Subordinate Clauses
* Function: Act as a noun, adjective, or adverb within a sentence.
* Structure: Contains a subject and a verb (like a complete sentence) but cannot stand alone.
* Connectors: Begin with subordinating conjunctions (e.g., because, although, when, if, since, while, before, after, until, unless).
* Example: "Because she was tired, she went to bed early." (The clause "because she was tired" acts as an adverb, modifying "went to bed early.")
Prepositional Phrases
* Function: Act as an adjective or adverb, adding detail or information to a noun or verb.
* Structure: Begin with a preposition (e.g., on, in, at, to, from, with, for, by, about) followed by a noun or pronoun (the object of the preposition).
* Example: "The book on the table is mine." (The prepositional phrase "on the table" acts as an adjective, modifying "book.")
Key Differences
* Subject and Verb: Subordinate clauses contain both a subject and a verb, while prepositional phrases do not.
* Stand-Alone Ability: Subordinate clauses cannot stand alone as complete sentences, while prepositional phrases can (although they wouldn't be sentences).
* Connectors: Subordinate clauses use subordinating conjunctions to connect to the main clause, while prepositional phrases use prepositions.
Examples
* Subordinate Clause: "I will go to the store if it stops raining."
* Prepositional Phrase: "The cat sat on the mat."
In Summary
Think of it this way: Subordinate clauses are like mini-sentences that add extra information to the main sentence, while prepositional phrases are like little descriptive tags that add detail.