A quiz on subordinating conjunctions tests your ability to identify and use words like "although," "because," and "while" to connect dependent clauses to independent ones.
Subordinating conjunctions introduce dependent clauses, which cannot stand alone as complete sentences. These conjunctions show relationships between ideas, such as cause and effect, contrast, or time. For example, in the sentence "I'll go to the store although it's raining," "although" is the subordinating conjunction that connects the dependent clause "although it's raining" to the independent clause "I'll go to the store."
Subordinating conjunctions fall into several categories based on the relationship they convey:
Subordinating conjunctions are essential for creating complex sentences that express relationships between ideas. Without them, sentences can sound choppy or unclear. For example, instead of saying "It was raining. I went to the store," you can combine the ideas using a subordinating conjunction: "Although it was raining, I went to the store." This makes the relationship between the two ideas clearer.
Many people confuse subordinating conjunctions with coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). While both types of conjunctions connect clauses, subordinating conjunctions introduce dependent clauses, whereas coordinating conjunctions connect independent clauses. For example, "I went to the store, and I bought milk" uses a coordinating conjunction, while "I went to the store because I needed milk" uses a subordinating conjunction.
Identify the subordinating conjunction in the following sentence: "She stayed home from work because she wasn't feeling well." The subordinating conjunction here is "because," which introduces the dependent clause "because she wasn't feeling well" and connects it to the independent clause "She stayed home from work."
Test your knowledge with these practice questions:
Check your answers against our list of common subordinating conjunctions to see how well you did.