns, representing a person, place, thing, or idea. Noun clauses often start with how, that, or wh- words (why, who, what, whoever, etc.) They can also start with subordinating conjunctions. Noun clauses aren’t set off from the sentence with commas. For example: Wherever you want to eat is fine with me. In this example, “wherever you want to eat” is the subject of the sentence; it’s a noun clause representing a place. It could be swapped out for an actual place: “Village Pizzeria is fine with me.” Here are a few more examples of noun clauses:
Adjective ClausesYou can probably guess that adjective clauses function as adjectives. They modify nouns or pronouns and answer “which one?” or “what kind?” Adjective clauses are also called relative clauses since they usually start with a relative pronoun. Examples of relative pronouns include that, where, when, who, whom, whose, which, and why. Essential and Non-Essential Adjective ClausesSome adjective clauses are an essential, or necessary, part of a sentence. Without them, the meaning of the sentence would change. For essential clauses, no punctuation is required. For example:
If you removed the relative clauses, the meanings of their respective sentences could be unclear or would change entirely. In the first example, the adjective clause that we picked the other day identifies which peaches the speaker is talking about. If “we” had picked some peaches and bought others from the store, that clause is essential for identifying which peaches have gone bad. In the second example, removing the clause would leave the sentence like this: “I don’t like people.” But that’s a distortion of the speaker’s meaning. Therefore, the adjective clause is essential for conveying the sentence’s actual meaning. Non-essential adjective clauses simply add information about the noun they modify, but their presence or absence does not change the meaning of the sentence. Non-essential clauses provide extra, but not absolutely necessary, information, and are surrounded with commas. For example:
In the first example, the point is that the student missed the exam. In the second, the point is that the wine is delicious. The subordinate clauses in each sentence simply provide additional information about the student and the wine, respectively. FYI: Essential and non-essential clauses are also called restrictive or non-restrictive clauses. Subordinate Clauses and Your WritingSubordinate clauses provide opportunities to add variety to your sentence structure, and variety makes your writing more interesting, engaging, and sophisticated overall. ProWritingAid’s Sentence Length Report shows you your sentence length variety across your document. This gives you valuable clues as to which sentence type you use most often; simple, compound, or complex. Writing that uses the same sentence structure repeatedly can get dull very quickly. And you don't want your readers falling asleep! Try the Sentence Length report with a free ProWritingAid account. This allows you to see where you may have used too many similar sentence starts and sentence structures. But how do you fix poor variety? Thankfully, subordinate clauses can help. You can connect subordinate clauses to independent clauses in different ways to create complex or compound-complex sentences. To create a complex sentence, connect a dependent clause (or more than one) to an independent clause. Here are a couple of examples:
To create a compound-complex sentence, connect a subordinate clause (or more than one) to two (or more) independent clauses. For example:
Subordinate clauses may be problematic when left on their own, but with an independent clause to help them stand, they bring interest, variety, and creativity to your work. Use them well! Take your writing to the next level:20 Editing Tips from Professional WritersWhether you are writing a novel, essay, article, or email, good writing is an essential part of communicating your ideas.This guide contains the 20 most important writing tips and techniques from a wide range of professional writers. |
What is a group of words that is not a complete sentence and is used only with an independent clause also called a subordinate clause or a relative clause?
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