Page 15 - DENG103_English - I

English–I

Notes For example: Take two independent clauses and join them together with the conjunction and:
“ The door opened.” “The man walked in.” = The door opened and the man walked in.

2. Dependent clauses
A dependent (subordinate) clause is part of a sentence; it contains a subject and verb but does
not express a complete thought. They can make sense on their own, but, they are dependent
on the rest of the sentence for context and meaning. They are usually joined to an independent
clause to form a complex sentence.
Dependent clauses often begin with a subordinating conjunction or relative pronoun (see
below) that makes the clause unable to stand alone.

Subordinating Conjunctions

after although as because
before even if even though if
in order that once provided that rather than
since so that than that
though unless until when
whenever where whereas wherever
whether while why

Relative Pronouns
that which whichever
who whoever whom
whose whosever whomever

For example:
The door opened because the man pushed it.
Dependent clauses can be nominal, adverbial or adjectival.

A nominal clause (noun clause) functions like a noun or noun phrase. It is a group of words
containing a subject and a finite verb of its own and contains one of the following: that | if | whether
For example:

• I wondered whether the homework was necessary.
Noun clauses answer questions like “who(m)?” or “what?”
An adverbial clause (adverb clause) is a word or expression in the sentence that functions as
an adverb; that is, it tells you something about how the action in the verb was done. An
adverbial clause is separated from the other clauses by any of the following subordinating
conjunctions: after | although | as | because | before | if | since | that | though | till | unless | until |
when | where | while
For example:
• They will visit you before they go to the airport.
Adverbial clauses can also be placed before the main clause without changing the meaning.

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