Subordinating conjunctions are transition words that signal the beginning of a subordinating clause. (A subordinate clause is a clause that depends on another clause and cannot stand alone.)
Examples of subordinating conjunctions are:
because, when, as, as long as, unless, until, after, before, although, provided that, etc.
There are 3 types of conjunctions:
- subordinating conjunctions: connect an independent/main clause to a dependent/subordinating clause
- coordinating conjunctions: connect two clauses of the same type
- correlative conjunctions: connect two clauses of the same type but always come in pairs, for example: both..and, neither...nor, etc.)
The subordinating conjuctions can introduce:
- a noun clause (the subordinating clause acts as a noun)
- an adjective clause (the subordinating clause acts as an adjective, it describes a noun)
- an adverb clause (the subordinating clause works as an adverb)