Types of Subordination

Sentence Skills

Part 5 Sentence Combining --Subordination

Teaching Items 

Types of Subordination



The Function of Subordination



Ways of Achieving Subordination



Misuse of Subordination



Balance between Coordination and Subordination

Types of Subordination 

Subordinate Clause (Dependent Clause)



Subordinate Phrase



Subordinate Word



Emphatic degree: Subordinate Clause--Phrase---Words

Subordinate Clause 

The Adverb (Adverbial) Clause



The Adjective (Relative) Clause



The Noun Clause subject clause, object clause, appositive clause, complementary clause

Subordinate Phrases 

The Verbal Phrase: infinitive, participle, gerund



The Appositive Phrase



The Absolute Phrase

Function of Subordination 1. Emphasis The thief ran away when the police arrived.

2. Compactness and Variety The young, friend, responsive audience cheered for each speaker.

3. Clear Relationship (time, reason, condition, identification, concession, circumstance…)

Ways of Achieving Subordination 1. Using Subordinate Clause (Subordinating less important meanings by using subordinators) e.g. The police arrived. The thief ran away.--When the police arrived, the thief ran away. 2. Using Subordinating Phrases (Subordinating short sentences or coordinate clauses into phrases and embedding them into a nearby sentence) e.g. I worked hard and I turned out a first rate manuscript, and I missed my deadline and my publisher was angry.--Although I worked hard and turned out a first rate manuscript, my publisher was angry because I missed my deadline.

Misuse of Subordination 1. Illogical subordination 2. Faulty subordination 3. Inverted subordination 4. Overused subordination

Balance between Coordination and Subordination

1. I waked up at 6:30. I thought I was late.

I washed quickly. Then I went into the kitchen. I found something to eat. I finished eating in a few minutes. I took my bike and hurried out. I rode very fast along the streets. Soon I was at the school gate. But it was closed. Then I realized that it was Saturday.

I waked up at 6:30. Thinking that I would be late for school, I washed quickly, went into the kitchen, and found something to eat. Then I hurried out with my bike. I rode as fast as I could along the streets, and soon got to the school gate, but it was closed. Only then did I realize that it was Saturday.

2. I sit here at the keyboard. I try to think of things to say. The words are not coming very freely. I think that is probably because it is the end of a long day. It may be that I am tired. I can not continue my writing. Free writing may help me break through the writer’s block.

I sit here at the keyboard, trying to think of things to say, but the words are not coming very freely. Probably, they aren’t coming because it is the end of a long day, and I’m tired. Whatever the reason, I can not continue my writing. Perhaps free writing will help me break through the writer’s block.

3. It was the end of the term. All the students were excited. The class was still going on. The students began to talk about where to spend their holiday. Some were thinking of going to the seaside. Some were thinking of visiting some famous sites of historical interest. Others were thinking of seeing friends.

3. It was the end of the term. All the students were so excited that they began to talk about where to spend their holiday although the class was still going on. Some were thinking of going to the seaside, some planning to visit some famous sites of historical interest all over the world and others wanting to see friends.

4. I studied hard for the next exam, and I got Bill to help me, but I still did poorly, but I did much better than on the previous exam. The teacher was obviously displeased with me, but his frowns did not shatter my self-confidence.

With some help from Bill, I studied hard for the next exam; and even though I still did poorly, I did much better than on the previous exam. The teacher’s frowns did not shatter my self-confidence.