Types[edit]
Adverbial clauses are divided into several groups according to the actions or senses of their conjunctions:
Type of
Common conjunctions Function Example
clause
Conjunctions answering the
question "when?", such as:
when, before, after, since, Her goldfish died when she was
These clauses: young.
while, as, as long as, till, until,
etc.; Say when something happens by He came after night had fallen.
time
referring to a period or point of
or the paired (correlative) We barely had gotten there when
time, or to another event.
conjunctions: hardly...when, mighty Casey struck out.
scarcely...when, barely...when,
no sooner...than[2]
Talk about a possible or If they lose weight during an
condition if, unless, lest, provided that counterfactual situation and its illness, they soon regain it
consequences. afterwards.
They had to take some of his
in order to, so that, in order
purpose Indicate the purpose of an action. land so that they could extend
that, in case
the churchyard.
I couldn't feel anger against
reason because, since, as, given Indicate the reason for something. him because I liked him too
much.
Make two statements, one of I used to read a lot, though I
concession although, though, while which contrasts with the other or don't have much time for books
makes it seem surprising. now.
Answering the question
Talk about the location or position He said he was happy where he
place "where?": where, wherever,
of something. was.
anywhere, everywhere, etc.
Johan can speak English as
State comparison of a skill, size or fluently as his teacher.
comparison as...as, than, as
amount, etc.
She is a better cook than I.
I was never allowed to do
things as I wanted to do.
Answering the question, Talk about someone's behavior or
manner
"how"?: as, like the way something is done. He spent a lot of money as if he
was very rich.
results so...that, such...that Indicate the result(s) of an act or My suitcase had
become so damaged that the lid
event.
would not stay closed.
Peter usually fantasizes a lot so
In these clauses the conclusion or you do not believe his stories.
logical continuation of what has
consecutive so We did not make reservations on
been said in the main sentence is
time, so we will not go to the
stated.
representation.
Definition and Examples of Reduced Adverb(ial)
Clauses
In English grammar, a reduced adverb clause is an adverb(ial) clause that has been shortened to
a phrase, usually by omitting its subject and a form of be.
In conventional usage, an adverb clause can be reduced to a phrase only when the subject of the
adverb clause is the same as the subject of the independent clause. But there are exceptions.
Examples and Observations
"Study the examples below to see how adverb clauses are reduced:
1. Time sequences with after, before, once, since, until, when, and while:
After they sang two songs, the performers did a dance. [clause]
After singing two songs, the performers did a dance. [phrase]
Before he answered the phone, he grabbed a pencil and notepad. [clause]
Before answering the phone, he grabbed a pencil and notepad. [phrase] . . .
2. Giving reasons with because
When a clause introduced by because is reduced, because is omitted and the verb changes
form:
Because she had always been interested in sports, Linda became an avid supporter of the
team. [clause]
Having always been interested in sports, Linda became an avid supporter of the team.
[phrase]
3. Clauses of concession with although, despite, in spite of, though, and while:
Although he was hurt, Jack managed to smile. [clause]
Although hurt, Jack managed to smile. [phrase] . . .
In spite of the fact that she works long hours, Joan spends a lot of time with her family.
[clause]
In spite of working long hours, Joan spends a lot of time with her family. [phrase] . . . The
verb in a reduced adverb clause can be in one of two forms. The -ing form is used for
the active voice, and the -ed form (the past participle) is used for the passive voice."
(Jolene Gear and Robert Gear, Cambridge Preparation for the TOEFL® Test, 4th ed.
Cambridge University Press, 2006)
While I was away in college, I stayed with my roommate's family during one spring break.
[clause]
While away in college, I stayed with my roommate's family during one spring break. [phrase]
When she is working at home, Carla takes her youngest child to school in the morning.
[clause]
When working at home, Carla takes her youngest child to school in the morning. [phrase]
Although Marc Bloch was impressed by the bravery of his fellow soldiers, he had harsh
words for the army leadership. [clause]
"Although impressed by the bravery of his fellow soldiers, Bloch had harsh words for the
army leadership." [phrase]
(Marnie Hughes-Warrington, Fifty Key Thinkers on History, 2nd ed. Routledge, 2008)
Types of Phrases
"A full adverbial clause . . . is reduced to a nonfinite clause by the deletion of the subject and
whatever form of be it contains. This means that reduced adverbial clauses consist of
a subordinating conjunction followed by a phrase which can be one of a number of different
types, as shown by (43):
(43a) Although Head of Department, he relies on the Departmental Secretary. [noun phrase]
(43b) Although seriously ill, he came to the meeting. [adjective phrase]
(43c) Although on holiday, Susan responded to the request for help. [prepositional phrase]
(43d) Although waiting in a long queue, Catriona stayed calm. [participial phrase]" (Jan
McAllister and James E. Miller, Introductory Linguistics for Speech and Language Therapy
Practice. John Wiley & Sons, 2013)
Functions of Reduced Adverb Clauses
"Reduced adverb clauses include present or past participles with or without prepositional
(or adverbial) phrases and/or adverb clause markers, external/peripheral to the independent
clause structure, for example, The professor looked at me, smiling broadly, or While
walking to class that night, I noticed this poster, or After releasing her first CD, she
made a hit movie (NSs). With full or reduced adverb clauses, the independent clause retains
its structure and meaning if the subordinate construction is completely omitted (Leech &
Svartvik, 1994). In academic texts, reduced adverb clauses integrate information compactly,
while retaining the meanings and functions of full adverb clauses (Biber, 1988). In general,
they mark formal and written registers and are . . . seldom employed in speech.
"In reduced adverb clauses, the subject is not present in the subordinate structure and is
assumed to be the same as that in the independent clause. However, the constructions in
which the subjects are not the same abound in both L1 and L2 writing and are considered to
be questionable (if not outright unacceptable) (Quirk et al., 1985)."
(Eli Hinkel, Second Language Writers' Text: Linguistic and Rhetorical Features. Lawrence
Erlbaum, 2002)
