What is subordination?
Two clauses in the same sentence may be related either by coordination or subordination. Compare these two sentences:
Joan arrived at the office by ten but no one else was there. (coordination)
Joan arrived at the office by ten before anyone else was there. (subordination)
In coordination, the two clauses are 'equal partners' in the same structure:
Joan arrived at the office by ten
BUT no one else was there.
Joan arrived at the office by ten
before anyone else was there.
A subclause can also have another subclause inside it, which means that
the first subclause behaves as a 'main clause' with respect to the second
subclause.
For example, the sentence I know that you can do it if you try is made up of three clauses, each within the other:
Subclauses can have various functions in their main clause. They may be subjects, objects, adverbials, prepositional complements, postmodifiers, etc.
Finite, non-finite and verbless subclauses
A main clause is almost always a finite clause. A subclause, on the other hand, can be a finite, non-finite, or verbless clause:
• A finite subclause:
This news came after the stockmarket had closed.
• A non-finite subclause:
No further discussion arising, the meeting was brought to a close.
• A verbless subclause:
Summer vacation then only weeks away, the family was full of excitement.
All three types of clause (finite, non-finite, and verbless) may of course themselves have subclauses inside them.
Here is a non-finite clause containing a finite subclause:
[Driving home [after I had left work]], I accidentally went through a red light.
Here is a verbless clause containing a non-finite subclause:
[Never slow [to take advantage of an opponent's weakness]], the Australian moved ahead confidently to win the fourth set.
Signals of subordination
A subclause is not usually capable of standing alone as the main clause of
a sentence.
Subclauses are usually marked as subclauses by some signal of subordination. The signal may be
• that, which is often omitted ('zero that'):
I hope (that) the department will cooperate on this project.
• another subordinating conjunction, for example before, if, when:
I wouldn't have been at all surprised if the entire roof had collapsed.
• a wh-word:
I asked Jessica why she wanted to move to another university.
• inversion, which is <rather formal> and can always be replaced by an if-clause:
Had I been a royal princess, they couldn't have treated me better.
If I had been a royal princess, they couldn't have treated me better.
• lack of a finite verb, but for example a to-infinitive, as in:
I hope to phone you back at the very beginning of next week.
Apart from that-clauses with that omitted. (including relative clauses), there is only one type of subclause that contains no expressed signal of subordination. This is a comment clause:
He must be at least sixty years old, I suppose.
It can be related to the main clause of a that-clause:
- I suppose (that) he must be at least sixty years old.
Some subordinating conjunctions (after, as, before, but, like, since, till, until) also function as prepositions.
Compare:
Thaven't seen Bill since the end of the war. (since = preposition)
I haven't seen Bill since the war ended. (since = conjunction)
