subordinating

«subordinating» in Mova's school dictionary: a joining word such as because, when, if, although… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

verb form (present participle of subordinate: subordinate, subordinates, subordinated, subordinating); adjective (subordinating conjunction)

meaning for a pupil

1) (grammar) A subordinating conjunction is a joining word such as because, when, if, although, while, since, before or until that starts a subordinate clause — a part of a sentence that cannot stand alone. tree →

2) (formal) Subordinating something means treating it as less important than something else. tree →

sense in the lessons

In English grammar lessons (and UK SATs), pupils learn subordinating conjunctions to write complex sentences: "I stayed inside because it was raining." The memory trick "I SAW A WABUB" (if, since, as, when, although, while, after, before, until, because) helps. Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or) join equal parts instead.

examples

• "Because" is a subordinating conjunction. tree →
• Underline the subordinating conjunction: "We went home when the bell rang." tree →
• "Although" is a subordinating conjunction that shows contrast. tree →
• Use a subordinating conjunction to join the two sentences. tree →
• Subordinating conjunctions start subordinate clauses. tree →
• (formal) She was subordinating her own wishes to the needs of the team. tree →
• Start your sentence with a subordinating conjunction, like "If it snows, ...". tree →

note

Subordinating ≠ coordinating: coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) join equal parts; subordinating ones make one part depend on another. A comma goes after the subordinate clause when it comes first: "When it rains, we stay in."

Trees and pragmatics

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