What is an Adverb Clause?
An adverb clause is a type of relative clause that modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb, and it begins with a subordinating conjunction or relative adverb (where, when, or why).
Examples of Adverb Clauses
Some examples of adverb clauses would be the following:
You can find flour where the other baking ingredients are located.
When my nephew came home sick from school, I made him a bowl of hot soup.
With all her previous restaurant experience, Kate could not understand why she did not get the waitressing job.
Why You Should Use Adverb Clauses in Your Writing
Keep in mind that adverb clauses are simply dependent clauses that begin with a subordinating conjunction or a relative adverb (when, where, why), and as a whole, they function like an adverb which means they will modify a verb, adjective, or an adverb in the main clause of the sentence.
The benefits of using adverb clauses in your writing is primarily to provide more description or detail about the verb, adjective, or adverb in the main clause of the sentence.
Notice the difference between the following pairs of sentences:
We will start practice.
We will start practice when the coach arrives.
He placed the bowl.
He placed the bowl where the dog could reach it.
Without the adverb clause, there would be quite a bit of detail and context left out of the sentence, so be sure to use adverb clauses in your writing to provide more detail and description.
When you’re ready, be sure to explore noun clauses, adjective clauses, and elliptical clauses, too!
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