The Adverb Clause

Recognize an adverb clause when you see one.

An adverb clause will meet three requirements:
First, it will contain a subject and verb.
You will also find a subordinate conjunction that keeps the clause from expressing a complete
thought.
Finally, you will notice that the clause answers one of these three adverb questions: How?
When? or Why?
Read these examples:
Tommy scrubbed the bathroom tile until his arms ached.
How did Tommy scrub? Until his arms ached, an adverb clause.
Josephine's three cats bolted from the driveway once they saw her car turn the corner.
When did the cats bolt? Once they saw her car turn the corner, an adverb clause.
After her appointment at the orthodontist, Danielle cooked eggs for dinner because she could
easily chew an omelet.
Why did Danielle cook eggs? Because she could easily chew an omelet, an adverb clause.
An adverb may be a single word such as quickly, here or yesterday (see the page Adverbs), or a
phrase such as the day before yesterday or to see my mother (see the pageAdverb Phrases).
However, adverbs can also be clauses, containing a subject and a full verb. This page will
explain the basic types of adverb clauses (sometimes called "adverbial clauses") and how to
recognize them.
Adverbs, adverb phrases, and adverb clauses
Look at these sentences:
I saw the movie yesterday.
I saw the movie on Friday.
I saw the movie before I left for Calgary.
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In the first sentence, yesterday is a one-word adverb, on Friday is an adverb phrase, and
before I left for Calgary is an adverb clause. All of them answer the question When?, but the
adverb clause has a subject (I) and a full verb (left). It is introduced by before, so it is
a dependent clause. This means that it cannot stand alone: Before I left for Calgary would not
be a full sentence. It needs a main clause (I saw the movie). An adverb clause, then, is a
dependent clause that does the same job as an adverb or an adverb phrase.
Types of adverb clause
There are many types of adverb clauses. Here are some examples of the most common types:
Type

Question answered

Example

Place

Where?

Wherever there are computers, there is

Microsoft software.

Time

When?

After the fruit is harvested, it is sold at the

market.

Cause

Why? (What caused this?)

I didn't call her because I'm shy.

Purpose

Why? (What was the reason for

doing this?)

She took a computer course so that she

could get a better job.

Concessio
n

Why is this unexpected?

Although Jay has a Master's degree, he

works as a store clerk.

Condition

Under what conditions?

If you save your money, you will be able

to go to college.

As you can see from the examples above, most adverb clauses can be recognized because they
are introduced by a particular word or phrase (such as "when" and "so that"). These words and
phrases are called subordinating conjunctions, and there are many of them, including these:
after, before, until, while, because, since, as, so that, in order that, if, unless, whether, though,
although, even though, where
When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with the exercises.
Noun Clauses
See The Sentence for definitions of sentence, clause, and dependent clause.
A sentence which contains just one clause is called a simple sentence.
A sentence which contains one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses is called
a complex sentence. (Dependent clauses are also called subordinate clauses.)
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There are three basic types of dependent clauses: adjective clauses, adverb clauses,
and noun clauses. (Adjective clauses are also called relativeclauses.)
This page contains information about noun clauses. Also see Adjective Clauses and Adverb
Clauses.

A. Noun clauses perform the same functions in sentences that nouns do:
A noun clause can be a subject of a verb:
What Billy did shocked his friends.
A noun clause can be an object of a verb:
Billys friends didnt know that he couldnt swim.
A noun clause can be a subject complement:
Billys mistake was that he refused to take lessons.
A noun clause can be an object of a preposition:
Mary is not responsible for what Billy did.
A noun clause (but not a noun) can be an adjective complement:
Everybody is sad that Billy drowned.

