What are subordinate clauses?
First, you must understand that a subordinate clause begins its life as a complete sentence. Even as a subordinate clause, it retains its original subject-verb structure. All subordinate clauses have both a subject and a verb. Next, you must understand that the subordinate clause gives up its identity as a complete sentence to function as only a part of some other sentence. The subordinate clause may act as a noun (in any way a noun can function), an adjective, or an adverb in this other sentence. Because it gives up its identity as a whole sentence to become merely a part of some other sentences, we say it is “subordinated.” Subordinate clauses are not unimportant; they are merely stepping down from being independent sentences to function as lesser structures.
