Adverbial Clause of Time
Time Clauses—Before, After, When
They are subordinate clauses that describe when an action occurs.
* Subordinate clause or independent clause is a clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.
Adverb clauses of time cannot stand on their own and must be attached to an independent clause. WHY? because it does not express a complete thought.
*In grammar, a clause is a group of words that includes a subject and a verb.
EXAMPLES WITH WHEN:
- He was talking on the phone when I arrived.
- When she called, he had already eaten lunch.
- I washed the dishes when my daughter fell asleep.
- EXAMPLES WITH AFTER:
- We will finish after he comes.
- She ate after I (had) left.
- EXAMPLES WITH BEFORE:
- We will finish before he arrives.
- She (had) left before I telephoned.
IT IS FORM BY TWO CLAUSES
A MAIN CLAUSE:
It is a complete sentence. Example: I ate breakfast.
A TIME CLAUSE:
It is an incomplete sentence. It must be connected to a main clause.
Example:
Before I went to class.
Structure:
BEFORE/ AFTER / WHEN + S+ V
THE TIME CLAUSE CAN COME AFTER AND BEFORE THE MAIN CLAUSES.
THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE IN MEANING
Examples:
- We will finish before he arrives.
- Before he arrives, we will finish.
2. After we finished our homework, we took a walk.
1. When Tom was a child, he lived with his aunt.
2. Tom lived with his aunt when he was a child. ****
- When it comes before the main clause, we usually separate it with a comma.
- Commas are not necessary when the adverb clause goes after the main clause.
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