1. Subordinate Clauses and Complex Sentences

2. What’s a clause? A clause is a part of a sentence.
There are two main types:
independent clauses
We’ve talked about these before
dependent clauses (subordinate)

3. Dependent Clauses
A dependent clause is NOT a complete sentence and DOES NOT express a complete thought.
It is also known as a subordinate clause.
Sub- meaning below, and –ordinate meaning of rank. “Below-rank”: subject to, dependent on.
It can’t stand on its own, because it is dependent. So you have to join it with an independent clause!

4. Dependent Clauses
A dependent clause does have a subject and a predicate, but it doesn’t express a full thought.
It can be at the beginning, middle, or end of a complex sentence.
It will start with a subordinating conjunction…
And no, you won’t have to memorize them all!

5. Don’t worry about remembering these or writing them all down!
After Although As Because Before Even if Even though If In order that once Provided that Rather than Since So that Than That Though Unless Until When Whenever Where Whereas Wherever Whether While Why

6. Okay so how does this work…
Writers use subordination to combine two ideas in a single sentence. Read these two simple sentences:
Cade gasped.
A six-foot snake slithered across the sidewalk.
Since the two simple sentences are related, you can combine them to express the action more effectively:
Cade gasped when a six-foot snake slithered across the sidewalk.

7. Let’s see some examples…
Unless the game goes on sale, I will not be able to buy it.
Although I have sixty dollars, I didn’t stop to think about how much tax would be.
Mr. Applebaum loves to play video games, even if some people think he’s too old for them.