Adverb Clauses (Advanced Grammar), Apuntes de Idioma Inglés

Adverb Clauses

An adverb may be a single word such asquickly,hereoryesterday, or a phrase

such asthe day before yesterday,orto see my mother. 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:

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 clauses

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

Contrast 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