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.

How did Tommy scrub? Until his arms ached, an adverb clause.

Josephine's three cats bolted from the driveway once they saw her car turn the corner.

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

After her 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.

Kinds of adverbial clauses[edit]

kind of clause	common conjunctions	function	example
time clauses	when, before, after, since, while, as, as long as, until,till, etc. (conjunctions that answer the question "when?"); hardly, scarcely, no sooner, etc.	These clauses are used to say when something happens by referring to a period of time or to another event.	Her goldfish died when she was young.
conditional clauses	if, unless, at lest	These clauses are used to talk about a possible or counterfactual situation and its consequences.	If they lose weight during an illness, they soon regain it afterwards.
purpose clauses	in order to, so that, in order that	These clauses are used to indicate the purpose of an action.	They had to take some of his land so that they could extend the churchyard.
reason clauses	because, since, as, given	These clauses are used to indicate the reason for something.	I couldn't feel anger against him because I liked him too much.
result clauses	so...that	These clauses are used to indicate the result of something.	My suitcase had become so damaged on the journey home that the lid would not stay closed.
concession clauses	although, though, while	These clauses are used to make two statements, one of which contrasts with the other or makes it seem surprising.	I used to read a lot although I don't get much time for books now.
place clauses	where, wherever, anywhere, everywhere, etc. (conjunctions that answer the question "where?")	These clauses are used to talk about the location or position of something.	He said he was happy where he was.
Clause of Comparison	as	Adverb as is a clause which states comparison.	Johan can speak English as fluently as his teacher.
clauses of manner	as, like, the way	These clauses are used to talk about someone's behavior or the way something is done.	I was never allowed to do things as I wanted to do them.They also Answer the question , "How".

References

Introduction

A clause is a group of words that contain a subject and a verb. Clauses can take the place of different parts of speech

.For instance, you are probably familiar with adjective clauses

.The man, who looked sleepy, sat down

Who looked sleepy is an adjective clause. It is taking the place of an adjective. An adjective is used to describe nouns and so do adjective clauses

.We could re-write the sentence with an adjective

.The sleepy man sat down

Similarly, a noun clause can take the place of a noun. This lesson will explain noun clauses, give examples of noun clauses, and then provide several quizzes to practice forming noun clauses
 

Noun Clauses - Explanations & Examples

There are three basic types of noun clauses. These types are 1) noun clauses that start with a question word (where, how, who, when, why), 2) noun clauses that start with whether or if, and 3) noun clauses that start with that 
 

 Noun Clauses that Start with a Question

Noun clauses that start with a question are usually used to answer a question. The following examples should better explain this

 

• ?Where does Sarik live
  .I don't know where Sarik lives
  where Sarik lives" is a noun clause. We could answer this question without a noun clause by saying the following
• I don't know Sarik's address. The noun phrase, Sarik's address, replaces with the noun clause, where Sarik lives 
  
  
   
• ?What time is it
  .I don't know what time it is
  "what time it is" is a noun clause. We could answer this question without a noun clause by saying the following
  I don't know the time. In this case, the noun phrase, the time, replaces the noun clause, what time it is
   

 Noun Clauses that Start with Whether or If

Noun clauses that start with whether or if are used to answer yes/no type questions. Whether and if are usually interchangeable. The following examples should better explain this
 

• ?Does Judy own a Honda
  .I don't know if Judy owns a Honda
  "if Judy owns a Honda" is a noun clause. We could answer this question without a noun clause by saying the following
  I don't know the answer. In this case, the noun phrase, the answer, replaces the noun clause, if Judy owns a Honda
  
   
• ?Will Sadine be at work on Friday
  .I don't know whether Sadine will be at work on Friday
  "whether Sadine will be at work on Friday" is a noun clause. We could answer this question without a noun clause by saying the following
  I don't know the answer. In this case, the noun phrase, the answer, replaces the noun clause, whether Sadine will be at work on Friday

Noun Clauses that Start with That

Noun clauses that start with that are used to answer questions in which person who is answering is thinking, giving an opinion, or using a mental activity verb. The following examples should better explain this

• ?Is Dr. Elimelech a good instructor
  .I think that Dr. Elimelech is a good instructor
  "that Dr. Elimelech is a good instructor" is a noun clause. This noun clause could be omitted by saying the following
  .I think so
  
   
• ?Do you know the location of an ATM
  .I believe that there is an ATM in the supermarket
  ."that there is an ATM in the supermarket" is a noun clause

.Most of the time, native speakers will drop the word that. It is perfectably acceptable to say the following

.I think that Dr. Elimelech is a good instructor
.OR I think Dr. Elimelech is a good instructor

.I believe that there is an ATM in the supermarket
.OR I believe there is an ATM in the supermarket