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subordinate clause

By Richard Nordquist, About.com

Definition:

A group of words that has both a subject and a verb but (unlike an independent clause) cannot stand alone as a sentence. Subordinate clauses include adverb clauses and adjective clauses.

Examples:

  • "The man who is a pessimist before 48 knows too much; if he is an optimist after it, he knows too little."
    (Mark Twain)


  • "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."
    (Mark Twain)


  • "When I'm good, I'm very, very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better."
    (Mae West, I'm No Angel)


  • "Memory is deceptive because it is colored by today's events."
    (Albert Einstein)


  • "If you can't leave in a taxi you can leave in a huff. If that's too soon, you can leave in a minute and a huff.
    (Groucho Marx, Duck Soup)


  • "The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."
    (C. S. Lewis)


  • "If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich."
    (John F. Kennedy)


  • "Man, when you lose your laugh, you lose your footing."
    (Ken Kesey)


  • "And whereas women had to fight to find their way into the workforce, men are now fighting to reclaim their place in the family structure."
    (Bob Geldof)


  • "Every book is a children's book if the kid can read."
    (Mitch Hedberg)
Pronunciation: suh-BOR-din-itAudio Link
Also Known As: dependent clause

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