Adverb, adjective, and noun clauses classified. A set of 10 examples per type are provided with an answer key. The reader is expected to identify where each begins and ends including the keyword that introduced them. Teachers can extend the function if they ask what word is modified and if they ask about the function of the noun clause.

1. Hello!
1
by Meibis
González V.

2. IDENTIFYING AND
CLASSIFYING
SUBORDINATE
CLAUSES

3. Do the difficult things while they are easy and
do the great things while they are small. A
journey of a thousand miles begins with a single
step. – Lao Tzu“

4. 4
-Identify the subordinate clause or clauses in each of the
following sentences.
-Tell whether each clause is used as an adjective, an
adverb, or a noun clause.
-If a clause is used as an adverb or an adjective, keep in
mind that they modify other words.
-Noun clauses have functions too. They can be used as
subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, predicate
nominative and objects of prepositions.

5. Practice 1 (where is the adjective clause?
1. I know a man whose last name is Goose.
2. I apologized to the woman whose coffee I spilled.
3. The building where he lives is very old.
4. There was a time when Dinosaurs dominated the earth.
5. The miser hid his money in a place where it was safe from robbers.
6. He is the only one who knows the answer.
7. I have a lot of memories of my hometown which is situated in a
valley.
8. A river, which is polluted, is not safe for swimming.
9. The teacher thanked the students who had given her some flowers.
10. The photographs which were published in the newspaper were
extraordinary.

6. Practice 1 (where is the adjective clause?) Answer Key
×1. I know a man whose last name is Goose.
×2. I apologized to the woman whose coffee I spilled.
×3. The building where he lives is very old.
×4. There was a time when Dinosaurs dominated the earth.
×5. The miser hid his money in a place where it was safe
from robbers.
×6. He is the only one who knows the answer.
×7. I have a lot of memories of my hometown which is
situated in a valley.
×8. A river, which is polluted, is not safe for swimming.
×9. The teacher thanked the students who had given her
some flowers.
×10. The photographs which were published in the
newspaper were extraordinary. 6

7. Adverb Clauses modify Adjectives, Verbs an
other Adverbs. When they modify adjectives
and adverbs, they are placed inmediately
after the adjective they modify.
7

8. Adverb clauses that modify adjectives and
adverbs
8
Adverb clauses modifying adjectives or
adverbs must come after the word
modified. Examples:
Playing football is dangerous if you
don't have the right equipment.
We walked to class quickly as if we
were going to be late.
Ann was confident that she would play
the best

9. Practice 2 (where is the adverb clause?
×1. I fell asleep while I was sitting in class.
×2. After he finished his homework, Peter went to bed.
×3. You should always read a contract before you sign your
× name.
×4. Since I came here, I have learned a lot of English.
×5. While Alex was chopping wood, he hurt his back.
×6. I cashed a check so that I could buy my textbooks.
×7. Even though it was cold, I went swimming.
×8. I moved to the front of the room so that I could see better.
×9. Mary is rich, whereas Joe is poor.
×10. He thinks he can get anything because he is rich
9

10. 10
Practice 2
1. I fell asleep while I was sitting in class.
2. After he finished his homework, Peter went to bed.
3. You should always read a contract before you sign
your name.
4. Since I came here, I have learned a lot of English.
5. While Alex was chopping wood, he hurt his back.
6. I cashed a check so that I could buy my textbooks.
7. Even though it was cold, I went swimming.
8. I moved to the front of the room so that I could see
better.
9. Mary is rich, whereas Joe is poor.
10. He thinks he can get anything because he is rich

11. 11
.
NOUN CLAUSES
Noun clauses begin with words such as how, that, what,
whatever, when, where, whether, which, whichever, who,
whoever, whom, whomever, and why. Noun clauses can
act as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, predicate
nominatives, or objects of a preposition.

12. Practice 3 (identify the noun clause)
1. Whoever thought of the idea is a genious.
2. Do you know what the wheather will be?
3. My greatest asset is that I am a hard worker.
4. It is important to think about why we make important decisions.
5. I wonder how long we should wait in here.
6. I am packing extra snacks for when we get hungry.
7. The focus of our work is how we can satisfy our clientes more
effectively.
8. Her excuse for being late was that she forgot to set her alarm.
9. She is not responsible for what he decided to do.
10. His problem was that he did not practice enough.
12

13. 13
Y
Practice 3 (Answer Key)
1. Whoever thought of the idea is a genious.
2. Do you know what the wheather will be?
3. My greatest asset is that I am a hard worker.
4. It is important to think about why we make important
decisions.
5. I wonder how long we should wait in here.
6. I am packing extra snacks for when we get hungry.
7. The focus of our work is how we can satisfy our
clientes more effectively.
8. Her excuse for being late was that she forgot to set her
alarm.
9. She is not responsible for what he decided to do.
10. His problem was that he did not practice enough.

14. 14
Reference
Azar, B. S., & Hagen, S.
A. (2009). Understanding
and using English
grammar. White Plains,
NY: Pearson Longman.