Adverbial Clauses

Definition:

A dependent clause used as an adverb within a sentence to indicate time, place, condition, contrast, concession, reason, purpose, or result. Also known as adverbial clause.

An adverb clause begins with a subordinating conjunction (such as if, when, because, or although) and includes a subject and a predicate

Observations:

The name "adverbial" suggests that adverbial clauses modify verbs; but they modify whole clauses, as shown by the examples [below]. Their other key property is that they are adjuncts, since they are typically optional constituents in sentences. They are traditionally classified according to their meaning, for example adverbial clauses of reason, time, concession, manner or condition, as illustrated below.

a. Reason
Because Marianne loved Willoughby, she refused to believe that he had deserted her.
b. Time
When Fanny returned, she found Tom Bertram very ill.
c. Concession
Although Mr D'Arcy disliked Mrs Bennet he married Elizabeth.
d. Manner
Henry changed his plans as the mood took him.
e. Condition
If Emma had left Hartfield, Mr Woodhouse would have been unhappy.

(Jim Miller, An Introduction to English Syntax. Edinburgh Univ. Press, 2002)

Examples:

• "This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."
  (newspaper editor to Senator Ransom Stoddart in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, 1962)
• "All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why."
  (attributed to James Thurber)
• Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it."
  (Helen Keller, "Optimism: An Essay," 1903)
• "The greatest thrill in the world is to end the game with a home run and watch everybody else walk off the field while you're running the bases on air."
  (Al Rosen, third-baseman for the Cleveland Indians, 1947-1956)
• "Again at eight o’clock, when the dark lanes of the Forties were five deep with throbbing taxi cabs, bound for the theatre district, I felt a sinking in my heart. Forms leaned together in the taxis as they waited, and voices sang, and there was laughter from unheard jokes, and lighted cigarettes outlined unintelligible gestures inside."
  (F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, 1925)
• "The swift December dusk had come tumbling clownishly after its dull day, and, as he stared through the dull square of the window of the schoolroom, he felt his belly crave for its food."
  (James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, 1916)
• "Though we thumped, wept, and chanted "We want Ted" for minutes after he hid in the dugout, he did not come back."
  (John Updike, "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu," 1960)
• "I drank some boiling water because I wanted to whistle."
  (Mitch Hedberg)
• "I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it."
  (Mae West)
• "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross."
  (Sinclair Lewis, 1935)
• "When I was coming up, I practiced all the time because I thought if I didn't I couldn't do my best."
  (Herbie Hancock)
• "And when the broken hearted people
  Living in the world agree,
  There will be an answer, let it be.
  For though they may be parted there is
  Still a chance that they will see
  There will be an answer, let it be."
  (John Lennon and Paul McCartney, "Let It Be")
• "If I ever opened a trampoline store, I don't think I'd call it Trampo-Land, because you might think it was a store for tramps, which is not the impression we are trying to convey with our store."
  (Jack Handey, Deep Thoughts, 1992)
• "According to legend, when Lady Godiva pleaded with her husband, the Earl of Mercia, to cancel a burdensome tax he had levied against his subjects, he agreed to do so only if she rode naked through the city."
  (Jim Hargan, "The City of Lady Godiva." British Heritage, January 2001)
• "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted."
  (Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture, 2008)

http://grammar.about.com/od/ab/g/qdvclterm.htm

An adverbial an adverb. In other words, it contains a subject (explicit or implied) and a predicate, and it modifies a verb.clause is a dependent clause that functions as

• I saw Joe when I went to the store. (explicit subject I)
• He sat quietly in order to appear polite. (implied subject he)

According to Sidney Greenbaum and Randolph Quirk, adverbial clauses function mainly as adjuncts or disjuncts. In these functions they are like adverbial phrases, but due to their potentiality for greater explicitness, they are more often like prepositional phrases (Greenbaum and Quirk,1990):

• We left after the speeches ended. (adverbial clause)
• We left after the end of the speeches. (adverbial prepositional phrase)

Contrast adverbial clauses with adverbial phrases, which do not contain a clause.

• I like to fly kites for fun.

Adverbial clauses modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs. For example:

• Hardly had I reached the station when the train started to leave the platform.

The adverbial clause in this sentence is "when the train started to leave the platform" because it is a subordinate clause and because it has the trigger word (subordinate conjunction) "when".

Kinds of adverbial clauses

kind of clause	common conjunctions	function	example
time clauses	when, before, after, since, while, as, as long as, until,till, etc. (conjunctions that answer the question "when?"); hardly, scarcely, no sooner, etc.	These clauses are used to say when something happens by referring to a period of time or to another event.	Her goldfish died when she was young.
conditional clauses	if, unless, lest	These clauses are used to talk about a possible or counterfactual situation and its consequences.	If they lose weight during an illness, they soon regain it afterwards.
purpose clauses	in order to, so that, in order that	These clauses are used to indicate the purpose of an action.	They had to take some of his land so that they could extend the churchyard.
reason clauses	because, since, as, given	These clauses are used to indicate the reason for something.	I couldn't feel anger against him because I liked him too much.
result clauses	so...that	These clauses are used to indicate the result of something.	My suitcase had become so damaged on the journey home that the lid would not stay closed.
concessive clauses	although, though, while	These clauses are used to make two statements, one of which contrasts with the other or makes it seem surprising.	I used to read a lot although I don't get much time for books now.
place clauses	where, wherever, anywhere, everywhere, etc. (conjunctions that answer the question "where?")	These clauses are used to talk about the location or position of something.	He said he was happy where he was.
clauses of manner	as, like, the way	These clauses are used to talk about someone's behaviour or the way something is done.	I was never allowed to do things as I wanted to do them

