Level: Intermediate-Advanced
The best way to explain the subordinating conjunction is through the conjunction ‘because’. This subordinating conjunction shows the cause and effect between the main clause and the subordinate clause.
A clause beginning with ‘because’ would not have a complete sense.
Because she sprained herself.
This statement has an incomplete thought. Adding an independent clause will make this statement complete.
Mary doesn’t go to ballet lessons anymore.
This is how the sentence looks like when the two clauses are combined by a subordinating clause of cause and effect in a complex sentence:
Mary doesn’t go to ballet lessons anymore because she sprained herself.
In this sentence, “Mary doesn’t go to ballet lessons anymore” is the independent clause. It is a complete sentence and thus can stand alone. The clause that shows a causal relationship “because she sprained herself”, typically called the ‘clause of purpose’ answers the question “Why?” or “For what purpose?”.
Here are other subordinating conjunctions that demonstrate cause-and-effect relationships and function the same way as ‘because’:
because of – There were so many tourists on the beach because of the beautiful weather last weekend.
for – Waiting for the new episode of the series on TV, never being able to watch it, of course, for it is aired very late at night.
as – The traffic was terrible on Friday evening as everyone expected.
since – They didn’t have to explain the procedures to her again since she understood it right away.
therefore – They were unable to practice a lot and therefore had to improvise during the performance.
hence – A healthy work environment improves employees’ motivation, and hence productivity.
as a result – Jackson missed his scheduled interview; as a result, lost the chance at a job at Google.
consequently – I binge-watched so many episodes and consequently had very few to watch by the end of my holiday.
though – He plays cello quite well, though he has only started learning a year ago.
due to – Many residents got sick due to poor sanitation in their area.
provided that – Some parents let their children work during their holidays provided that it is only for a couple of hours per day.
unless – She normally doesn’t talk much unless you start the conversation with her.
as a result of – The company’s revenues have decreased as a result of this quarter’s decline in sales.
so – My head started throbbing so I stopped reading.
so that – They’ll go by car so that they can bring more suitcases.
Their ballet routines for the upcoming recital is getting more and more difficult, hence Mary decided not to go to rehearsals anymore after getting sprained.
Since Mary sprained her ankle, her ballet teacher has prohibited her from attending the rehearsals.