Subordinating One Clause to Another
Coordinating conjunctions simply link ideas. Subordinating conjunctions, on the other hand,
also establish a more complex relationship between the clauses. They suggest that one idea
depends on another in some way. Maybe there is a cause-and-effect relationship between the
two. Or maybe the two clauses simply show a chronological development of ideas.
Remember that in most cases the same clauses that are connected by a coordinating
conjunction can also be connected by a subordinating conjunction. There is really no
difference in meaning; however, the grammar is a bit different.
Study the examples given below.
He had not received any formal training in engineering. He was a brilliant mechanic.
These two clauses can be combined using the coordinating conjunction but.
He had not received any formal training in engineering but he was a brilliant mechanic.
We can also express the same idea using the subordinating conjunction though / although.
Although he had not received any formal training in engineering, he was a brilliant mechanic.
The rules of punctuation are very important when we use subordinating conjunctions to join
clauses. As a general rule, a subordinate clause that comes at the beginning of a sentence
should be separated from the other clause with a comma. You can omit the comma when the
subordinate clause goes after the main clause.
Since he had not applied in time, he didn’t get the job. (Here we use a comma to separate
the subordinate clause from the main clause.)
He didn’t get the job because he hadn’t applied in time. (Here we do not use a comma
because the subordinate clause goes after the main clause.)