What are subordinating conjunctions? | Year 4 English PDF Download

Understanding Subordinating Conjunctions

• Definition of Subordinating Conjunctions: A subordinating conjunction is a word that connects two clauses by making one clause dependent on the other. These words include 'although,' 'because,' and 'when'.
• Role of Conjunctions: Conjunctions are used to link different parts of a sentence together. They help in creating complex sentences by connecting independent and dependent clauses.
• Understanding Subordinating Clauses: A subordinating clause provides extra information to the main clause in a sentence. It cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.
• Importance of Subordinating Conjunctions: A subordinating conjunction is used to join a subordinating clause to an independent clause. It helps in showing the relationship between the two clauses.
• Example: Consider the sentence: "He was annoyed, the train had stopped." By adding 'because,' we can link the subordinating clause "the train had stopped" with the main clause "He was annoyed."
  Original: He was annoyed because the train had stopped.

Where are subordinate clauses used?

• You can place subordinate conjunctions and clauses at different positions in a sentence: at the beginning, middle, or end.
• Here's an example where a subordinate clause is placed at the sentence's end:
  • The island remained calm and peaceful until the clouds turned dark and angry.
  • The sentence can be rearranged to place the subordinate clause at the beginning:
  • Until the clouds turned dark and angry, the island was peaceful and calm.
  • In this instance, the subordinate conjunction 'until' is used both at the beginning and within the sentence.
  • Notice that when a subordinate conjunction starts a sentence, a comma is needed to separate the clauses.