Subordinate Clauses Made Simple

A Parent-Friendly Guide to Helping Your Child Master Complex Sentences

Subordinate Clause Example

If your child’s homework suddenly mentions main and subordinate clauses, don’t panic—these are just the building blocks of complex sentences, and they’re easier to spot than you might think. Below you’ll find clear definitions, child-friendly explanations, everyday examples, and quick practice ideas so you can guide your young writer with confidence.

1. Main vs Subordinate: The Two Parts of a Complex Sentence

Clause Type	Quick Definition	Can it stand alone as a sentence?	Example
Main (Independent) Clause	The core idea of the sentence—tells us who is doing what.	Yes.	“The cat napped on the sofa.”
Subordinate (Dependent) Clause	Adds extra information about the main clause—when, where, why, how, or under what condition.	No. It needs the main clause to make sense.	“because it was tired.”

Put them together and you get a complex sentence:

The cat napped on the sofa because it was tired.

2. The Easiest Way to Spot a Subordinate Clause

1. Look for a subordinating conjunction (e.g. because, although, if, when, while, since, unless, before).

2. Read the clause by itself. If it feels unfinished—like you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop—that’s your subordinate clause.

   
   

Try it: “Although she practised every day” ← sounds incomplete, so it must be subordinate.

3. Kid-Friendly Explanation

“A subordinate clause is like a mini-sentence that needs a parent to go out. It can’t leave the house on its own, so it sticks to the main sentence for the full meaning.”

4. Common Subordinating Conjunctions (Learn a Few at a Time)

• Time: after, before, when, while, until, once

• Reason: because, since, as

• Concession (contrast): although, even though

• Condition: if, unless, provided that

  
  

Tip for children: Circle the conjunction first—that’s the clue a subordinate clause is starting.

5. Punctuation Pointers

• Subordinate clause first? Add a comma before the main clause.

  “When the bell rang, the class cheered.”

• Main clause first? Usually no comma.

  “The class cheered when the bell rang.”

This pattern mirrors fronted adverbials, so your child might already know the comma rule!

6. Quick-Fire Practice Ideas at Home

Game	How It Works	Example Starter
Clause Swap	Write main clauses on blue cards, subordinate clauses on yellow cards. Mix and match to create silly sentences.	Blue: “The hamster escaped” • Yellow: “although the cage was locked.”
Conjunction Hunt	During story time, ask your child to clap when they hear a subordinating conjunction.	“…because…” (clap)
Finish My Thought	You say a subordinate clause; your child completes it with a main clause.	“If it snows tomorrow…”

7. Why Schools Emphasise Subordinate Clauses

• Sentence Variety – Writers avoid the repetitive “subject–verb” pattern of simple sentences.

• Precision & Depth – Subordinate clauses let children weave in reasons, conditions, and contrasts.

• Curriculum Milestones – In the UK, complex sentences appear in KS2 writing objectives and SATs questions.

8. Troubleshooting Common Confusions

Issue	Fix
Forgetting the comma when the subordinate clause comes first	Practise reading the sentence aloud; the natural pause reminds children where the comma goes.
Over-long sentences	Encourage one subordinate clause per sentence until your child controls flow confidently.
Mixing up conjunction types	Make a colour-coded poster: time (green), reason (orange), contrast (purple), condition (blue).

9. How we can help your child

Ask your child to go our Topics page and choose the Subordinate Clauses topic for age-appropriate explanation and practice questions, which is a great way for them to learn what subordinate clauses are and how to use them properly!