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Definitions from the Web

Subordinate Clause

A subordinate clause is a dependent clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence because it does not express a complete thought. It depends on an independent clause to form a complete sentence.

Sense 1: Grammatical Construction

A subordinate clause functions as an adverb, adjective, or noun within a sentence, providing additional information or modifying another clause.

Example Sentences:

1. Adverbial subordinate clause: After he finished his homework, John went to play basketball.
2. Adjectival subordinate clause: The dog that barks loudly scares the neighbors.
3. Nominal subordinate clause: I told him what I thought about his actions.

Sense 2: Popular Usage

In popular usage, people refer to phrases or clauses that are less important or subservient as subordinate clauses.

Example Sentences:

1. In his speech, the politician mentioned several important points, but most of them were just subordinate clauses.
2. Though not crucial to the story, the author included a few subordinate clauses to provide background information.

Sense 3: Local Usage

In local usage, the term "subordinate clause" may be commonly known and used within specific communities or language groups.

Example Sentences:

1. The linguistics professor discussed the topic of subordinate clauses during the local language convention.
2. While learning English, the student encountered several challenging aspects, one of which was understanding subordinate clauses.

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