Page 224 - DENG401_Advance Communication Skills

Unit 12: Subordinating Conjunctions

V C Notes
champion of many fights, watched the matador approach, readying itself for the charge.
S
After the fans had left the arena, the women's basketball team, elated by their victory and
V C
whooping with glee, climbed onto the bus that would take them home to Fargo, three hundred
miles away.

12.3 Forming Complex Sentences with Subordinating Conjunctions

Definitions

Independent Clause: An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a
verb, expresses a complete thought, and can stand alone as a sentence.
Dependent Clause: A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb,
does not express a complete thought, and cannot stand alone as a sentence.
Complex Sentence: A complex sentence is a sentence that contains one independent clause and at
least one dependent clause.
Subordinate Clause: A dependent clause that begins with a subordinating conjunction. Since
subordinate clauses are adverbial, they may appear at the beginning or end of a complex sentence.
Table of Subordinating Conjunctions
Time After, As, As soon as, Before, Once, Since, Until, When, While
Manner As, As if, As though, Like
Cause and Effect Although, Though, Whereas, While, Except, That
Condition Because, In that, Now that, Since, So that
Condition If, In case, Provided (that), Unless
Purpose So that, In order that
Comparison As...as, More than, Less than, Than

(Source: Klammer, Thomas P., Shultz, Muriel R., Delia Volpe, Angela.. Analyzing English Grammar. Pearson Education, 2007.)
Punctuating Complex Sentences with Subordinating Conjunctions

If a subordinate clause appears at the beginning of a complex sentence, it must be separated from
the independent clause by a comma.

Example: After she finished her homework, Monica went shopping.
In general, if a subordinate clause appears after the independent clause in a compound sentence,
no comma is needed.

Example: Monica went shopping after she finished her homework.
Note on punctuation: If the subordinating conjunction in a complex sentence is whereas, though,
although, or even though, a comma is needed to show separation between the two clauses.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 217