The Minor Parts of SpeechSubordinating conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions, as the name suggests, differ from coordina-
tors by connecting structures of unequal grammatical status. In subordina-
tion, one of the structures is grammatically superior or dominant and the
other is grammatically inferior or subordinate. The subordinate structure
is a sub-part of the larger, dominant structure. As you’d expect, the subor-
dinate structure is the one introduced by the subordinating conjunction.
A second difference between coordinating and subordinating conjunc-
tions is that the latter have a restricted range; they can connect clauses only.
Thus a structure introduced by a subordinating conjunction will be a sub-
ordinate clause. (It is, of course, possible for one clause to be subordinate
(bolded) to a clause that is itself subordinate (underlined), for example, The
TV news reported that the nominee claimed that he was not a crook.)
We will investigate subordinate clauses more fully in our chapter on Multi-
clause Sentences. For the moment, we will simply mention three important types
of subordinate clause and identify the conjunctions that may introduce them.
The subordinating conjunctions are classified according to the type of
clause they introduce. The three types of subordinate clauses are adverbial,
nominal, and relative.
Subordinating adverbial conjunctions
Adverbial clauses, like adverbs, function as modifiers of verbs or sentences.
They are introduced by a group of words that we will call subordinating
adverbial conjunctions (SAC). Table 11 lists the main SACs.
Time: after, as, as long as, as soon as, before, just as,
now that, since, until, till, when, whenever,
while
Place: where, wherever
Manner: as, as if, as though
Reason or Cause: as, because, inasmuch as, since
Result: so...that, so that, such...that
Comparison: as, as...as, just as, so...as, than
Purpose: in order that, lest, so, so that, that
Condition: as long as, if, on (the) condition that, provided,
provided that, unless
Concession: although, even if, even though, though, while,
whereas
table 11: subordinating adverbial conjunctions