Download LESSON 26: DEPENDENT CLAUSES (ADVERB)

LESSON 26: DEPENDENT CLAUSES (ADVERB)
Relevant Review
•
Clauses are groups of words with a subject and a verb.
•
Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
o
They answer the adverb questions. (How? When? Where? Why? To what
extent?)
Lesson
Do you remember that phrases are groups of words that don’t have a subject and a
verb? Do you also remember that phrases act as single parts of speech? I hope so!
Phrases are units of language. You’ve studied verb phrases and prepositional phrases.
Today, we'll learn about another kind of language unit: clauses.
Way back in lesson 16, you started to learn about clauses, and it's time for us to learn
more!
A clause is a group of words that does contain a subject and a verb.
The cat meowed.
Whenever the cat meowed
Both of those examples are clauses. They both contain a subject (cat) and a verb
(meowed).
Did you notice anything funny about those two clauses? The first clause can stand alone
as a complete sentence and the second clause can't!
We have names that we give to these two main categories of clauses: independent
clauses and dependent clauses.
An independent clause (also called a main clause) is a group of words with a
subject and a verb. It expresses a complete thought.
Independent clauses are independent, and can stand alone as complete ideas.
Every complete sentence needs at least one independent clause.
Examples: Mark ate dinner at 6:00. The cat meowed.
I swam at the health club.
The sentences we’ve diagrammed so far have all contained only independent clauses.
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1 A dependent clause (also called a subordinate clause) is a group of words with
a subject and a verb. It doesn't express a complete thought.
Dependent clauses cannot stand alone. They are dependent and need to be
attached to an independent clause in order to make sense.
Examples:
Because Mark ate dinner at 6:00
Whenever the cat meowed
Since I swam at the health club
Did you notice that those examples of dependent clauses each had a subject and a verb
but they didn't express a complete idea?
This next bit of information might just blow your mind. Dependent clauses function as
one part of speech! The WHOLE CLAUSE comes together to perform the job of an
adverb, adjective, or noun.
Over the next few lessons, we'll learn about all three kinds of dependent clauses. Right
now, we’ll study dependent clauses that act as adverbs.
They Act As One Part of Speech (Adverbs)
Jim ran yesterday.
Yesterday is a one-word adverb telling us more about the verb ran. It’s telling us WHEN
he ran.
Jim ran at daybreak.
At daybreak is an adverbial prepositional phrase telling us more about the verb ran. It’s
telling us WHEN he ran. You know all about prepositional phrases.
Jim ran before he ate breakfast.
Before he ate breakfast is telling us more about the verb ran. It’s still telling us WHEN he
ran, but this time, it’s not one word and it’s not a phrase. It is a whole clause!
Before he ate breakfast is a dependent clause. It has a subject (he) and verb (ate), and it
can’t stand alone because it doesn't express a complete thought.
Since the clause is modifying the verb of the independent clause (ran), it’s acting as an
adverb. It is a dependent adverb clause. You can call these kinds of clauses adverb
clauses for short if you'd like.
Tip: Adverb clauses answer the adverb questions.
Subordinating Conjunctions
Adverb clauses are introduced by special words called subordinating conjunctions. In the
example above, before is the subordinating conjunction.
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You know that coordinating conjunctions join sentence elements that are equal.
Subordinating conjunctions also join things together. Guess what they join together?
Subordinating conjunctions introduce dependent adverb clauses. They connect
dependent adverb clauses to independent clauses.
Examples: because, before, until, after, whenever, if, while, when, since
They are also the words that make dependent adverb clauses dependent. Look at this
independent clause.
Shelby cuts my hair.
Look at what happens when we put a subordinating conjunction at the beginning.
Whenever Shelby cuts my hair
Presto! Just by adding the subordinating conjunction, we made the independent clause a
dependent clause!
Diagramming Dependent Adverb Clauses
Jim ran before he ate breakfast.
Diagram the independent clause at the top. Diagram the dependent adverb clause below
it. Connect the two clauses with a slanted, dotted line originating from the word in the
independent clause that the adverb clause is modifying (ran).
