GRAMMAR REVIEW: NOUN, ADJECTIVE, AND ADVERB CLAUSES (3) BUILDING SUPPORTING SKILLS CAMBRIDGE PREPARATION FOR THE TOEFL® IBT TEST

 

CAMBRIDGE PREPARATION FOR THE TOEFL® IBT TEST BUILDING SUPPORTING SKILLS GRAMMAR REVIEW: NOUN, ADJECTIVE, AND ADVERB CLAUSES (3)

 

Adverb clauses Adverb clauses are dependent clauses (incomplete sentences) with a subject and a verb. They function like adverbs. They may occur at the beginning of a sentence before an independent clause or at the end of a sentence after an independent clause. When they occur at the beginning, they are frequently separated from the independent clause by a comma: Adverb clause markers Below are some clause markers commonly used to introduce adverb clauses: 1 clause markers indicating time 2 clause markers indicating concessions 3 clause markers indicating cause and effect (reason): 4 clause markers indicating results: 5 clause markers indicating purpose: 6 clause markers indicating manner: 7 clause markers indicating place: 8 clause markers indicating conditions: An adverb clause must begin with a clause marker: However, if the auxiliary word or verb in a conditional clause is should, were, or had, it is sometimes put at the beginning of the clause and the clause marker if is omitted:   Verb tenses in adverb clauses As with all dependent clauses, an adverb clause must be used with an independent clause: In most cases, the verb in the adverb clause has the same tense as the verb in the independent clause. The following cases are the exceptions: • clauses of time if a time clause refers to something that will happen, it takes the present tense: • clauses of reason • clauses of purpose • clauses of condition If a sentence concerns a possible situation in the present, the simple present or the present perfect tense is used in the adverb clause and a modal is used in the independent clause: If a sentence concerns a possible future occurrence, the simple present is used in the adverb clause and the simple future tense is used in the independent clause: If a sentence concerns an unlikely situation, the simple past is used in the adverb clause and would, should, or might is used in the independent clause:   Reduced adverb clauses Some adverb clauses can be reduced to phrases without changing their meaning. Remember that a clause contains a subject and a verb, but a phrase does not. An adverb clause can be reduced to an adverb phrase only when the subject of the independent clause is the same as the subject of the adverb clause. Study the examples below to see how adverb clauses are reduced: 1 Time sequences with after, before, once, since, until, when and while: 2 Giving reasons with because When a clause introduced by because is reduced, because is omitted and the verb changes form: 3 Clauses of concession with although, despite, in spite of, though, and while:   The verb in a reduced adverb clause can be in one of two forms. The –ing form is used for the active voice, and the –ed form (the past participle) is used for the passive voice. • active voice • passive voice   When the subject of an adverb clause and the subject of the independent clause are not the same, the adverb clause cannot be reduced. Reducing the adverb clause changes the meanings: • Same subject: • Different subjects: Adverb clauses, beginning with as or as soon as cannot be reduced: