Subordinate clauses are so designated because depend on a main clause to make sense. In other words, they do not work alone, as a complete sentence, they need to be linked to another sentence to have meaning.
These clauses perform different functions in a sentence, acting as essential terms, members and accessories of another clause.
Examples of subordinate clauses:
- "Your parents wish that you study."
- "The car I bought it's red."
- "The employee ran away so I wouldn't be late for work."
They exist three types of subordinate clauses: nouns, adjectives It is adverbials.
Noun Subordinate Clauses
Noun subordinate clauses function as nouns in the sentence. They can play the role of subject, direct object, indirect object, nominal complement, among others.
Subjective noun subordinate clauses
They perform the function of subject.
Example:
"It is certain that the presence of the lawyer brought him relief."
Direct objective noun subordinate clause
They perform the function of direct object.
Example:
"I want may you mature."
Indirect objective noun subordinate clause
They fulfill the function of direct object.
Example:
"The birthday girl has doubts about whether you will be able to attend the party."
Predicative noun subordinate clause
They act as predicative.
Example:
"The truth is that you are doing well in your studies."
Noun completive noun subordinate clause
They represent the function of nominal complement.
Example:
"The fear that something happens is understandable."
Appositive noun subordinate clause
They perform the function of I bet.
Example:
"You need to recognize: smoking is harmful to your health."
Adjective Subordinate Clauses
These prayers function as adjectives in the sentence, describing or specifying a noun.
Explanatory adjective subordinate clause
They have the function of providing additional information about a noun, but they are not essential for understanding the sentence. They are usually separated by commas.
Example:
"The book that I bought it's interesting."
Restrictive adjective subordinate clause
These prayers have the function of restricting or delimit the meaning of the noun to which they refer. They are essential for understanding the sentence, and their removal changes the meaning of the main sentence. They are generally not separated by commas.
Example:
"My father, who is a doctor, likes sports."
Adverbial Subordinate Clauses
They work like adverbs, modifying a verb, adjective or adverb in the main clause. They are normally introduced by subordinating conjunctions, expressing circumstances, such as time, place, cause, purpose, condition, among others.
Causal adverbial subordinate clause
Determine the cause or reason for the action main. They answer questions such as "why?", being introduced by conjunctions or subordinating conjunctive phrases such as "because", "how", "since", "since".
Example:
"Ran away because I was scared."
Comparative adverbial subordinate clause
It performs the function of establishing a comparison between the action of the main clause and another action or situation. It is introduced by expressions such as "like", "than", "more/less... than", "as well as", "such as", "as nor", among others.
Example:
"He works how a professional works."
Concessive adverbial subordinate clause
These prayers indicate a concession. They are introduced by conjunctions or subordinating conjunctive phrases such as "even if", "although", "however", "although".
Example:
"Even though it's cold, we went to the beach."
Conditional adverbial subordinate clause
Express a condition that must be fulfilled for the main action to occur. They are introduced by conjunctions or subordinating conjunctive phrases such as "if", "case", "since".
Example:
"If it rains tomorrow, the event will be postponed."
Conformative adverbial subordinate clause
This type of prayer has the function of indicating a conformity, agreement with the action of the main clause. They are generally introduced by expressions such as "according to", "according to", "as", "consonant", "according to", among others.
Example:
"Get dressed as you wish."
Consecutive adverbial subordinate clause
It performs the function of indicating the consequence or result of the action expressed in the main clause. They are introduced by conjunctions or conjunctive phrases, such as "that", "so that", "so that", "so much so that", "to the point of".
Example:
"The athlete was tired to the point where I can no longer walk."
Final adverbial subordinate clause
indicate the purpose or objective of the main action. They answer the question "for what purpose?", being introduced by conjunctions or subordinating conjunctive phrases such as "so that", "in order to", "with the intention of".
Example:
"I work hard in order to become athletic."
Temporal adverbial subordinate clause
indicate the time where the main action takes place. They answer questions like “when?” or "for how long?". They are generally introduced by expressions such as "when", "while", "after", "before", among others.
Example:
"We will have dinner when we get home."
Proportional adverbial subordinate clause
This type of prayer has the function of indicating a proportion or quantity relationship between the action of the main clause and the action of the subordinate clause. They are generally introduced by expressions such as "to the extent that", "to the extent that", "according to", "to the extent that", "the more so".
Example:
"As time goes by, the longing increases."
Bibliography:
- BECHARA, Evanildo. School Grammar of the Portuguese Language. Rio de Janeiro: Lucerna, 2009.
- CUNHA, Celso; CINTRA, Lindley. New grammar of contemporary Portuguese. Lisbon: Edições João Sá da Costa, 1991.
See too:
- Conjunction
- Adverb
- Adjective
- Punctuation marks
- Preposition
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