Lesson video

Hello, and welcome back to the lessons on grammar that we're working on together.

Today is lesson 17, and we will be looking at subordinate clauses.

Some of you may have heard the phrase before, some of you may have never heard it before.

Both are perfectly fine, because today we will find out what a subordinate clause is.

And perhaps more importantly, we will find out how we can write them for ourselves.

So when you're ready, please find a quiet space where you can concentrate, clear away any distractions, and let's get started looking at subordinate clauses.

Excellent.

Hopefully you have found yourself somewhere comfortable and free of distractions, ready to learn all about subordinate clauses.

You are going to need a pen or a pencil, something to write with, as well as something to write on.

So grab yourself some paper, or perhaps if you're working through an exercise book, something like that.

We are going to be using our brains a lot today as we are learning and spending time thinking and remembering.

So make sure you've got that one switched on as well.

If you need to pause the video here to make sure you have everything you need, please feel free to do so, and then press play when you're ready to continue.

If you are super organised and you already have everything you need, then we'll get started straight away.

Here is an overview of the lesson today so that you know how it will go.

We'll begin with a recap of work that we have done in previous grammar lessons before moving on to ask the question, what is a subordinate clause? And then we'll move on to spotting subordinate clauses before you are given your own turn at creating some of your own.

And finally, and perhaps most importantly, you will be giving yourself a big pat on the back to celebrate your wonderful work today.

In order to begin our recap, I thought it would be good to refresh our memories with this rule that we have learned before.

So the rule is when you put things in the past simple, you say what happened, not what was happening.

So you'll notice on that rule we've got happened, ed, not what was happening, ing.

And that's what we need to remember when we put things in the past simple.

Here is an example for you: the swans were hissing at the children.

When we turn that sentence into the past simple, follow the arrow on the screen and you can see the past simple becomes the swans hissed at the children.

So our verb has changed from were hissing to hissed, because it is what has happened, not what was happening.

So our past simple from were hissing into hissed.

Your job now is to write down one sentence about what you did for your last birthday.

Hopefully your last birthday was quite recently so you can remember.

If your last birthday was quite a while ago and you're not too sure, maybe you could instead write down one sentence about what you did last weekend.

The important thing is that in your sentence you use the past simple.

What happened, not what was happening.

Pause the video here.

Once you have written your sentence, you can always rewind the video to double-check the rule and give yourself a big tick if you've been successful.

When you're ready to move on to subordinate clauses, press play and we will continue with today's lesson.

So here you can see in the blue box, subordinate clause.

I think it might be a good idea for us all to practise saying that word, because it is a bit of a tricky one.

So have a shout at the screen, or if you're in somewhere where you need to be a bit quieter, you can whisper it really quietly.

Maybe say it to the person next to you.

Subordinate.

I'll say that once more for you: subordinate.

Excellent, good work.

Subordinate clause.

Now, a subordinate clause is a part of a sentence which adds extra information and which does not make sense by itself.

So there are two things that we need to remember.

It's a part of a sentence which adds extra information and it's also a part of a sentence which does not make sense by itself.

So two things that a subordinate clause does.

Here are some examples on the right-hand side of your screen.

He listened to music while he ran.

The underlined part of the sentence is a part of the sentence which adds extra information and it's also a part of the sentence which wouldn't make sense if we just said it by itself.

And therefore it's a subordinate clause.

Your second example: I will play football unless it rains.

Again, unless it rains is adding extra information.

And also, that part of the sentence doesn't make sense by itself.

If I just said to you: unless it rains, that doesn't make any sense.

You need more information around that.

So I will play football unless it rains.

The underlined part of that sentence is the subordinate clause.

And finally, we have an example number three where the subordinate clause is at the beginning.

Although it was cold, I wanted to wear shorts.

So the subordinate clause here, although it was cold, it's adding extra information to our sentence and it also doesn't make any sense by itself.

Although it was cold, and you're waiting for the rest.

So it doesn't make sense by itself and therefore it must be a subordinate clause.

So how do we spot them? I've given you some examples and I've spoken about it with those examples, but this one might be a little bit clearer.

If our sentence is: I fell over while I was running.

I've underlined the subordinate clause, while I was running.

And I know that that part of the sentence is the subordinate clause, because it does not make sense by itself and because this part of the sentence is extra information.

I could just have written, I fell over.

That's a fine sentence.

It makes sense and it gives us some information.

But by adding on while I was running, by adding on that subordinate clause, I'm adding extra information to what I'm telling you.

I fell over while I was running.