B. You can combine two independent clauses by changing one to a noun clause and using it
in one of the ways listed above. The choice of the noun clause marker (see below) depends on
the type of clause you are changing to a noun clause:
To change a statement to a noun clause use that:
I know + Billy made a mistake =
I know that Billy made a mistake.
To change a yes/no question to a noun clause, use if or whether:
George wonders + Does Fred know how to cook? =
George wonders if Fred knows how to cook.
To change a wh-question to a noun clause, use the wh-word:
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I dont know + Where is George? =

I dont know where George is.
C. The subordinators in noun clauses are called noun clause markers. Here is a list of
the noun clause markers:
that
if, whether
Wh-words: how, what, when, where, which, who, whom, whose, why
Wh-ever words: however, whatever, whenever, wherever, whichever, whoever, whomever

D. Except for that, noun clause markers cannot be omitted. Only that can be omitted, but it
can be omitted only if it is not the first word in a sentence:
correct:
Billys friends didnt know that he couldnt swim.
correct:
Billys friends didnt know he couldnt swim.
correct:
Billys mistake was that he refused to take lessons.
correct:
Billys mistake was he refused to take lessons.
correct:
That Billy jumped off the pier surprised everyone.
not correct:
* Billy jumped off the pier surprised everyone.

E. Statement word order is always used in a noun clause, even if the main clause is a
question:
not correct:
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* Do you know what time is it? (Question word order: is it)

correct:
Do you know what time it is? (Statement word order: it is)
not correct:
* Everybody wondered where did Billy go. (Question word order: did Billy go)
correct:
Everybody wondered where Billy went. (Statement word order: Billy went)

F. Sequence of tenses in sentences containing noun clauses:

When the main verb (the verb in the independent clause) is present, the verb in the noun clause
is:
future if its action/state is later
He thinks that the exam next week will be hard.
He thinks that the exam next week is going to be hard.
present if its action/state is at the same time
He thinks that Mary is taking the exam right now.
past if its action/state is earlier
He thinks that George took the exam yesterday.
When the main verb (the verb in the independent clause) is past, the verb in the noun clause is:
was/were going to or would + BASE if its action/state is later
He thought that the exam the following week was going to be hard.
He thought that the exam the following week would be hard.
past if its action/state is at the same time
He thought that Mary was taking the exam then.
past perfect if its action/state is earlier
He thought that George had taken the exam the day before.
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If the action/state of the noun clause is still in the future (that is, after the writer has written the
sentence), then a future verb can be used even if the main verb is past.
The astronaut said that people will live on other planets someday.
If the action/state of the noun clause continues in the present (that is, at the time the writer is
writing the sentence) or if the noun clause expresses ageneral truth or fact, the simple present
tense can be used even if the main verb is past.
We learned that English is not easy.
The boys knew that the sun rises in the east.

G. Here are some examples of sentences which contain one noun clause (underlined) and
one independent clause:
Noun clauses as subjects of verbs:
That George learned how to swim is a miracle.
Whether Fred can get a better job is not certain.
What Mary said confused her parents.
However you learn to spell is OK with me.
Noun clauses as objects of verbs:
We didnt know that Billy would jump.
We didnt know Billy would jump.
Can you tell me if Fred is here?
I dont know where he is.
George eats whatever is on his plate.
Noun clauses as subject complements:
The truth is that Billy was not very smart.
The truth is Billy was not very smart.
The question is whether other boys will try the same thing.
The winner will be whoever runs fastest.
Noun clauses as objects of prepositions:
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Billy didnt listen to what Mary said.

He wants to learn about whatever is interesting.
Noun clauses as adjective complements:
He is happy that he is learning English.
We are all afraid that the final exam will be difficult.
Adjective Clauses
First, lets remember that adjectives modify (or describe) nouns and pronouns.
Example:
Intelligent students understand adjectives.
(The word "intelligent" is an adjective because it describes the noun "students.")
But adjectives are not always single words. Sometimes they are clauses:
Example:
Students who are intelligent understand adjectives.
(The adjective clause is underlined. It is an "adjective" clause because it describes the noun
"students.")
Remember
A clause is a group of related words with a subject and verb.
Remember
Adjective clauses are always dependent clauses.

Adjective clauses, like adverb clauses, are introduced by dependent signals.

