Subordinate

  • Don’t subordinate what is interesting or relevant or important to the user

  • Do not lose or wrap important information

  • If there is too much info to subordinate, break it to a few sentences. Then, the paragraph executes the subordination and the main point instead of a long sentence

  • Carefully inspect subordination that change the meaning in subtle ways: add conditional, add time info, etc.

If you like cakes, they have great lemon pie (they have the pie wether you like cakes or not)

While running, she saw a squirrel (while as during)

While running is more effort than walking (while as a concession, the reader may be surprised)

Since the 19th century, trains … (since as a time indication)

Since you don’t want (since as “because”, again - confusing)

Do you like Coldplay more than Madona (you like Coldplay more than Madona, or you like them more than Madona does?)

Brush your teeth as you read your paper (ok, simultanous)

As it was raining, we stayed inside (used as because, again - confusing)

  • The four subordinators - that, whether, if, for - usually do not add any meaning. They just structurally subordinate a clause

  • However, in some cases they do matter and using them adds meaning:

Floyd spoke. Lou laughed.

Floyd spoke, saying that Lou laughed.

Floyd spoke, wondering whether Lou laughed.

Floyd spoke, asking if Lou laughed.

Floyd spoke, for Lou laughed (finite clause, formal/literary, for here is like because) →

  • Prepositions as subordinates are useful to refine the meaning of the sentence and the subordinate clause:

Floyd spoke and Lou laughed

After Floyd spoke, Lou laughed

Although Floyd spoke, Lou laughed

Because Floyd spoke, Lou laughed

When Floyd spoke, Lou laughed

While Floyd spoke, Lou laughed

Until * And by the same token: Use the subordinate clause to refine the exact meaning, if any.

Floyd spoke and Lou laughed

After Floyd spoke, Lou laughed

Although Floyd spoke, Lou laughed

Because Floyd spoke, Lou laughed

When Floyd spoke, Lou laughed

While Floyd spoke, Lou laughed

Although Lou laughed, Floyd spoke

Because Lou laughed, Floyd spoke