Unit 4.2
Temporal Subordinate Clauses
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Introduction
Temporal clauses are part of the adverbial clauses which are composed of independent and dependent clauses, linked by connectors. The connectors of temporal clauses refer to a specific point in time.
Form
The temporal clause can be expressed through two kinds of structures that differ in the order of words but not in meaning:
- connector + clause + , + clause;
- clause + connector + clause.
The clauses are made up of subject + verb. The connectors are: before, after, when and while.
Example
- The ambulance came after you fainted.
- After we saw her, we realised she had short hair.
- I straighten my hair before I go to work.
- Before it starts raining, we should leave.
- She felt bad when she found out the truth.
- When they were sleeping, the light was on.
- They had some coffee while you were reading.
- While he is dancing, he feels good.
Use
We use temporal clauses to form more complex sentences and locate an event in a specific moment or period.
The temporal clause makes sense thanks to the following connectors:
- after (subsequent event);
- before (previous event);
- when (in a specific moment).
- while (at the same time as another event).
Summary
Temporal clauses are used to form more complex sentences and locate an event in a specific moment or period. They are usually composed of two parts: the independent and the dependent clauses, which are linked by a connector.
These connectors are: before, after, when and while.
The structure is:
We start with the connector followed by a clause, a comma and another clause. We can also start with a clause followed by the connector and clause (we don’t use a comma here).
For example:
— “Before you cook dinner, I’ll have a shower.” / “I’ll have a shower before you cook dinner.” = The shower is the first event to take place and the dinner the second.
— “After you cook dinner, I’ll have a shower.” / “I’ll have a shower after you cook dinner.” = The dinner is the first event to take place and the shower the second.
— “When the dinner is ready, I’ll have a shower.” / “I’ll have a shower when the dinner is ready.” = The shower is the second event that happens in a specific moment.
— “While you cook dinner, I’ll have a shower.” / “I’ll have a shower while you cook dinner.” = The two events happen at the same time.
Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.
Exercises
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