Recognize Subordinate Clauses

A ‘subordinate clause’ has a subject and a predicate but does not express a complete thought, so it cannot stand alone as a sentence. A subordinate clause is dependent on the rest of the sentence because a subordinate clause does not make sense by itself. A subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun usually introduces a subordinate clause. Note that unlike a coordinating conjunction connecting two main clauses, a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun is part of the subordinate clause.

There are three types of subordinate clauses:

‘adjective clauses’, which modify nouns or pronouns;

‘adverb clauses’, which modify verbs, adjectives, or adverbs; and ‘noun clauses’, which function as nouns.

Example 1: “I enjoy a hot bath ‘after I work a full day’.” In some cases, the relative pronoun can also function as the subject of a subordinate clause. Example 2: Bath salts ‘that energize’ are my favorite. Example 3: ‘Whoever likes baths’ will enjoy bath salts.

In the 1st example, the subordinating conjunction ‘after’ before ‘I work a full day’ creates a word group – ‘after I work a full day – that cannot stand alone as a main clause. Although the clause has a subject and a predicate, it does not express a complete thought.

In the 2nd example, the relative pronoun ‘that’ begins a subordinate clause that comes between the subject and the verb of the main clause. ‘That’ also serves as the subject of the subordinate clause, and ‘energize’ is its verb. ‘That energize’ cannot, however, stand alone.

In the 3rd example, the subordinate clause functions as the subject of the sentence. ‘Whoever’ functions as the subject of the subordinate clause, ‘whoever likes baths’. ‘Likes’ is the verb, and ‘bath’ is the direct object. ‘Whoever likes baths’ cannot however, stand alone.