English
Subordinate Clause: The Part That Cannot Stand Alone
A subordinate clause has a subject and a verb but cannot be a sentence on its own. The stand-alone test on three clauses, and the comma rule SPaG papers mark.
Subordinate clause
A subordinate clause contains a subject and a verb but cannot form a sentence by itself; it depends on a main clause to complete its meaning.
- Also called
- Dependent clause
- Where students meet it
- Grade 3 English; in the national curriculum for England the term appears in the Year 3 list of grammar that pupils are expected to know and use.
The short answer
A subordinate clause has its own subject and verb but cannot stand alone as a sentence: although it was raining leaves the reader waiting. It depends on a main clause to complete it. When it comes first, a comma separates the two — although it was raining, the match went ahead.
An example
Although it was raining, the match went ahead.
Although it was raining has a subject (it) and a verb (was), which makes it a clause rather than a phrase. Say it on its own and a listener waits for the rest, and that waiting is the whole test. The match went ahead leaves nobody waiting, so it is the main clause, and because the subordinate clause came first there is a comma between them.
The test is whether a listener waits
Any clause needs a subject and a verb. A subordinate clause has both and still cannot be a sentence, because a subordinating word at the front has left it hanging.
- Although it was raining — subject it, verb was. Say it aloud and the listener waits. Subordinate.
- Because she had revised — subject she, verb had revised. Still waiting. Subordinate.
- The bell rang — subject the bell, verb rang. Nobody waits. This is a main clause and works as a sentence on its own.
A clause is not a phrase
The word at the front is what causes the dependence. Although, because, when, if, while, since, unless, after, before, until, whereas — these are subordinating conjunctions, and attaching one to a perfectly good sentence is enough to break it. The bell rang works; when the bell rang does not.
In the morning is a phrase: it has no verb, so it cannot be a clause of any kind. When morning came is a clause, because came is a verb with morning as its subject. Both do the same job in a sentence and only one of them counts as a subordinate clause.
That distinction is worth twenty seconds of checking in a test, because it produces the most common wrong answer to identify the subordinate clause. Find the verb first. If there is no verb, you are looking at a phrase.
The comma rule that gets marked
When the subordinate clause comes first, put a comma after it: although it was raining, the match went ahead. When it comes second, no comma is usually needed: the match went ahead although it was raining.
The asymmetry looks arbitrary and is not. A fronted subordinate clause leaves the reader in suspense, and the comma marks the point at which the sentence finally reaches its main business. A trailing clause needs no such signpost, because the main clause has already been delivered.
Relative clauses and adverbial clauses are both types of subordinate clause, so naming the more specific type in an answer is not wrong. It is more precise — provided the type is right.
Common questions
How do I find the subordinate clause in a sentence?
Look for a subordinating conjunction — although, because, when, if, while, since, unless — and read from it to the end of that section. Then check the section contains a verb. If it does and it cannot stand as a sentence on its own, that is the subordinate clause.
Can a sentence start with a subordinate clause?
Yes, and it is a good habit to vary into. Because the ferry was late, we missed the connection is fully correct. The requirements are a comma after the clause and a main clause following it. What you cannot do is stop after the subordinate clause and call it a sentence.
What is the difference between a subordinate clause and a main clause?
Both have a subject and a verb. The main clause stands alone as a complete sentence; the subordinate clause cannot, because a subordinating word has made it dependent. Every complete sentence needs at least one main clause, and subordinate clauses are optional additions to it.
Is a subordinate clause the same as a dependent clause?
Yes, they are two names for one thing. British schools and the national curriculum for England use subordinate clause; American textbooks more often use dependent clause. If you work from mixed resources you will meet both, and either is acceptable in an answer as long as you are consistent.
Sources
- National curriculum in England: English programmes of study — Department for Education
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Knowing the word is not the same as using it
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