Each of the sentences below have subordinate clauses and I've underlined the subordinate clause in each one.

The team lost the game even though they worked hard.

Freddie felt relaxed until there was a knock on the door.

Sally and Sarah listened to music while they made a curry.

As you can see, the two things that make the subordinate clause, number one, that it does not make sense by itself.

And number two, that it adds extra information to the main sentence.

Now it's over to you.

Your job is to underline the subordinate clause in each sentence.

You have four sentences on the screen in front of you and you need to find the subordinate clause, the part of the sentence that wouldn't make sense by itself and that adds extra information for us.

I will let you pause the video here to have a go.

If you struggle and you need some more support, I would recommend rewinding the video to jog your memory about how you can spot a subordinate clause.

If not, pause the video and have a go, try your best.

Press play when you're ready and we will do feedback altogether.

Good luck.

So how did you do? I'm sure you all did wonderfully, because you tried really hard.

So let's see how many marks out of four you managed to get today.

Number one, you will be tired tomorrow unless you go to sleep now.

So our subordinate clause is the underlined green part of the sentence, unless you go to sleep now.

Doesn't make sense by itself and it gives us more information about why you'll be tired tomorrow.

Number two, the class were silent when they were reading.

Our subordinate clause, when they were reading, it gives us extra information about the class and it also wouldn't make sense if we just had that part of the sentence.

So it must be our subordinate clause.

Number three, the glass smashed as soon as it hit the floor.

Here, we have our subordinate clause, as soon as it hit the floor.

It adds extra information to the glass smashing and it also wouldn't make sense all by itself.

And finally, we have number four, Mustaf was hungry even though he had eaten dinner.

Even though he had eaten dinner.

This is telling us more about why Mustaf was hungry.

It's giving us more information and wouldn't make sense if we only had that part of the sentence and therefore, the green underlined part of number four is a subordinate, I'm hoping you all shouted clause at the screen then.

If you got four out of four, give yourself a huge pat on the back and a big smile.

You've done really, really well.

If you didn't manage to get as many as that or you struggled with a few of them, again, I would recommend you rewinding and having another go.

But we can move on together now and see if the next activities help you out.

So a very quick one.

Sentence at the top of the screen: I fell over while I was running.

Which part of the sentence is the subordinate clause? Is it: I fell over? Is it: was running? Or is it: while I was running? Pause the video here, choose the correct answer, and then press play when you're ready.

And the correct answer is: while I was running.

What are the two reasons for that being the correct answer? There are two reasons for that being the correct answer.

I'll give you time to think.

Pause the video for more time, if you would like it.

But the two reasons for that being the correct answer are number one, it doesn't make sense by itself.

While I was running.

Doesn't make sense, does it? But number two, it adds on more information to our original sentence of I fell over.

So it adds extra information and it doesn't make sense by itself.

Big well done for those of you who got that correct and a big well done for anyone who had a go.

Now we are going to move on to looking at starting sentences with a subordinate clause.

All of the examples that we've looked at together so far have ended with a subordinate clause.

It's always come at the end of the sentence.

For example, Amir laughed hysterically when James fell off his chair.

Now what we're going to do though, is think about how we start sentences with a subordinate clause.

The rule for this is that when you start a sentence with a subordinate clause, you put a comma straight after the clause.

Let's have a look at an example.

Amir laughed hysterically when James fell off his chair.

This is a sentence we're used to.

Subordinate clause, the second half of the sentence.

If we want to switch that around, we take the entire subordinate clause and we shift it to the beginning.

So you can see at the bottom of your screen, when James fell off his chair, Amir laughed hysterically.

So when our subordinate clause is shifted to the beginning, we need to put a comma immediately after the subordinate clause before we continue with the rest of the sentence.

Your job now is to rewrite each sentence so that it begins with the subordinate clause.

On the screen in front of you, you can see an example of what I mean.

So if the sentence were: the telephone rang as she was leaving the office, first of all, underline or highlight the subordinate clause in the original sentence.

Once you have identified that subordinate clause, you then need to shift it, move it to the beginning, as you can see at the bottom.

As she was leaving the office, the telephone rang.

So you've done two things there.

You've shifted the subordinate clause to the beginning and then you've added your comma straight after your subordinate clause.

If you would like to copy the example down on the board now to help you with the next activity, please feel free to do so.

You'll need to pause the video to give yourself time to do that.

If you would not like to copy it down and just go straight into the activity, come with me now to the next slide.

Here are your three sentences.

And for this activity, I've been very helpful, hopefully, and I've underlined the subordinate clause already for you.

