subordinate

«subordinate» in Mova's school dictionary: a part of a sentence that has a verb but cannot stand… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

adjective (subordinate); noun (a subordinate, subordinates); verb (subordinate, subordinated) — formal

meaning for a pupil

1) In grammar, a subordinate clause is a part of a sentence that has a verb but cannot stand alone, like «because it was raining». tree →

2) A subordinate is a person who has a lower rank and takes orders from someone else at work. tree →

3) (formal) Subordinate means less important than something else. tree →

sense in the lessons

In UK grammar lessons, pupils learn subordinating conjunctions (because, although, when, if) that start subordinate clauses: «Although it was cold, we went out.» At work or in the army, a boss gives orders to subordinates.

examples

• «When the bell rang» is a subordinate clause. tree →
• Add a subordinate clause starting with «because». tree →
• The captain gave orders to his subordinates. tree →
• A subordinate clause needs a main clause. tree →
• Fun is subordinate to safety on the trip. tree →
• Use a comma after a subordinate clause at the start of a sentence. tree →

note

Opposite of main/superior. Stress: «suh-BOR-din-it» (adjective, noun). The subordinate clause can come first or after the main clause.

In the corpora

• The comma rule: when the subordinate clause comes first, put a comma after it.
• He's right: «while I was gaming» is a subordinate clause and «Mum called» is the main clause.
• A subordinate clause contains a verb but does not make sense on its own; it depends on a main clause.
• When a subordinate clause comes before the main clause, a comma follows it.
• A subordinate clause written alone, like «Because it was raining.», is an incomplete sentence.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «subordinate» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.