Subordinate clauses function as follows:
1. Provide Additional Information: They add supplemental details or context to the main clause, expanding the information conveyed.
2. Establish Relationships: Subordinate clauses can show relationships such as cause and effect, purpose, time sequence, or conditionality. They link the main clause to specific circumstances or events.
3. Modify the Main Clause: Subordinate clauses can act as adjectives or adverbs, modifying the main clause. They provide specific details that clarify or restrict the meaning of the main clause.
4. Begin Sentences: Some subordinate clauses (e.g., because, while, although) can start sentences, connecting the main clause to a previously stated idea or context.
5. Create Complex Sentences: Subordinate clauses are used to form complex sentences, which have a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses. They add depth and complexity to sentences.
Types of Subordinate Clauses:
- Adjective Clauses: Modify nouns, providing additional details or identifying information.
- Adverb Clauses: Modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, expressing relationships such as time, manner, cause, purpose, or condition.
- Noun Clauses: Function as a noun, serving as the subject, object, or complement in a sentence.
- Relative Clauses: Introduce additional information about a noun in the main clause, using relative pronouns (who, which, that).
Examples:
- Adjective Clause: "The students who worked hard passed the test."
- Adverb Clause: "Although it was raining, we went for a walk."
- Noun Clause: "I wonder what happened."
- Relative Clause: "This is the book that I was looking for."
Subordinate clauses play a crucial role in sentence construction and meaning by providing additional information, establishing relationships, modifying main clauses, and creating complex sentence structures.