Guide to Subordinating Conjunctions in English

Subordinating conjunctions may sound familiar to you, and that’s because you’ve likely used a few of them frequently.

Because, since and although are examples of subordinating conjunctions, but there are so many more you should know. These parts of speech help us string our fragmented thoughts into well-written, concise and detailed sentences.

Read on to learn more about subordinating conjunctions. We’ll discuss what they are and how they work, and we’ll share a list of subordinating conjunctions so you can express your ideas more clearly in English.

What is a subordinating conjunction?

Conjunctions are words and phrases we use to connect our ideas. They allow us to express what we mean smoothly and clearly.

We categorize conjunctions into three groups:

• coordinating conjunctions (including and, or, but)
• correlative conjunctions (including either … or, neither … nor, both … and)
• subordinating conjunctions (including as soon as, because, whenever)

Subordinating conjunctions are more complex than the other two. We can express more detailed and nuanced ideas through the many subordinating conjunctions available to us.

Imagine you’re interviewing for a job in English. How would you express you’re the best fit for the role?

• I have X years of experience.
• I’m an expert at using Y technology.

These statements might seem a little weak. But with the help of subordinating conjunctions, you can more clearly explain your best qualifications and say why a company should hire you:

• I’m the best fit for this job as I have X years of experience.
• While I’m an expert at using Y technology, my most valuable skill is leadership.

A useful part of speech, subordinating conjunctions are essential words to specify what we mean.

How do subordinating conjunctions work?

Imagine you’re hanging a portrait on your wall. Your walls are an essential part of your home or office, while the portrait is just a decoration, thus not essential – it simply adds personality to your space. We use a nail to hang the painting onto the wall.

The subordinating conjunction is the nail we hammer into the wall – it hangs the extra information we want to express (called the dependent clause) on the main idea (called the independent clause).

An independent clause is a phrase that expresses a complete thought. You can form a sentence with just one independent clause.

• I don’t think it will rain today.
• We canceled the upcoming project.
• Weeknights are best spent reading a book at home.

Dependent clauses are phrases that contain a subject and verb and express an unfinished thought. When they begin with a subordinating conjunction, they’re called subordinate clauses:

• since the sky is blue
• although our cash flow is poor
• unless you like going out

Without context, these phrases are difficult to comprehend. However, when connected with an independent clause, a dependent clause adds a layer of meaning to what you’re saying:

• I don’t think it will rain today since the sky is blue.

• Although our cash flow is poor, we are not canceling the upcoming project.

• Weeknights are best spent reading a book at home unless you like going out.

We’ve just created three complex sentences! We can be much more precise when using subordinating conjunctions without having to create a whole new sentence.

Note that when attaching a subordinate clause (a subordinating conjunction + a dependent clause) to an independent clause, we can place the subordinate clause at the beginning of the sentence. In this case, we separate the dependent clause (the first part) from the independent clause by using a comma:

• Even though he was delayed, he was able to arrive on time for dinner.
  

• After my Busuu lessons, I felt confident speaking.

You can rewrite the same sentence by starting with the independent clause, followed by the subordinating conjunction and dependent clause. In this case, you do not need a comma.

• He was able to arrive on time for dinner even though he was delayed.

• I felt confident speaking after my Busuu lesson.

Both sentences maintain the same meaning regardless of the position of the independent clause and the subordinating clause.

Coordinating conjunctions vs subordinating conjunctions

All conjunction types permit you to connect ideas and help you describe the relationship between ideas.

Though coordinating, correlative and subordinating conjunctions carry out similar roles, they all do so in different ways.

A coordinating conjunction joins words, phrases and clauses (typically two independent clauses) of equal grammatical value.

• The children love cats and dogs. (‘And’ is connecting two nouns.)
  

• I want to go to the gym, but I don’t have the time. (‘But’ is connecting two independent clauses.)
  

Correlative conjunctions are similar to coordinating conjunctions, but they come in pairs and emphasize the comparison between the two elements more strongly.

