SUBORDINATE clauses
a dependent clause that is attached to a main clause through the use of subordinate conjunctions (e.g.,
because,when) or adverbial particle
Subordinate clause can take a form of adverbial clause or non-finite adverbial participle clause (see details below.)
When you are not sure about the clause status of the adverbial element, see this page.
A subordinate clause can either follow or preceed the main clause.
| Main clause | Subordinate clause |
|---|---|
| It was hard to write a book together | because they live so far apart. (adverbial clause) |
| Peggy frequently calls | because she wants to stay in touch. (adverbial clause) |
| Betty danced joyfully, | never suspecting what was about to happen. (particle clause) |
| They decided to wait for dawn, | each hiker taking his two-hour turn at watch. (particle clause) |
| The authors presented a new piece of evidence | concluding that the effects of DLL is noteworthy. (particle clause) |
| Subordinate clause | Main clause |
|---|---|
| Although Marianne and Diane live far apart, (adverbial clause) | they are still friends. |
| As far as I am concerned, (adverbial clause) | there is not much study on this topic. |
| Working diligently on his paper, (particle clause) | John began to type up the bibliography. |
| Worn out from all the work, (particle clause) | John decided to relax. |
Following sections describes each type in details.
Adverbial clauses
Adverbial clause is a type of subordinate clause, which typically add ‘secondary information’ to the main clause.
Common subordinate conjunctions, which introduce a subordinate clause, include:
- Concessions: although, as, as though, even, even though, though, just as though, whereas, while
- Conditions: even if, if, in case, provided (that), unless, as long as, as much as, as far as,
- Temporal: after, as, as soon as, as long as, before, once, since, still, till, until, when, whenever, while
- Contrasts: although, though, whereas, while, rather than,
- Causal relations: as, because, in order (that), so that, now that, since
More examples include:
| Subordinate clause | Main clause |
|---|---|
| Because the steps are made of a smooth, polished—and therefore slippery—stone, | the BTA should’ve taken precautions to clean the steps in such wintry conditions. |
| Although some medical ethicists claim that cloning will lead to designer children (R. Miller 12), | others note that the advantages for medical research outweigh this consideration (A. Miller 46). |
| While the Supreme Court rejected the “quality of care” argument in the federation case, | the oligopolistic characteristics and purchasing structure of insurance make this outcome unsurprising. |
Note that the meaning of the subordinating conjunction depends on the context.
In webanno, you will annotate these in the following manner: 
Adverbial participle clauses
In some cases, a subordinate clause can also be realized with non-finite participles (e.g., -ing, -ed, -en).
| Subordinate clause | Main clause |
|---|---|
| Having worked on his paper since 4 P.M., | John stopped at 8 to watch the DePaul basketball game. |
| Having been working on his paper for more than a week, | John decided he would turn it in without further revision. |
| Being worn out from all the work, | John decided to relax for the evening. |
| The bus drivers being on strike, | many people had to get to work using other means of transportation. |
| Relaxingly leaning against a tree , | Thune sports a flannel shirt tucked into a pair of blue jeans . |
| Main clause | Subordinate clause |
|---|---|
| Betty danced joyfully, | never suspecting what was about to happen. |
| Sheila ignored the dog and the TV set, | deeply engrossed in the new book. |
On webanno, you should segment the clause in the following manner.
Back to Step1 clause boundary detection