Adverb Clause [PDF]

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An adverb clause is a group of words that function as an adverb. The clause can modify verbs, adverbs and adjectives by telling when, where, why, how, how much and under what condition. They begin with a subordinating conjunction (such as after, if, because and although) and they contain a subject and a predicate. Adverb Clauses Here are some examples of adverb clauses, which are underlined:  Whether you like it or not, you have to go to bed now.  She likes the red car more than her husband does.  If you pay your bills, you will have a good credit score.  Unless you run fast, you will miss the bus.  So that she would have a tan for her vacation, she went to a tanning salon.  Marty kept his schedule open, in case of emergencies.  Because he loved her, he didn’t believe she had an affair.  Once they saw the car coming, the birds flew away from the street.  Although she has a business degree, she is working as a retail clerk.  You must keep practicing the etude until you get it right.  In order to have six-pack abs, he works out at the gym.  As we bought the tickets, the overture was beginning.  Before we go on vacation, we must make reservations.  Give us a call when you get back from your trip.  I won’t allow you to see that movie, even though you are old enough.  We’ll go to the bar where they asked us to wait.  Since I'll be working late, I’ll eat downtown.  Wherever there is a beach, sun worshippers will gather.  While others saw the glass half empty, Barry saw it half full.  The fireworks show will start after the sun goes down.  That is the last of the soda, as far as I know.  Whenever you promise to so something, you need to keep it.  Now that everyone has left the party, we need to start cleaning.  No matter how many times I try to stop, I just can’t give up chocolate.  Insofar as it can be determined, this is the best car on the market.  We can get some new clothes provided the store is open this late.  The cat made herself at home in the apartment as if she had always lived there.  Frank ran the race as though his life depended on it.  The people of Italy and Greece are similar in that they live near the Mediterranean Sea.  He remembered to wear his jacket lest he catch a cold.  We can swim in the pool as soon as we put on plenty of sunscreen.  Even if all around you are losing their heads, you need to remain calm.  Supposing your son took the car without permission, what would your punishment be?  Delaware was the first state that signed the Constitution.  Inasmuch as I would like to recommend you for the position, I just can’t do it.  I never knew how wonderful life could be till I met you.  There may come a time when I would do this, though I can’t imagine when that would be.



What Are Adverbial Clauses? (with Examples) An adverbial clause is a group of words which plays the role of an adverb. (Like all clauses, an adverbial clause will contain a subject and a verb.) For example:  Keep hitting the gong hourly. (normal adverb)  Keep hitting the gong until I tell you to stop. (adverbial clause) In the examples above, the normal adverb and adverbial clause both tell us when the gong is to be hit. They are both adverbs of time. All adverbs (including adverbial clauses) can usually be categorized as one of the following:



Adverbs of Time An adverb of time states when something happens or how often. An adverb of time often starts with one of the following subordinating conjunctions: after, as, as long as, as soon as, before, no sooner than, since, until, when, or while. Here are some examples:  After the game has finished, the king and pawn go into the same box. (Italian Proverb)  I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph. (Shirley Temple)  As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) Adverbs of Place An adverb of place states where something happens. An adverb of place often starts with a preposition (e.g., in, on, near) or one of the following subordinating conjunctions: anywhere, everywhere, where, or wherever. Here are some examples:  In a world where there is so much to be done, I felt strongly impressed that there must be something for me to do. (Dorothea Dix)  I am not afraid of the pen, the scaffold, or the sword. I will tell the truth wherever I please. (Mother Jones) Adverbs of Manner An adverb of manner states how something is done. An adverb of manner often starts with one of the following subordinating conjunctions: as, like, or the way. Here are some examples:  He acts like it is a joke.  We don't have conversations. You talk at me the way a teacher talks to a naughty student.  Except for an occasional heart attack, I feel as young as I ever did. (Robert Benchley) Adverbs of Degree or Comparison An adverb of degree states to what degree something is done or offers a comparison. An adverb of degree often starts with one of the following subordinating conjunctions: than, as...as, so...as, or the...the. Here are some examples:  A vacuum is a hell of a lot better than some of the stuff that nature replaces it with. (Tennessee Williams)  He is as smart as he is tall.  She is not so bright as she thinks she is. Sometimes, the verb in an adverb of degree is understood (i.e., not present). For example:  You are taller than I. (In this example, the verb am has been omitted. This is permissible.)  You are taller than I am. (This is the full version.)  You are taller than me. (This is the colloquial version. This version might irk some of your grammar-savvy readers, but it is acceptable.) Read more about choosing between than I and than me. Adverbs of Condition An adverb of condition states the condition for the main idea to come into effect. An adverb of condition often starts with if or unless. Here are some examples:  If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts. (Albert Einstein)  If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur. (Doug Larson)  If all the rich people in the world divided up their money among themselves, there wouldn't be enough to go around. (Christina Stead, 1903-1983) Adverbs of Concession An adverb of concession offers a statement which contrasts with the main idea. An adverb of concession often starts with one of the following subordinating conjunctions: though, although, even though, while, whereas, or even if. Here are some examples:  Although golf was originally restricted to wealthy, overweight Protestants, today it's open to anybody who owns hideous clothing. (Dave Barry)  A loud voice cannot compete with a clear voice, even if it's a whisper. (Barry Neil Kaufman)



