11.4 Subordinate Clauses: Semantic Types
Here we will look at subordinate clauses from the point of view of their meaning. The main semantic types are exemplified in the following table:
|
Subordinate Clause Type |
Example |
|
I'll ring you again [before I leave] |
|
|
I'll be there at nine [if I can catch the early train] |
|
|
He bought me a lovely gift, [although he can't really afford it] |
|
|
Paul was an hour late [because he missed the train] |
|
|
The kitchen was flooded, [so we had to go to a restaurant] |
|
|
This is a lot more difficult [than I expected] |
The table does not cover all the possible types, but it does illustrate many of the various meanings which can be expressed by subordinate clauses.
Notice that the same word can introduce different semantic types. For instance, the word while can introduce a temporal clause:
I read the newspaper [while I was waiting]
or a concessive clause:
[While I don't agree with her], I can understand her viewpoint.
Similarly, the word since can express time:
I've known him [since he was a child]
as well as reason:
I borrowed your lawn mower, [since you weren't using it]
In the following exercise, be aware of words like these, which can introduce more than one type of subordinate clause.