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)

No extra meaning

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

These prepositions are seful 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

Subordinate clause classification

        flowchart TD
    A["Subordinate Clauses (CGEL)"]

    A --> B["Content Clauses"]
    A --> C["Relative Clauses"]
    A --> D["Comparative Clauses"]

    B --> B1["Declarative"]
    B --> B2["Interrogative"]
    B --> B3["Exclamative"]

    C --> C1["Integrated"]
    C --> C2["Supplementary"]
    C --> C3["Fused Relative"]

    D --> D1["Than-comparatives"]
    D --> D2["As-comparatives"]
    

Clause types:

Clause
├── Declarative
├── Interrogative
├── Exclamative
└── Imperative

Subordinate clause types:

Subordinate Clause
├── Content Clauses
├── Relative Clauses
└── Comparative Clauses

Rhetorical impact

Finite subordinate clauses frequently use markers (including subordinators).

Many subordinate clause types (especially relative clauses) use different kinds of markers rather than subordinators

Marker type	Rhetorical impact
Subordinators (that, because, if, although, when)	Explicitly frame the logical or semantic relationship (content, cause, condition, concession, time, etc.), guiding interpretation incrementally.
Relative markers (who, which, that, where)	Explicitly identify the antecedent and signal that the clause modifies it, aiding reference tracking.
Comparative markers (than, as)	Explicitly signal comparison before presenting the comparison clause.

Non-finite relative clauses are used to embed information:

Type	Rhetorical impact
Finite subordination (with markers)	Explicitly signals the relationship before the clause unfolds, guiding interpretation incrementally.
Non-finite subordination	Compresses and backgrounds the relationship, relying more on context and allowing the main clause to remain in focus.

Important

Finite subordination guides the reader; non-finite subordination streamlines the reader.