So your job for this one, for the three sentences, you need to shift, move your subordinate clause all the way to the beginning and then insert your comma straight after the subordinate clause.

Pause the video here, have a go, try your best, and then press play when you're ready to move on.

So how did you do, did you remember your commas? I'm sure you did.

So let's have a quick look at the answers.

Number one, until someone picked her up, the baby cried.

So your comma should come after up.

Number two, whenever Miss Eden had been there, there was a pile of papers left on the desk.

So your subordinate clause, whenever Miss Eden had been there, shifted, moved to the front and followed by a comma.

And then number three, even though it was raining, the sun was shining.

So our subordinate clause has been moved to the beginning and there is always a comma straight after the subordinate clause.

Three out of three.

Huge well done, pat on the back, big smiles.

If you didn't quite manage that, please do, as I've said before, rewind the video and have another go until you've got it.

This activity, you will be doing the same thing.

However, I have not given you the help of underlining the subordinate clause for you.

So for these three sentences, first of all, you will need to identify where the subordinate clause is before moving it to the front of your sentence and adding in your comma.

So there are three steps for each sentence.

Step one, find, identify your subordinate clause, underline it in your sentence.

Step two, move that subordinate clause to the beginning of your sentence.

Step three, make sure you remember your comma, which will come immediately after your subordinate clause and before the rest of your sentence.

Pause the video here, try your best, and then press play when you're ready for some feedback.

So how did we do? Let's talk about them together.

Number one, unless you misbehave, you will be given your pocket money.

Number two, even though she knew they didn't hurt, Nina was scared of needles.

And number three, whilst they walked, the two people held hands.

So in each example, the subordinate clause is underlined and in pink, it's at the beginning of the sentence, and there is a comma immediately after the subordinate clause and before the rest of your sentence.

Huge pat on the back for having a go, for getting them all right.

You've worked really, really hard on this.

So let's move on to our final activity for today's lesson.

On the next slide, you are going to see an activity.

My top tip for this is not forgetting whether you need a comma or not.

So we know that we include a comma when our subordinate clause is at the beginning.

Let's have a look at our activity.

On the screen, you can see three sentence starters.

So I have given you the beginning of sentences.

Although it was windy.

When you work hard.

And while he was driving.

I would like you to complete those sentences.

You can write anything you like, use your imagination.

Take your time with this.

As I mentioned, top tip, do not forget your comma.

Your comma will always come after your subordinate clause, and our subordinate clauses are parts of a sentence that add extra information, as well as part of the sentence that wouldn't make sense by itself.

Have a go at completing those three sentences, including your commas where necessary.

And then at the bottom of the screen, for some of you out there that are thinking this is easy peasy, I've got it sorted, what I would like you to do is have a go at writing one of your own sentences with a subordinate clause at the end.

So you can make up a sentence of your own, but I would like you to include a subordinate clause at the end of the sentence.

And if our subordinate clause is at the end of the sentence, do we need a comma? Absolutely right, we do not need a comma.

If our subordinate clause is at the end, we do not need a comma.

So pause the video here, have a go at this activity.

Take as much time as you need or as much time as you have available to you and then press play when you are ready.

Good luck.

Absolutely brilliant work today.

Well done for having a go.

Well done for those wonderful sentences that I'm sure lots of you have written.

As there are many of you writing this and I cannot see, unfortunately, the sentences that you've written, I decided to just give you some ideas of what a good answer might look like.

So on the left side of the screen, we have, although it was windy, it was still warm outside.

When you work hard, you should be very proud of yourself.

While he was driving, he wore a seatbelt.

So for each example, no matter your sentence, no matter what your sentence is, the really important thing is that you've included your comma after your subordinate clause.

So it should be after windy, after the word hard, and after the word driving in those three sentence starters I gave you.

If some of you had a go at that challenge that I spoke about and tried to write a sentence with a subordinate clause at the end, my question for you is, did you take out the commas? It was still warm outside although it was windy.

So you can see that I've just shifted around my first example there, and I've turned, although it was windy, my subordinate clause, I've put that to the end, and therefore I do not need a comma.

And that's our lesson on subordinate clauses complete.

Thank you so much for taking the time to engage with this lesson today.

I hope that you've learned a lot from this and that if you have any questions about it, you can always go back, rewind, try again and see how you get on.

If you would like to and your parent or carer is happy to, you can ask your parent or carer to share your work on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter @OakNational and #LearnwithOak.

I look forward to seeing any work that you guys have produced, and you should be very proud of yourselves for all of your hard work today.

Well done.