Adverbs of Reason An adverb of reason offers a reason for the main idea. An adverb of reason often starts with one of the following subordinating conjunctions: as, because, given, or since. Here are some examples:  I don't have a bank account, because I don't know my mother's maiden name. (Paula Poundstone)  Since you are like no other being ever created since the beginning of time, you are incomparable. (Brenda Ueland) Properties of an Adverbial Clause Here are the properties of an adverbial clause:  An adverbial clause is an adjunct. This means it can be removed without the sentence being grammatically wrong.  An adverbial clause is a dependent clause. This means it cannot stand alone as meaningful sentence in its own right.  An adverbial clause usually starts with a subordinating conjunction (e.g., although, because, if, until, when)  An adverbial clause will contain a subject and a verb. (This is what makes it a clause as opposed to a phrase.) Adverb Clauses You already know that some types of clauses are subordinate, or dependent. This means that they do not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence. These dependent clauses have three functions: as nouns, as adjectives, or as adverbs. An adverb clause is a dependent clause that acts as an adverb in the sentence.Adverb clauses begin with subordinating conjunctions. Unlike an adjective clause, in which the introductory word serves as the subject, the subordinating conjunction does not serve as the subject. The subordinating conjunction is often an adverb itself. Examples of Adverb Clauses: Here is a partial list of words that can serve as subordinating conjunctions : If



though



because



since



after



although



when



wherever



so that



How to find an adverb clause: 1) A dependent clause in a sentence will always contain both a subject and a verb. Make sure that when you find something you think is a clause that it does have a subject and a verb. 2) An adverb clause will always begin with a subordinating conjunction. These words are adverbs-they often answer questions like when, where, why, how, under what conditions, in what manner, or two what extent. Does the clause that you found begin with one of those? 3) Finally, does the clause answer the same types of questions that an adverb answers? Does it tell you when, where, why, how, under what conditions, to what extent, in what manner? Does it give you more information about the verb, an adjective, or another adverb. If so, then you have found an adverb clause. 4) Adverb clauses can often be moved around in a sentence, and the sentence will still make sense-even if you put them at the beginning or the end of the sentence. Noun clauses and adjective clauses cannot be moved. This is another way to check to see if you have an adverb clause. Examples of sentences with adverb clauses, with explanations: Before I go to bed, I brush my teeth. The subject of the dependent clause is "I" and the verb is "go". The subordinating conjunction is "before". This clause tells us when I brush my teeth. Put the hammer down because you might hurt someone.



The subject of the dependent clause is "you" and the verb is "might hurt". The subordinating conjunction is "because". This clause tells us why the person should put the hammer down. More sentences containing adverb clauses: 1) When you get home, call me. (tells us when the person should call) 2) Put the games up so that you can eat your dinner. (tells us why the games should be put away) 3) Wherever you see a rainbow, a rain shower has been recent. (tells us where the rain shower has been) 4) I have to leave while Jamie was playing basketball. (tells us when the person had to leave) 5) I will give you a cookie if you clean your plate. (tells us under what conditions the cookie will be given) 6) I am sad, although you did a good job of trying to cheer me up. (tells us under what conditions I am sad) 7) Since you are coming over anyway, why don't you bring your bike? (tells us why to bring the bike) 8) You must go to bed after we watch the fireworks tonight. (tells us when you must go to bed) Adverbial Clauses are phrases that function as an adverb in a sentence. Adverbial Clauses can be used to show time (temporal clauses) or cause (causal clauses). Temporal Adverbial Clauses (showing time): While I was fishing last year, I caught a fish. After we finished hiking for the day, we took a nap. Causal Adverbial Clauses (showing cause): Because my sister knew how I felt, she took me to the mall. Since I had never been to Japan, I brought a guide book with me. However, we can use "ING" to make these clauses shorter, provided that the subject in the adverbial clause is the same as the subject in the main clause. For example: Full Adverbial Clause (Subjects are underlined.)