• Both pineapple and sardines do not belong in pizza.
  

• She enjoys doing math as much as playing music.
  

Subordinating conjunctions, on the other hand, connect two different grammatical elements – a dependent clause and an independent clause.

Understanding how each conjunction type works is essential, as many conjunctions can be used as a different part of speech.

A great example of this is the word so:

So as a coordinating conjunction:

• School doesn’t start for a couple of weeks, so we can plan a vacation during this time.
  

So as a subordinating conjunction:

• So the meat isn’t overcooked, make sure you take it out after an hour.
  

So as an adverb:

• Learning multiple skills is so important in the current labor market.

Recognizing the meaning of a word or phrase based on its role in a sentence will allow you to form grammatically accurate phrases with ease.

Subordinating conjunctions list and examples

Many English words and phrases can function as subordinating conjunctions as long as they’re joining a dependent clause to an independent clause.

We can categorize them into groups based on the kind of information they provide about the topic of the sentence.

Take a look at some of the commonly used subordinating conjunctions.

Subordinating conjunctions to explain cause and effect or purpose

Use subordinating conjunctions in this category to explain a cause-and-effect relationship or to explain the purpose of an action.

• As the weather is not ideal, many airlines have grounded their planes.

• I bought an air conditioner since the summer is starting soon.

• I’m sending job applications every day in order to find a job quickly.

• Many young parents work from home because the cost of daycare is so high.

• Make sure you leave early so (that) you arrive at the airport on time.

Subordinating conjunctions to add time, place or manner

These subordinating conjunctions serve to describe the time, place or the way something happens or is done.

• We will celebrate at a restaurant after the graduation ceremony is over.

• As I was walking my dog, I realized I had forgotten to send the mail.

• They realized the gravity of the situation as soon as they saw her face.

• It’s important to double-check your emails before you send them.

• Since smartphones were introduced, television viewership has declined.

• John and Terry stayed over until we finished our project.

• Whenever people multitask, they’re unable to fully succeed in one thing.

• Wherever you decide to park, make sure it’s a valid parking spot.

• The friends spoke at length on the phone as though they hadn’t spoken to each other in years.

Subordinating conjunctions for describing conditions

Subordinating conjunctions in this group enable us to introduce conditions for an action to take place.

• Provided that both parties agree with the conditions, we can move forward.

• The teachers will not return to the classroom unless their salaries are increased.

• Assuming that our clients continue to buy our products, we’ll be able to scale our team.

• If you snooze, you lose.

• As long as they’re able to complete their assigned tasks, people should be able to work from home.

• The public library is a great place to find books in case you don’t have enough money to buy them.

* You can have dessert once you finish your vegetables.

* Until you earn your first paycheck, you won’t understand the value of money.

Subordinating conjunctions for making concessions or showing contrast

Highlight an exception or show contrast between ideas by using the subordinating conjunctions below.

• Although the summer break was long, the kids hadn’t forgotten what they learned.

• I’ll watch the movie with you (even) though I’m not a fan of horror.

• While this seems like a great opportunity, there are many drawbacks to it.

• Even if we don’t agree, we can remain friends.

• Supposing they’re able to take a vacation, they’ll probably decide to stay at home.

• Living in Houston is not expensive, whereas life in New York City will cost you an arm and a leg.

If you go through these subordinating conjunctions examples and eliminate the subordinate clause, you will understand how much useful information each adds to the independent clause.

You will also notice how some words can fit into multiple categories.

A recap of subordinating conjunctions

We hope you feel more confident when using subordinating conjunctions after this in-depth explanation of this essential grammatical tool.

To review, subordinating conjunctions are one of three types of English conjunctions, and they are key to creating complex sentences. They work by joining dependent clauses with independent clauses, adding a layer of context and nuance to what you’re saying or writing.

To master subordinating conjunctions, consider keeping the subordinating conjunctions list at hand so you can practice introducing new conjunctions into your speaking and writing. Keep on learning!