10-Minute Grammar 19: Subordinators and Subordinate Clauses, Part II

Welcome to Part II of II of Subordinators! (Part I is Episode 16–find all the details at LALBlog or listen at iTunes.)

 

In this episode, I review my first two tricks for teaching students lists of subordinators:

 

(1) First seven subordinators learned in rhyme:

 

Since, when, because, though

As, if, that, although!

 

(2) Subordinate-Check Sentence—

 

75% of the dozens of subordinators fit into this check sentence (and, it also shows that subordinators are subordinate to the rest of the sentence---like submarines go down!):

_______ the submarine went down, we could still/not see it.

 

After that review, I teach about the power of using terminology and tricks that have something to do with what that part of speech is or does.

 

In the case of subordinate clauses, I like to use the term subordinate clauses over dependent clauses since the subordinator is the first word in a subordinate clause….

 

And subordinate means less. A subordinate clause is less than a real sentence and cannot be used unless it has a complete sentence added to it:

 

Sub clause, complete sentence.

 

 

Lastly, I explain four important reasons to have students memorize/recognize Subordinators (and eventually recognize subordinate clauses quickly and easily):

 

• Subordinate clauses are bot sentences —recognizing sentences and non-sentences is one of the crucial early writing skills.
• Punctuating subordinate clause openers and putting complete sentences with openers properly is essential.
• Subordinate clauses have subjects and verbs and need to have these match in tense and number—just like a sentence does.
• It will be important later to learn the details of advanced punctuation with subordinate clauses in various positions in a sentence.

 

Learn more about memorizing parts of speech through a weekly Think Fast Grammar Quiz (Beginner and Advanced).

 

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