Adverb Clauses of Time

Adverb clauses of time answer the question, WHEN Adverb clauses of time start with subordinate conjunctions such as:  after  before  when  while  since  until

Be careful; do not confuse subordinate conjunctions with prepositions. The grammar is different. Preposition + noun phrase Subordinate conjunction + subject + verb + …

Practice 1: Prepositions and Subordinate Conjunctions

Directions: Compare each pair of sentences and tell if the bold words in these sentences are prepositions (PP) or subordinate conjunctions (SC).

1. ______John visited his friend after dinner.

2. ______John visited his friend after he finished his homework.

3. ______Before class, Melissa printed her assignment.

4. ______Before Melissa went to class, she studied for the quiz.

5. ______While Jean was eating breakfast, she chatted with her friends.

6. ______During breakfast, Jean thought about her next class.

7. ______George has been sick since Saturday.

8. ______George has been a student in college since he was 17 years old.

9. ______George has been at RIT for 3 years.

[Answers] Practice 2: Adverb Clauses of Time (Use after Rosewood, Part 1)

Directions: Find and underline the adverb clauses of time in these sentences, and add a comma in the sentence if needed.| Example: We began watching the movie when the spring quarter was in its sixth week.

1. Some people of Sumner and Rosewood had lived there since they were born.

2. Mr. Mann was riding a horse when he arrived in the area.

3. After he arrived in Rosewood the people wanted to know more about him.

4. He came to town while Scrappie was teaching a group of children.

5. She continued teaching until she saw him.

6. While he was walking around town he noticed that a piece of land was for sale.

7. There was a dinner party at Aunt Sarah’s home after Mr. Mann came to town.

8. A terrible thing happened while Aunt Sarah and Philomena were hanging out the laundry at Fanny’s house.

9. Both Philomena and Aunt Sarah saw a man walk out of Fanny’s house before Philomena walked in.

10. