subordinating conjunction

Or subordinate conjunction

noun

Grammar.

1. a conjunction introducing a subordinate clause, as when in They were glad when I finished.

subordinating conjunction

noun

1. a conjunction that introduces subordinate clauses, such as if, because, although, and until Compare coordinating conjunction

Word History and Origins

Origin of subordinating conjunction¹

First recorded in 1870–75; subordinate + -ing ²

Example Sentences

The butler can be a “pain in the glute” and a “blabber,” Carter tells us, while Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick gently chides that you should never “begin your sentence with a subordinating conjunction,” like “because.”

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For that matter, many of the words that were traditionally called subordinating conjunctions, like before and after, are actually prepositions.

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While or any other subordinating conjunction introduces a dependent clause; a dependent clause is not a sentence; it can never stand alone.

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