GRAMMAR – Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions are words or phrases that introduce dependent clauses in a sentence. Adjective clauses are dependent clauses used to do what an adjective does: modify or describe a noun. The seven subordinating conjunctions that introduce adjective clauses are: who, whom, which, that, whose, when, where.

Use who, whom, or that if the adjective clause is describing a person.

• Mr. Ross, who claimed to be innocent, was sentenced to three years in prison.
• The criminal to whom the pardon was given expressed his gratitude.
• The man that was arrested was later proven to be innocent.

Use which or that if the adjective clause is describing a thing or idea.

• The proposal that has been made to build a swimming pool has many benefits.
• The swimming pool proposal, which the community supports, has many benefits.

Use whose to show possession.

• The man whose daughter is missing is in severe shock.
• Dr. Gupta, whose patients mostly have ADD, is an expert on the disease.

Use when and where if the adjective clause is giving information about a time or place.

Remember to add a subject after when or where.

• I became a doctor in the early eighties when there were a few cases of AIDS.
• The criminal was sent to a prison where there were thousands of prisoners

GRAMMAR – Conjunctions

‘Though’, ‘although’, and ‘even though’ are all conjunctions that introduce a clause that shows contrast. Clauses of contrast are dependent clauses used to show how one person, place, or thing is different from another. All three have the same meaning, but even though is slightly stronger than the others.

The clause that contains the subordinator of contrast can come at the beginning of the sentence or at the end. When it comes at the beginning, it should be followed by a comma.

Though + subject + verb

• I didn’t sleep very well though I was really tired.
• The U.S. has one of the worst healthcare systems though it is the richest country in the world.

Although + subject + verb

• She didn’t sleep very well although she was really tired.
• Although the U.S. is the richest country in the world, it has one of the worst health care systems.

Even though + subject + verb

• Even though they were really tired, they didn’t sleep very well.
• The U.S. has one of the worst healthcare systems even though it is the richest country in the world.