Why subordinate clauses

Conveniently, this type of subordinate clause can be referred to as a relative clause. There are two types of relative clauses: restrictive and nonrestrictive. Restrictive clauses are sometimes referred to as essential clauses. This is because they are essential to the meaning of the sentences they are a part of. Elements of a sentence that are essential should not be set apart with commas.

I enjoy watching movies that employ lots of special effects. There should be no comma separating the restrictive clause that employ lots of special effects from the main clause I enjoy watching movies because it is essential to the meaning of the sentence. The opposite is true with nonrestrictive clauses: they can be excised from a sentence without altering its core meaning.

Since they are nonessential, they should always be set apart with commas in a sentence. Watching Star Wars, which has lots of special effects, is my favorite thing to do. Without the nonrestrictive clause which has lots of special effects , the core idea of the sentence, Watching Star Wars is my favorite thing to do , is still intact.

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Subordinate Clause Our Story Search Top Tip If you'd happily put parentheses around your clause, it needs commas. Commas, after all, are just a type of parenthetical punctuation. Key Points If your subordinate clause is a fronted adverb, offset it with a comma. When the cake is brown, remove it from the oven. If your subordinate clause is at the back, don't use a comma. Remove the cake from the oven when it is brown. If your subordinate clause is an essential adjective, don't use commas.

My sister who lives in Boston gave me her laptop. I have more than one sister. The Boston-based one gave me her laptop. They have a subject I and a verb sharpened. The top clause can stand alone as a complete idea, but the bottom clause cannot. The bottom clause is subordinate. Subordinate means that it can't stand alone. It needs to be connected to an independent clause in order to make sense.

A subordinate clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb, that cannot stand alone. They act as single parts of speech. You probably read over that last sentence kind of fast. Here, I'll even write it out again for you:.

What does that mean? That means that all of the words come together to perform the job of one part of speech. They can act as adjectives, adverbs, or nouns. Dependent clauses can function as three different parts of speech: adjectives, adverbs, or nouns. As you might guess, an adjective clause is a dependent clause that acts as an adjective. They are introduced by special words called relative pronouns or relative adverbs. The woman who looked happy danced. It is a group of words with a subject who and a verb looked , and the whole clause is functioning as an adjective modifying the noun woman , which is the subject of the independent clause.

These are introduced by special words called subordinating conjunctions. I read because I love stories. Because I love stories is a dependent adverb clause. It has a subject I and a verb love , and the whole clause is functioning as one adverb modifying the verb read in the independent clause.