Main and Subordinate Clauses in English - Ace English Club

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Get 20% Off Your First Month — Use Code EARLYBIRD20

Get 20% Off Your First Month — Use Code EARLYBIRD20

Get 20% Off Your First Month — Use Code EARLYBIRD20

Get 20% Off Your First Month — Use Code EARLYBIRD20

Get 20% Off Your First Month — Use Code EARLYBIRD20

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Grammar
A1

Main and Subordinate Clauses in English

A clause includes a subject and a verb.

There are 2 distinct clauses in English – main and subordinate.

In this lesson, you’ll learn these clauses and practise using them.

What are the 2 clauses?

Main Clause

Includes a subject and verb
The sentence makes sense on its own

Subordinate Clause

Includes a conjunction to add more information
The sentence doesn’t make sense on its own

Examples

1. The dog barked.

2. I was asleep when the phone rang.

3. We didn’t go outside because it was raining.

Subordinate conjunctions are used with subordinate clauses

Practise

Complete these sentences using the groups of words.

Common mistakes learners make

Treating the subordinate clause as a complete sentence
Using the wrong subordinate conjunction
Overloading sentences with too many clauses

Common mistakes learners make

Treating the subordinate clause as a complete sentence
Using the wrong subordinate conjunction
Overloading sentences with too many clauses

Watch: Clauses explained by a British tutor

In this video, Claire explains the different clauses with more examples.

Read more:

👉A full guide to main and subordinate clauses

Ready for more?

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