If you want to be considered cool and impress members of the opposite sex, remember this:
Subordinating conjunctions introduce adverb clauses and relative pronouns introduce
adjective clauses.
OK, OK, so that wont impress most members of the opposite sexonly English majors.
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If you happen to be in love with a botanist, a cocktail waitress or a rock singer, it will be
OK just to remember this:
Adverb and adjective clauses are both introduced by dependent signals, but those signals
are different.
And now the good news (finally!). . .
There are only five words which introduce adjective clauses.
They are called relative pronouns because they relate the clause to something in the
sentence.
If you find yourself not caring a hoot in a far country about that, just remember that there
are only five dependent signals which introduce adjective clauses. They are:
Who
Whom
Whose
Which
That
A Word of Caution:
Sometimes these words function as dependent signals, but sometimes they dont.
Example:
How did you come up with that?
("That" doesnt introduce a clause. It identifies something. If you really want to know, it is
a demonstrative pronoun. But dont worry your noggin about that now. Just be aware that these
dependent signals can sometimes do other things.)
Lets look at a couple of examples:
I love sentences which extol the virtues of English teachers.
(The adjective clause is underlined. It modifies the object "sentences.")
Students whom I admire want to become English teachers.
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(Again, the adjective clause is underlined and modifies the subject "students.")
Remember
A noun is a subject or an object, so adjectives will always modify subjects or objects.
Lets look at these sentences a little more closely.
I love sentences which extol the virtues of English teachers.
(The verb of this clause is "extol." The subject is "which" because it stands for "sentences.")
Students whom I admire want to become English teachers.
(The verb of this clause is "admire." The subject of the clause is "I." The object is "whom.")
If you are well fed, well rested, and psychologically at peace with yourself, you have no doubt
come to an astonishing realization.
Dependent signals which introduce adjective clauses perform a double duty. They introduce
the clause and they also function inside the clause as a subject or object.
Therefore, I call these little devils (sorry, I mean these relative pronouns), double duty
dependent signals.
Again, the double duty dependent signals which introduce adjective clauses are:
Who
Whom
Whose
Which
That

But what about these examples?

The grade I received was a shock.
(We dont see any dependent signal do we? But we know we have two clauses because we have
two subject-verb combinations"grade/was," "I/received.")
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The book I borrowed was full of grammatical wisdom.

(No dependent signal here either. But we have two subject verb combinations"book/was" and
"I/borrowed"so we know we have two clauses.)
Look at them now:
The grade [that] I received was a shock.
The book [that] I borrowed was full of grammatical wisdom.
(Heres the point. Sometimes the dependent signal [usually "that"] is implied. Mentally insert it,
and the sentence will be easier to analyze.)
Theres only one more thing about adjective clauses that you need to know. Its something
youve never, ever understood, and Im going to explain it so that youll never, ever forget it.
(So try to contain your joy!)
Some adjective clauses need to be set off by commas and others dont.
Now heres the part youve never understoodnon-restrictive clauses need commas
and restrictive clauses dont.
"What in the Sam Hill is the difference?" you say.
It is this:
Some adjective clauses are like gossip, they provide additional detail about someone (or
something) whose identity we already know. Put commas around those.
Examples:
My English teacher, who wears old fashioned ties, is laughed at by the students.
(The adjective clause is underlined. It doesnt identify the English teacher; it just provides a
gossipy sort of detail about him. Set these off with commas.)

My English book, which is a monument of boredom, is used mainly as a door stop.

(Once again, the adjective clause is underlined. It doesnt identify the English book, it just
provides a gossipy, editorial comment about it. Set this clause off with a comma.)
Now take a look at these:
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The English teachers that I like best forget to go to class.

(This isnt pure gossip any longer. The writer doesnt like all English teachers equally well. The
adjective clause identifies which ones he likes best. Because it helps identify, dont set if off with
commas. )
Anyone who reads all of this will go away happier and wiser.
(Once again, this clause identifies who will go away happier and wiser. Its not gossip, its
essential information, so dont put commas around it.)

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