LESSON 26: DEPENDENT CLAUSES (ADVERB) · This next bit of information might just blow your mind. Dependent clauses function as one part of speech! The WHOLE CLAUSE comes together
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• Clauses are groups of words with a subject and a verb.
• Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
o They answer the adverb questions. (How? When? Where? Why? To what
extent?)
Lesson
Do you remember that phrases are groups of words that don’t have a subject and a verb? Do you also remember that phrases act as single parts of speech? I hope so! Phrases are units of language. You’ve studied verb phrases and prepositional phrases. Today, we'll learn about another kind of language unit: clauses.
Way back in lesson 16, you started to learn about clauses, and it's time for us to learn more!
A clause is a group of words that does contain a subject and a verb.
The cat meowed.
Whenever the cat meowed
Both of those examples are clauses. They both contain a subject (cat) and a verb (meowed).
Did you notice anything funny about those two clauses? The first clause can stand alone as a complete sentence and the second clause can't!
We have names that we give to these two main categories of clauses: independent clauses and dependent clauses.
An independent clause (also called a main clause) is a group of words with a subject and a verb. It expresses a complete thought. Independent clauses are independent, and can stand alone as complete ideas. Every complete sentence needs at least one independent clause. Examples: Mark ate dinner at 6:00. The cat meowed. I swam at the health club.
The sentences we’ve diagrammed so far have all contained only independent clauses.
A dependent clause (also called a subordinate clause) is a group of words with a subject and a verb. It doesn't express a complete thought. Dependent clauses cannot stand alone. They are dependent and need to be attached to an independent clause in order to make sense. Examples: Because Mark ate dinner at 6:00
Whenever the cat meowed
Since I swam at the health club
Did you notice that those examples of dependent clauses each had a subject and a verb but they didn't express a complete idea?
This next bit of information might just blow your mind. Dependent clauses function as one part of speech! The WHOLE CLAUSE comes together to perform the job of an adverb, adjective, or noun.
Over the next few lessons, we'll learn about all three kinds of dependent clauses. Right now, we’ll study dependent clauses that act as adverbs.
They Act As One Part of Speech (Adverbs)
Jim ran yesterday.
Yesterday is a one-word adverb telling us more about the verb ran. It’s telling us WHEN he ran. Jim ran at daybreak.
At daybreak is an adverbial prepositional phrase telling us more about the verb ran. It’s telling us WHEN he ran. You know all about prepositional phrases.
Jim ran before he ate breakfast.
Before he ate breakfast is telling us more about the verb ran. It’s still telling us WHEN he ran, but this time, it’s not one word and it’s not a phrase. It is a whole clause!
Before he ate breakfast is a dependent clause. It has a subject (he) and verb (ate), and it can’t stand alone because it doesn't express a complete thought.
Since the clause is modifying the verb of the independent clause (ran), it’s acting as an adverb. It is a dependent adverb clause. You can call these kinds of clauses adverb clauses for short if you'd like.
Tip: Adverb clauses answer the adverb questions. Subordinating Conjunctions
Adverb clauses are introduced by special words called subordinating conjunctions. In the example above, before is the subordinating conjunction.
You know that coordinating conjunctions join sentence elements that are equal. Subordinating conjunctions also join things together. Guess what they join together?
Subordinating conjunctions introduce dependent adverb clauses. They connect dependent adverb clauses to independent clauses.
Examples: because, before, until, after, whenever, if, while, when, since
They are also the words that make dependent adverb clauses dependent. Look at this independent clause. Shelby cuts my hair.
Look at what happens when we put a subordinating conjunction at the beginning.
Whenever Shelby cuts my hair Presto! Just by adding the subordinating conjunction, we made the independent clause a dependent clause!
Diagramming Dependent Adverb Clauses
Jim ran before he ate breakfast.
Diagram the independent clause at the top. Diagram the dependent adverb clause below it. Connect the two clauses with a slanted, dotted line originating from the word in the independent clause that the adverb clause is modifying (ran).
Put the subordinating conjunction on the dotted line. Notice that the whole clause acts as an adverb, but the individual words play their own roles within the clause.
before he ate breakfast dependent adverb clause (adverb)
Dependent clauses can come before or after independent clauses.
Jim ran before he ate breakfast. ---> Before he ate breakfast, Jim ran.
I love it whenever Shelby cuts my hair. ---> Whenever Shelby cuts my hair, I love it.
If the dependent clause comes before the independent clause, it’s followed by a comma. If it comes after the independent clause, it does not need a comma.
Your sentence diagrams will look the same no matter which clause comes first. Always diagram the independent clause at the top and the dependent clause below it.
Shop verb of independent clause (intransitive complete)
until you drop dependent clause (adverb) (telling us HOW to shop)
until subordinating conjunction introducing adverb clause
you subject of adverb clause (pronoun)
drop verb of adverb clause (intransitive complete)
Tip: Some words can act as prepositions or subordinating conjunctions. If the word is part of a prepositional phrase, it is acting as a preposition. We can see the movie AFTER dinner.
Shop UNTIL noon.
If the word has a subject and a verb after it, it is acting as a subordinating conjunction.
We can see the movie AFTER we run around the lake.
Extra Practice: Diagramming Adverb Clauses Directions: Diagram the following sentences on a separate sheet of paper. Teachers, the answers are on the next page.
1. We need our passports because we are traveling to France.
2. I’ll pack my swimsuit since our hotel has a pool.