Pronounced Uh-Woo-bis AAAWWUBBIS!!! What does it mean??????

After Although As When While Until Because Before If Since Recognize these yet???? Here’s a hint…

Subordinate Conjunctions Words that CONNECT or JOIN two unequal parts (words, phrases, clauses) Subordinate Conjunctions

Why do we need them?? They help us write sentences that are not short, choppy, and boring. They help us form COMPLEX sentences by giving us a way to begin SUBORDINATE CLAUSES. AAAWWUBBIS doesn’t cover all of the subordinate conjunctions, but it covers the most common ones!

Subordinate Clauses Begin with a subordinate conjunction (AAAWWWUBBIS!) or a relative pronoun Contain both a subject AND a verb Do NOT make complete sentences by themselves

Examples After Andy sneezed all over the candy bar Introductory word? Subject? Verb? Complete sentence? Until Mom has her first cup of coffee While Sam slept in front of the tv Emphasize the fact that none of these can stand alone as sentences, They are all incomplete thoughts, or fragments, if we leave them alone. The next slide helps them add a main clause to make complete, complex sentences.

+ After Andy sneezed all over the candy bar Subordinate clause + Main clause After Andy sneezed all over the candy bar So what? What happened? Until Mom has her first cup of coffee What is she like? While Sam slept in front of the tv What went on around him? Who cares? Remind the kids that they already established that this is not a complete sentence and discuss what can be done to make it that way. Have the kids give you ideas about how to complete each sentence, then choose one of them and write the complete sentence on the board, labeling the subordinate clause and the main clause like it is at the top of the slide.

Complex sentence When you have a subordinate clause and a main clause like the ones you just created, you have a COMPLEX SENTENCE. Now, in groups of four, practice writing complex sentences. You have five minutes to write four complex sentences following the subordinate clause + main clause structure. You only need one pen and one piece of paper. You will pass that pen and paper to the person writing at the time. Person A will write the first subordinate clause and pass the paper to person B, who will add the main clause to complete the sentence. For sentence 2, person C will write the subordinate clause and person D will add the main clause. For sentences 3 and 4, you will switch. Person B will write the subordinate clause and person A will add the main clause; then person D will write the subordinate clause and person C will write the main clause. Have the SUBORDINATE CLAUSE + MAIN CLAUSE pattern on the board for this exercise so kids can refer back to it while they write.

Variations… You can change up the pattern to make your sentences a little less predictable. Try putting the main clause at the beginning instead of the end. For example, instead of Because she went to a movie instead of studying last night, Kendra did poorly on her math test today. Try this: Kendra did poorly on her math test today because she went to a movie instead of studying last night. Point out the features of the subordinate clause: introductory word (because), subject (she), verb (went), NOT a complete sentence

A note about punctuation… When you put the subordinate clause at the beginning of the sentence, you use a comma to separate the two clauses. Because she went to a movie instead of studying last night, Kendra did poorly on her math test today. When you put the subordinate clause at the end of the sentence, no comma is needed. Kendra did poorly on her math test today because she went to a movie instead of studying last night.

Your turn! In your group of four, you have a bunch of strips with clauses on them. Some are subordinate clauses and some are main clauses. You should have the same number of each. Work with your group to develop complex sentences out of the strips. Be creative, but each sentence MUST have a subordinate clause and a main clause. Some sentences should have the subordinate clause at the beginning and some should have it at the end. Be careful to use a comma strip when you have the subordinate clause at the beginning. When you have used all of your strips and are sure your sentences are put together correctly, raise your hand for your teacher to come check them. If you have questions as you go, be sure to ask. You have 15 minutes.