Reduced Adverbial Clause using ING



While I was biking last summer, I fell and hurt my knee.



(While) biking last summer, I fell and hurt my knee.



After we had pitched the tent, we ate dinner.



After pitching the tent, we ate dinner.



Because Jessie knew I had forgotten mine, she let me borrow her sleeping bag.



Knowing I had forgotten mine, Jessie let me borrow her sleeping bag. (** Notice, "mine" and "sleeping bag" also refer to the same thing.)



Since I had never played Spades before, I was not very good.



Having never played Spades before, I was not very good.



Since I had never played Spades before, Joe took his time explaining the game to me.



WRONG: Having never played Spades before, Joe took his time explaining the game to me. Written this way, this sentence means that Joe had never played before. The full clause therefore cannot be reduced, because it has 2 different subjects, "I" and "Joe."



Some adverbial clauses can also use "ED," however, the subjects of both parts of the sentence still must be the same. For example:



Full Adverbial Clause



Reduced Adverbial Clause Using ED



Because we were exposed to the sun for so long, we got sunburned.



(Being) exposed to the sun for so long, we got sunburned.



Jody was embarrassed by the photo, so she left.



Embarrassed by the photo, Jody left.



Mom was concerned about Tommy, so she called the police.



Concerned about Tommy, Mom called the police.



Because I was irritated by the dog, Joanne put it in the backyard.



WRONG: Irritated by the dog, Joanne put it in the backyard. Written this way, the sentence means that Joanne was irritated by the dog. The full clause therefore cannot be reduced, because it has 2 different subjects, "I" and "Joanne."



The Reduced Adverbial Clause does not have to be the first clause in the sentence. For Example: The family left, irritated that the bears had stolen their food.



Irritated that the bears had stolen their food, the family left.



Jill stared at the sky, looking for signs of life among the stars.



Looking for signs of life among the stars, Jill stared at the sky.



Common Errors: Dangling Participles Using a heater, the house was much warmer.



This means that the house was using a heater itself. Reword: Using a heater, I felt much warmer.



Sealed in an airtight container, Jill kept her flour fresh.



This means that Jill is sealed in a waterproof container. Reword: Sealed in an airtight container, the flour was kept fresh by Jill.



CONJUNCTIONS Conjunctions are words used as joiners. Different kinds of conjunctions join different kinds of grammatical structures. The following are the kinds of conjunctions:



A. COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS (FANBOYS) for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so Coordinating conjunctions join equals to one another: words to words,



phrases to phrases,



clauses to clauses.



Coordinating conjunctions usually form looser connections than other conjunctions do.



Coordinating conjunctions go in between items joined, not at the beginning or end.



Punctuation with coordinating conjunctions: When a coordinating conjunction joins two words, phrases, or subordinate clauses, no comma should be placed before the conjunction.



A coordinating conjunction joining three or more words, phrases, or subordinate clauses creates a series and requires commas between the elements.



A coordinating conjunction joining two independent clauses creates a compound sentence and requires a comma before the coordinating conjunction



B. CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS either. . .or neither. . . nor



both. . . and not only. . . but also



These pairs of conjunctions require equal (parallel) structures after each one.



C. CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS These conjunctions join independent clauses together. The following are frequently used conjunctive adverbs: after all in addition also incidentally as a result indeed besides in fact consequently in other words finally instead for example likewise furthermore meanwhile hence moreover however nevertheless



next nonetheless on the contrary on the other hand otherwise still then therefore thus



Punctuation:



Place a semicolon before the conjunctive adverb and a comma after theconjunctive adverb.



D. SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS These words are commonly used as subordinating conjunctions



after although as as far as as soon as as if as though because before even if even though how if inasmuch as in case (that)



in order (that) insofar as in that lest no matter how now that once provided (that) since so that supposing (that) than that though till



unless until when whenever where wherever whether while why



Subordinating conjunctions also join two clauses together, but in doing so, they make one clause dependent (or "subordinate") upon the other.



A subordinating conjunction may appear at a sentence beginning or between two clauses in a sentence.



A subordinate conjunction usually provides a tighter connection between clauses than a coordinating conjunctions does. Loose: It is raining, so we have an umbrella. Tight: Because it is raining, we have an umbrella.



Punctuation Note: When the dependent clause is placed first in a sentence, use a comma between the two clauses. When the independent clause is placed first and the dependent clause second, do not separate the two clauses with a comma.



We also use “when” to mean “every time” I still feel tired when I wake up in the morning. We also use “when” to mean “every time” I still feel tired when I wake up in the morning.