Further reading

• Greenbaum, Sidney & Quirk, Randolph. A Student's Grammar of the English Language. Hong Kong: Longman Group (FE) Ltd, 1990.
• Sinclair, John (editor-in-chief). Collins Cobuild English Grammar. London and Glasgow: William Collins Sons & Co ltd, 1990.

http://a4esl.org/q/h/mb/adv_cause.html

Exercise :

·         Because he was tired, he scored poorly on the exam, ___ into the university.
a. this will cause him to not be admitted
b. this is a fact which will cause him to not be admitted
c. a fact which will cause him to not be admitted
d. a fact which will cause him to not admit

·         ___ the TOEFL with a score of 550, he will be admitted into the university.
a. Now that he passes
b. That he has passed
c. Now, he has passed
d. Now that he has passed

·         Since July 4th is a holiday, ___ have to go to work.
a. so we do not
b. we do not
c. as a result, we do not
d. thus, we do not

·         Yousef went back to Saudi Arabia ___ to take care of some business in his company.
a. and he needed
b. because he needed
c. which he needed
d. because he need

·         ___, he will return back to the United States to study English.
a. Had Yousef taken care of his business in Saudi Arabia
b. Now that Yousef has taken care his business in Saudi Arabia
c. Now that Yousef has taken care of his business in Saudi Arabia
d. Yousef has taken care of his business in Saudi Arabia but

·         ___ have to work today, we should go to Laguna Beach.
a. For we do not
b. We do not
c. Since we do not
d. Since we do no

·         Fabiana will not go to work today ___ a bit ill.
a. , she is
b. because she
c. because she is
d. which is she is

·         ___, the temperature should begin dropping.
a. Now that the sun setting
b. Now that the sun set
c. The sun setting
d. Now that the sun has set

·         ___ is important since most professional jobs require writing skills.
a. Learn how to write
b. Learning how write
c. Learning how to write
d. Learning how to write it is

·         ___, the research paper is beneficial to students since it requires them to critically think, read, and write about a specific body of knowledge in which they have an interest.
a. A requirement at most universities
b. It is a requirement at most universities
c. A requirement at most universities it is
d. Requirement at most universities

·         ___ over, I am ready to enter the job market, so I will begin to send out my résumé to prospective employers.
a. Now that my universities studies have been
b. Now, that my universities studies are
c. Now that my universities studies are
d. My universities studies are

·         Waldo, ___, has learned a great deal of English since he came to the U.S.
a. he is a practicing lawyer from Chile
b. who a practicing lawyer is from Chile
c. a practicing lawyer from Chile
d. a practicing lawyer from Chile who

·         Because of the extreme fatigue ___ a marathon, most runners must train for several months before they are sufficiently conditioned.
a. which involved in running
b. involving in running
c. involved in running
d. involved in run

·         ___ fifty-five miles per week for ten consecutive weeks, you are ready to run a marathon.
a. You have trained at a rate of
b. Now that you have trained at a rate of
c. Now that you have trained at a rate of so
d. Now that you train at a rate

·         He hasn't lifted any weights ___ his right arm.
a. since he injures
b. since he injured
c. since he injure
d. , he injured

·         ___ any trout yet, she is going to change the bait she is using.
a. Because Ivy has not catched
b. Ivy has not caught
c. Because Ivy has not caught
d. Because Ivy had not caught

·         Alfredo, ___ high academic aspirations, cannot pay his tuition now that his father is unemployed.
a. has
b. who he has
c. who has
d. have had

·         ___ Asian economic crisis, it has been very hard for Ai and her family to pay their bills.
a. The
b. Because the
c. Since the
d. Since

·         Halle Berry faces legal problems because she was ___ information with the injured driver.
a. involved in a car accident and left the scene without exchange
b. involved in a car accident and leaves the scene without exchanging
c. involved in a car accident and left the scene without exchanging
d. involve in a car accident and left the scene without exchanging

·         Now that India is approaching one billion people, it will soon surpass China as the world's most populated country, ___.
a. a fact which has alarmed geographers and environmentalists like
b. this is a fact which has alarmed geographers and environmentalists alike
c. which a fact which has alarmed geographers and environmentalists alike
d. a fact which has alarmed geographers and environmentalists alike

Answer Key :

1.      C

2.      D

3.      B

4.      B

5.      C

6.      C

7.      C

8.      D

9.      C

10.  A

11.  C

12.  C

13.  C

14.  B

15.  B

16.  C

17.  C

18.  C

19.  C

20.  D

http://a4esl.org/q/h/mb/adv_cause.html