8. The trainer spoke harshly to the disobedient dog.
9. Dodging to his left and then to his right, Manuel scored the
winning goal.
10. The veterinarian told Pamela that he was taking good care of
her lame horse.
The Adverb Clause
4e. An adverb clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a
verb, an adjective, or an adverb.
An adverb clause generally tells how,when,where,why,how much,to what
extent, or under what condition the action of a verb takes place.
EXAMPLES After I had proofread my paper, I input the corrections.
[The adverb clause After I had proofread my paper tells
when I input the corrections.]
Because crêpes are delicious, Joy makes them on special
occasions. [Because crêpes are delicious tells why Joy makes
them on special occasions.]
You and your brother may come with us if you want to.
[If you want to tells under what condition you and your
brother may come with us.]
As you can see in the first two examples above, introductory
adverb clauses are usually set off by commas.
Like adverbs, adverb clauses may also modify adjectives or adverbs.
EXAMPLES Have computers made office work easier than it was
before? [The adverb clause than it was before modifies the
adjective easier, telling to what extent work is easier.]
My cousin Adele reads faster than I do. [The adverb clause
than I do modifies the adverb faster, telling how much faster
my cousin Adele reads.]
When using adverb clauses to make comparisons, be sure your
comparisons are complete.
INCOMPLETE I like dancing better than you. [Do I like dancing better
than I like you? Do I like dancing better than you like
dancing?]
COMPLETE I like dancing better than you do.
NOTE
NOTE
150
The Clause
Chapter 4
GRAMMAR
Reference Note
For more about using
commas to set off intro-
ductory elements, see
page 326.
Reference Note
For more about com-
plete comparisons, see
page 257.
Identify and use subordi-
nating conjunctions.
NL_EOL_SE09_P1_C04_142-163 5/4/07 10:06 AM Page 150
Subordinating Conjunctions
Adverb clauses are introduced by subordinating conjunctions—words
that show the relationship between the adverb clause and the word or
words that the clause modifies.
Some subordinating conjunctions, such as after, before, since, and
until, may also be used as prepositions.
EXAMPLES Be sure to hand in your report before the end of class
today. [prepositional phrase]
Be sure to hand in your report before class ends today.
[adverb clause]
Identifying and Classifying Adverb
Clauses
Identify each a
dverb clause in the following sentences. Then, write
what the clause tells: when, where, how, why, to what extent, or under
what condition. A sentence may have more than one adverb clause.
EXAMPLE 1. When you see the humble man on the next page, can
you believe that he is considered one of the twentieth
century’s greatest leaders?
1. When you see the humble man on the next page—when
1. If you look through newspapers from the first half of the twentieth
c
entury, you will see many pictures of Mohandas K. Gandhi.
2. This man led India to independence from Britain, and he took his
spinning wheel w
herever he went.
3. He did so because he viewed spinning as a symbol of the peaceful,
t
raditional Indian lifestyle.
4. He also hoped to encourage the Indian people to make their own
clothes so that the
y would not have to depend on British industry.
5. As a form of protest, he led marches or fasted unt
il the govern-
ment met his requests.
Exercise 4
The Subordinate Clause
151
GRAMMAR
Common Subordinating Conjunctions
after because since when
although before so that whenever
as even though than where
as if if though wherever
as long as in order that unless whether
as soon as once until while
Because an adverb clause
does not have a fixed loca-
tion in a sentence, you
must choose where to put
the clause. Write different
versions of a sentence con-
taining an adverb clause.
Then, read aloud each ver-
sion to see how the place-
ment of the clause affects
flow, rhythm, and overall
meaning.
EXAMPLES
After we leave for school,
Mom works on her novel.
Mom works on her novel
after we leave for school.
4
e
COMPUTER TIP
If you use a computer to
write compositions, you
can easily experiment with
the placement of adverb
clauses in sentences.
Identify and use noun
clauses.
NL_EOL_SE09_P1_C04_142-163 5/4/07 10:06 AM Page 151
6. Gandhi’s nonviolent methods were more
powerful than an
yone could have predicted.
7. A
s India’s Congress and people increasingly
sup
por
ted Gandhi’s nonviolent program, the
British government was forced to listen.
8. Gandhi was well qualified to represent India
as a diplomat sinc
e he had st
udied law in
Lo
ndon b
efore.he be
came involved in India’s
freedom movement.
9. A
ft
er inde
pendence was assured, Gandhi
turned his attention to helping India’s many
poor people.
10. B
ecause
.he was loved throughout India and
the w
orld, Gandhi was called Mahatma,
meaning “Great Soul.”
The Noun Clause
4f. A noun clause is a subordinate clause that is used as a
noun.
A noun clause may be used as a subject, as a complement (such as a
predicate nominative, direct object, or indirect object), or as the object
of a preposition.
SUBJECT What Mary Anne did to rescue the injured
bird was brave.
PREDICATE NOMINATIVE The winner of the race will be whoever runs
fastest in the final stretch.
DIRECT OBJECT She finally discovered what the answer to
her question was.
INDIRECT OBJECT Give whatever parts need cleaning a
rinse in detergent.
OBJECT OF PREPOSITION He checks the ID cards of whoever visits.
Noun clauses are usually introduced by
152
The Clause
Chapter 4
Reference Note
For more information
on subjects, predicate
nominatives, direct
objects, and indirect
objects, see Chapter 2.
For more about objects
of prepositions, see
page 116.
that when whether whom
what whenever who whomever
whatever where whoever why
GRAMMAR
Classify sentences by
structure.
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