What are the different kinds of dependent clause?
There are three basic kinds of dependent clauses, categorized according to their function in the sentence. Remember that a dependent clause always contains a subject and a verb, but it cannot stand by itself. Adverb clauses provide information about what is going on in the main (independent) clause: where, when, or why. “When the movie is over, we’ll go downtown.” or “John wanted to write a book because he had so much to say about the subject.” Adjective clauses work like multi-word adjectives. “My brother, who is an engineer, figured it out for me.” or “The bridge that collapsed in the winter storm will cost millions to replace.” A special kind of adjective clause begins with a relative adverb (where, when, and why) but nonetheless functions as adjectivally. Noun clauses can do anything that nouns can do.
