Adverb clauses

Adverb clauses modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, usually answering one of these questions: When? Where? Why? How? Under what conditions? To what degree? They always begin with a subordinating conjunction such as after, because, if, since, until, or when.

Example sentence: When the sun went down, the hikers prepared their camp. Explanation: The adverb clause When the sun went down modifies the verb prepared.

When did the hikers prepare camp? When the sun went down.

Example sentence: Laurabeth would have made the basketball team if she hadn't broken her ankle. Explanation: The adverb clause if she hadn't broken her ankle modifies the subject would have made.

Under what conditions would Laurabeth have made the team? If she hadn't broken her ankle.

Words that introduce subordinate clauses

Exercise: Subordinate clauses 1

Exercise: Subordinate clauses 2

Exercise: Subjects of subordinate clauses

Exercise: Phrases and clauses

verb A word that expresses action (jump, think) or being (is, was, seems). A sentence's verb is composed of a main verb possibly preceded by one or more helping verbs.

adjective A word that modifies or describes a noun or pronoun: lame, old, rare, beautiful; also the articles a, an, the.

adverb A word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb: very, smoothly, never.