Grade 7 Grammar Lesson 12 Sentences: simple, compound and complex
A clause that doesn’t give a complete meaning by itself, and is a part of a longer sentence is called a sub- ordinate clause.
A subordinate clause is usually a noun clause, an adjective clause or an adverb clause, which forms part of a main clause to give completeness to a sentence.
We may join a sub-ordinate clause to a main or independent clause using sub-ordinate conjunctions such as the following.
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if/ whether/ that and wh- words (to form noun clause)
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who, whose, which and that (to form adjective clause)
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when, whenever, before, after, till, since, while
and as (for adverb clause of time)
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because, since, as and for (adverb clause of reason)
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that and so that (adverb clause of purpose)
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if and unless (adverb clause of condition)
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though, although, even though and even if
(adverb clause of contrast and concession)
A sentence having one or more sub-ordinate clauses is called a complex sentence.
If the sub-ordinate adverb clause comes first, we use a comma.
