subordinate clause

American  

noun

Grammar.

1. a clause that modifies the principal clause or some part of it or that serves a noun function in the principal clause, as when she arrived in the sentence I was there when she arrived or that she has arrived in the sentence I doubt that she has arrived.

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subordinate clause British  

noun

1. grammar a clause with an adjectival, adverbial, or nominal function, rather than one that functions as a separate sentence in its own right Compare coordinate clause main clause

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Example Sentences

Like a main clause, a subordinate clause has a subject and verb; however, unlike a main clause, it cannot stand alone as a sentence.

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

The main clause expresses the main idea of the sentence, and the subordinate clause expresses the less important idea.

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

Westwood was asked a polite question about his 25-hour round; unfortunately, the question contained a subordinate clause.

From Washington Post • Jun. 17, 2016

The studio interview, by contrast, is rigidly controlled lest a stray subordinate clause meanders in trailing tedious detail.

From The Guardian • Aug. 21, 2011

Since a subordinate clause does not express a complete thought, it cannot stand alone, but must be joined to a main clause to form a sentence. c.

From The Century Handbook of Writing by Greever, Garland