Grammar in Context
Spring 2015
Institute of English and American Studies
University of Debrecen
Instructor: Éva Kardos
Adverbial Subordinate Clauses
Adverbial subordinate clauses are subordinate clauses that have an adverbial function. They
are often introduced by subordinators such as as soon as, before, and when. Consider (1).
(1)
a. I’ll call you as soon as I have completed the business plan.
b. The patient had died before the doctor arrived.
c. When you meet your boyfriend’s parents, portray modesty by wearing a simple
dress with matching shoes and accessories.
Sometimes the verb is non-finite in adverbial subordinate cluases, as in (2).
(2)
When meeting your boyfriend's parents, portray modesty by wearing a simple dress
with matching shoes and accessories.
Adverbial clauses fall into various groups depending on the subordinator. Some of these are as
follows:
(i)
Clauses of time are introduced by subordinators such as after, as, before, once, since,
until, and as soon as.
(3)
a. I will meet you after I have talked to my friend, Peter.
b. As I was walking down the beach, I ran into an old friend, Katie.
c. He was determined to go to her graduation party, whenever it was.
Q: What do the subordinators in boldface express in the examples above?
The participant in subject position and the copula can sometimes be omitted in
adverbial clauses, as in (4).
(4)
(ii)
You should wait a little before starting a big project like this.
Clauses of manner are introduced by the subordinators as if and as though.
(5)
I feel as if I had never done you justice.
Q: Can you think of a subordinator that can replace as if in (5), thereby making the
sentence more informal?
(iii)
Clauses of cause answer questions introduced by why. They fall into two groups:
clauses of purpose and clauses of result. Some examples are as follows:
1
Clauses of purpose:
(6)
a. He lowered his voice so Doris couldn't hear.
b. She turned away from the window lest anyone see them. (formal)
(Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, online version)
Clauses of reason:
(7)
(iv)
a. I cannot tell whether she is old or young, for I have never seen her. (formal)
d. Ann is guilty, inasmuch as she knew what the others were planning. (formal)
c. Since you are unable to answer, perhaps we should ask someone else.
(Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, online version)
Clauses of result are often introduced by so (that) or the expression with the
result.
(8)
a. The gravestones were covered with moss so that it was impossible to read
the names on them.
b. Sara wasn't at school last week, with the result that she missed an important
test.
(Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, online version)
(v)
Clauses of concession express a contrast with the main clause. Common
subordinators of such clauses are although, even though, though, whereas, and while.
(9)
a. Although I can't help admiring the man's courage, I do not approve of his
methods.
b. While there was no conclusive evidence, most people thought he was guilty.
c. Whereas the city spent over $1 billion on its museums and stadium, it failed
to look after its schools. (formal)
(Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, online version)
Alternatively, prepositional expressions can also be used to express a contrast, as in
(10).
(10)
a. In spite of having a lot of experience, she didn’t get the job.
b. Despite having a lot of experience, she didn’t get the job.
Supplementive clauses
A subset of adverbial subordinate clauses is the set of supplementive clauses or free adjuncts.
They contain a non-finite verb - a gerund-participle - and the participant in subject position is
omitted in them. They can express a variety of relationships with the main clause, such as time
and reason as well as instrumental and conditional relationships.
Q: Identify what relationship the subordinate clause has to the main clause in the following
examples.
(11)
a. Driving through the countryside, I found a beautiful winery with stone walls and
sturdy tables.
b. Not wanting to give away his plans, he decided to stay silent during the meeting.
2
c. Assuming that you want me to join your organization, what would you want me to
accomplish in the first 6 months?
d. Having discussed why we live in cities, we will analyze the economic problems that
arise because we are living in cities.
e. Twisting her body sideways, Susan freed herself from his grip.
(Cowan 2008: 560, (55a))
3