7.2 Coordination and Subordination
Subordination Exercise
Combine each sentence pair into a single sentence using a subordinating conjunction.
- Jake is going to Mexico. There are beautiful beaches in Mexico.
- A snowstorm disrupted traffic all over the east coast. There will be long delivery delays this week.
- My neighbor had his television volume turned up too high. I banged on his door and asked him to keep the noise down.
- Jessica prepared the potato salad and the sautéed vegetables. Ashley marinated the chicken.
- Romeo poisons himself. Juliet awakes to find Romeo dead and stabs herself with a dagger.
Key Takeaways
- Coordination and subordination join two sentences with related ideas.
- Coordination joins sentences with related and equal ideas, whereas subordination joins sentences with related but unequal ideas.
- Sentences can be coordinated using either a coordinating conjunction and a comma or a conjunctive adverb and a semicolon.
- Subordinate sentences are characterized by the use of a subordinate conjunction.
- In a subordinate sentence, a comma is used to separate the main clause from the dependent clause if the dependent clause is placed at the beginning of the sentence.
This is adapted from “Refining Your Writing: How Do I Improve My Writing Technique?” chapter 7 of the book Successful Writing (v. 1.0). For details on it (including licensing), click here.
“molly and frankie are good friends. and only about a month apart in age, tho’ frankie is twice her size. he’s a big cat. but molly still bosses him around. as she should.” by julochka is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
