ADVANCED GRAMMAR

Adverb Clauses
An adverb may be a single word such as quickly, here or yesterday, or a phrase such
as the day before yesterday, or to see my mother. However, adverbs can also be
clauses, containing a subject and a full verb. This page will explain the basic types of
adverb clauses (sometimes called "adverbial clauses") and how to recognize them.

Adverbs, adverb phrases, and adverb clauses

Look at these sentences:

I saw the movie yesterday.

I saw the movie on Friday.

I saw the movie before I left for Calgary.

In the first sentence, “yesterday” is a one-word adverb, “on Friday” is an adverb phrase,
and “before I left for Calgary” is an adverb clause. All of them answer the question
“When?”, but the adverb clause has a subject (“I”) and a full verb (“left”). It is introduced
by “before”, so it is a dependent clause. This means that it cannot stand alone: “Before
I left for Calgary” would not be a full sentence. It needs a main clause (“I saw the
movie”). An adverb clause, then, is a dependent clause that does the same job as an
adverb or an adverb phrase.

Types of adverb clauses

There are many types of adverb clauses. Here are some examples of the most common types:

Type Question answered Example

Wherever there are computers,

Place Where?
there is Microsoft software.

After the fruit is harvested, it is

Time When?
sold at the market.

Cause Why? (What caused this?) I didn't call her because I'm shy.

Why? (What was the She took a computer course so

Purpose
reason for doing this?) that she could get a better job.

Concession/ Why is this unexpected? Although Jay has a Master's

Type Question answered Example

Contrast degree, he works as a store clerk.

If you save your money, you will

Condition Under what conditions?
be able to go to college.

As you can see from the examples above, most adverb clauses can be recognized
because they are introduced by a particular word or phrase (such as "when" and "so
that"). These words and phrases are called subordinating conjunctions, and there are
many of them, including these:

after, before, until, while, because, since, as, so that, in order that, if, unless,
whether, though, although, even though, where

The Adverb Clause

Recognize an adverb clause when you see one.

An adverb clause will meet three requirements:

 First, it will contain a subject and verb.

 You will also find a subordinate conjunction that keeps the
clause from expressing a complete thought.
 Finally, you will notice that the clause answers one of these
three adverb questions: How?When? or Why?

Read these examples:

Tommy scrubbed the bathroom tile until his arms ached.

Until when did Tommy scrub? Until his arms ached, an adverb

clause.

Josephine's three cats jumped happily by the driveway once they

saw her car turn the corner.

When did the cats jump? Once they saw her car turn the corner,
an adverb clause.

After the appointment at the orthodontist, Danielle cooked eggs

for dinner because she could easily chew an omelet.
Why did Danielle cook eggs? Because she could easily chew an
omelet, an adverb clause.

What is an Adverb Clause? 

Definition & Meaning of an Adverb Clause

Adverbs often answer such questions

as how, when, where, in what way or how often? To what extent? 
This function is called the adverbial function.
An adverb clause uses not just single words
but also phrases to provide information.
 

Examples of Adverb Clauses

Some examples of adverb clauses are as follows:

 Wherever he goes, he takes a photograph. (The adverbial clause

'wherever he goes' modifies the verb takes.)
 John enjoyed the play more than I did. (The adverbial clause
'than I did' modifies the adverb more.)

Subordination Conjunctions

Subordination Conjunctions

Most adverb clauses can be recognized because they are introduced by

a particular word or phrase (such as "when", "how often", where etc.).
These words and phrases are called subordinating conjunctions.

Although
As
Because
Before
Even Though
If
In Order That
Since
 So That
Though
Unless
Until
Where
Whether
While
Only if
Subordination Conjunctions

ALTHOUGH, EVEN THOUGH, THOUGH

Although my mom looks angry, she is definitely a generous and

wonderful woman.

Even though my mom looks angry, she is definitely a generous and

wonderful woman.

Though my mom looks angry, she is definitely a generous and

wonderful woman.

IF

If I win the lottery, I will buy a mansion.

If I won the lottery, I would buy a mansion.

If I had won the lottery, I would have bought a mansion.

AS

Time: I picked up my kids from school as I was coming back from

work.

Manner: Erika did her homework as nobody could.

Reason: I will go to bed early as I need to rest.

 UNLESS

I will not go to the party unless I do my homework

Unless I do my homework, I will not go to the party.

She will go the US next moth unless she doesn’t get a visa.

Unless she doesn’t get a visa, she will go to the US next month.