Put the subordinating conjunction on the dotted line. Notice that the whole clause acts as
an adverb, but the individual words play their own roles within the clause.
before he ate breakfast
before
subordinating conjunction
he
subject (pronoun)
ate
verb (transitive active)
breakfast
dependent adverb clause (adverb)
direct object (noun)
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3 Lesson 26 Sentence Diagramming Exercises
1. If our team wins the game, we’ll celebrate!
Key
If our team wins the game, we’ll celebrate!
we’ll celebrate
we
sentence – statement
independent clause
subject of independent clause (pronoun)
‘ll celebrate
verb phrase (independent clause)
‘ll (or will)
helping verb (independent clause)
celebrate
main verb (intransitive complete)
(independent clause)
dependent clause (adverb)
(telling us WHEN we’ll celebrate)
subordinating conjunction introducing
adverb clause
subject of adverb clause (noun)
If our team wins the game
If
team
our
adjective in adverb clause
wins
verb of adverb clause (transitive active)
game
direct object of adverb clause (noun)
the
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adjective in adverb clause
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2. I smile whenever I see him.
Key
I smile whenever I see him.
I smile
sentence – statement
independent clause
I
subject of independent clause (pronoun)
smile
I
verb of independent clause (intransitive
complete)
dependent clause (adverb)
(telling us WHEN I smile)
subordinating conjunction introducing
adverb clause
subject of adverb clause (pronoun)
see
verb of adverb clause (transitive active)
him
direct object of adverb clause(pronoun)
whenever I see him
whenever
Before or After?
Dependent clauses can come before or after independent clauses.
Jim ran before he ate breakfast. ---> Before he ate breakfast, Jim ran.
I love it whenever Shelby cuts my hair. ---> Whenever Shelby cuts my hair, I love it.
If the dependent clause comes before the independent clause, it’s followed by a comma.
If it comes after the independent clause, it does not need a comma.
Your sentence diagrams will look the same no matter which clause comes first. Always
diagram the independent clause at the top and the dependent clause below it.
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5 3. Since you baked chocolate cookies, I will eat one.
Key
Since you baked chocolate cookies, I will
eat one.
I will eat one
I
sentence - statement
independent clause
subject of independent clause (pronoun)
will eat
verb phrase (independent clause)
will
helping verb (independent clause)
eat
main verb (transitive active) (independent
clause)
direct object (pronoun) (independent
clause)
dependent clause (adverb)
(telling us WHY I will eat one)
subordinating conjunction introducing
dependent clause
subject of adverb clause (pronoun)
one
Since you baked chocolate cookies
Since
you
baked
cookies
chocolate
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verb of adverb clause (transitive active)
direct object of adverb clause (noun)
adjective in adverb clause
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4. We can see the movie after we run around the lake.
Key
We can see the movie after
we run around the lake.
We can see the movie
We
independent clause
subject of independent clause (pronoun)
can see
verb phrase (independent clause)
can
helping verb (independent clause)
see
main verb (transitive active) (independent
clause)
direct object (noun) (independent clause)
movie
the
after we run around the lake
after
we
run
around the lake
around
sentence – statement
adjective (independent clause)
dependent clause (adverb)
(telling us WHEN we can see the movie)
subordinating conjunction introducing
adverb clause
subject of adverb clause (pronoun)
verb of adverb clause (intransitive
complete)
prepositional phrase in adverb clause
(adverb)
preposition
lake
object of the preposition (noun)
the
adjective
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7 5. Shop until you drop.
Key
Shop until you drop.
sentence – command
Shop
independent clause
(you)
subject of independent clause (pronoun)
Shop
verb of independent clause (intransitive
complete)
dependent clause (adverb)
(telling us HOW to shop)
subordinating conjunction introducing
adverb clause
subject of adverb clause (pronoun)
until you drop
until
you
drop
verb of adverb clause (intransitive
complete)
Tip: Some words can act as prepositions or subordinating conjunctions. If the word is
part of a prepositional phrase, it is acting as a preposition.
We can see the movie AFTER dinner.
Shop UNTIL noon.
If the word has a subject and a verb after it, it is acting as a subordinating conjunction.
We can see the movie AFTER we run around the lake.
Shop UNTIL you drop.
Do you see the difference?
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Extra Practice: Diagramming Adverb Clauses
Directions: Diagram the following sentences on a separate sheet of paper.
Teachers, the answers are on the next page.
1. We need our passports because we are traveling to France.
2. I’ll pack my swimsuit since our hotel has a pool.
3. I ate escargot when we visited Paris.
4. We stayed at the museum until it closed.
5. Although it was loud, I slept on the airplane.
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9 Lesson 26 Extra Practice Answers
Diagramming Adverb Clauses
1. We need our passports because we are
2. I’ll pack my swimsuit since our
traveling to France.
hotel has a pool.
3. I ate escargot when we visited Paris.
4. We stayed at the museum until it
closed.
5. Although it was loud, I slept on the airplane.
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