Adverbial clause


An adverbial clause is a dependent clause that functions as an adverb. That is, the entire clause modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. As with all clauses, it contains a subject and predicate, though the subject as well as the verb may sometimes be omitted and implied.
An adverbial clause is fronted by a subordinating conjunction—sometimes called a trigger word.
According to Sidney Greenbaum and Randolph Quirk, adverbial clauses function mainly as adjuncts or disjuncts, which parts also perform in a sentence as adverbial phrases or as adverbial prepositional phrases. Unlike clauses, phrases do not contain a subject and predicate; they are contrasted here:
Adverbial clauses are divided into several groups according to the actions or senses of their conjunctions: