How are subordinating conjunctions different from other conjunctions?
Other conjunctions join words, phrases or clauses of equal value. A subordinating conjunction joins clauses of unequal value. The clause that begins with the subordinating conjunction is called a subordinate (or dependent) clause. It is less important than the other clause, which is called the main clause. For example, consider these two clauses: • Audrey lit up a cigarette. • Henry grabbed the fire extinguisher. These clauses are grammatically equal. They are both independent clauses (that is, they can stand alone as sentences). But the clauses are not of equal value: they don’t express equally important ideas. The second clause seems to be the main idea, and the first clause seems merely secondary. We can join these clauses of unequal value into a single sentence by placing the subordinating conjunction as at the beginning of the less important idea: • As Audrey lit up a cigarette, Henry grabbed the fire extinguisher. The first clause is now a subordinate or dependent clause. It is n
