SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

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Subordinating Conjunctions and Clauses, Oh My!
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Dependent clauses begin with subordinating
conjunctions and cannot survive without an
independent clause.
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Independent clauses are complete thoughts or
sentences that CAN exist without dependent
clauses.
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Subordinating conjunctions are words that relate
dependent clauses to independent clauses.
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COMMON SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

• after since
• although so that
• as than
• as if though
• as long as unless
• as soon as until
• as though when
• because whenever
• before wherever
• even though while
• if

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AAAWWUBBIS

• is an acronym to help you remember them.
• After, Although, As, When, While, Until, Because,
  Before, If, Since, etc

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Can you find the dependent clause?

• Rick and John Smithers enjoy hearing their
  fathers stories because he performs them so
  cleverly.

• When Mr. Smithers performed on Saturday, he told
  the story Aunty Misery.

• Since the main character is a very old woman,
  Mr. Smithers crumples his face and walks with a
  stoop.

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Can you find the dependent clause?

• Aunty Misery, who lives alone, is teased by
  children.

• Mr. Smithers pulls a cape across his face so
  that he looks mysterious.

• The audience laughs when Mr. Smithers portrays
  naughty children stuck to a pear tree.

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Aaaahhhh Poetry

• You will write a two-stanza poem based around
  subordinating conjunctions and clauses.
• Each stanza will have five lines. The first
  four lines will be dependent clauses that begin
  with different subordinating conjunctions. The
  fifth line will be an independent clause.
• The poem must be on one topic (school, sleep,
  lunch, clothes, nature, etc.).
• Each line must begin with a capital letter and
  end with the correct punctuation mark.
• Write your subordinating conjunctions in a
  different color than the rest of the poem.

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• EXAMPLE
• Whenever I get up,
• After the alarm clock has gone off,
• Before the sun comes up,
• As I stumble to the shower,
• I slowly get ready for my day of school.
• When I arrive at school,
• Unless I am talking to my friends,
• As soon as classes begin,
• While I do my work,
• I long to be back in my cozy bed.

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Your turn!

• On your index cards, write six dependent clauses
  and six independent clauses (ONE CLAUSE PER
  CARD).
• Make sure your sentences begin with capital
  letters and have correct punctuation marks
  commas too!
• Mix your cards up and wait for your neighbor to
  finish.
• Trade cards with your neighbor and see how many
  sentences you can correctly match.