13. Adverbial Clauses

Keep hitting the gong until I tell you to stop.

Keep hitting the gong hourly.

In the two examples above, the adverbial clause and the normal adverb both tell us when the gong is to be hit. Therefore, they are both adverbs of time.

• An adverb of time states when something happens or how often.

• An adverb of time often starts with one of the following subordinating conjunctions: after, as, as long as, as soon as, before, no sooner than, since, until, when, or while.

• After the game has finished, the king and pawn go into the same box. (Italian Proverb)

• I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph. (Actress Shirley Temple)

• As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live. (Writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

• An adverb of place states where something happens.

• An adverb of place often starts with a preposition (e.g., "in," "on," "near") or one of the following subordinating conjunctions: anywhere, everywhere, where, or wherever.

• Anywhere the struggle is great, the level of ingenuity and inventiveness is high. (Economist Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin)

• I am not afraid of the pen, the scaffold, or the sword. I will tell the truth wherever I please. (Lobbyist Mother Jones)

• An adverb of reason offers a reason for the main idea.

• An adverb of reason often starts with one of the following subordinating conjunctions: as, because, given, or since.

• I don't have a bank account, because I don't know my mother's maiden name. (Comedian Paula Poundstone)

• Since you are like no other being ever created since the beginning of time, you are incomparable. (Journalist Brenda Ueland)

• An adverb of condition states the condition for the main idea to come into effect.

• An adverb of condition often starts with if or unless.

• If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts. (Physicist Albert Einstein)

• If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur. (Author Doug Larson)

• If all the rich people in the world divided up their money among themselves, there wouldn't be enough to go around. (Novelist Christina Stead)

• An adverb of concession offers a statement that contrasts with the main idea.

• An adverb of concession often starts with one of the following subordinating conjunctions: though, although, even though, while, whereas, or even if.

• Although golf was originally restricted to wealthy, overweight Protestants, today it's open to anybody who owns hideous clothing. (Author Dave Barry)

• A loud voice cannot compete with a clear voice, even if it's a whisper. (Author Barry Neil Kaufman)

Though/ although/ even though + S + V (adverb clause of concession), + S + V (main clause)

In spite of/ despite + noun/ noun phrase, + S + V

In spite of/ despite + the fact that + S + V, + S + V

• An adverbial clause is an adjunct. This means it can be removed without the sentence being grammatically wrong.

• An adverbial clause is a dependent clause. This means it cannot stand alone as a meaningful sentence in its own right.

• An adverbial clause usually starts with a subordinating conjunction (e.g., "although," "because," "if," "until," "when")

• An adverbial clause contains a subject and a verb. (This is what makes it a clause as opposed to a phrase.)

If your adverbial clause is fronted, use a comma.

Don't use a comma if your adverbial clause is at the back unless you think it helps.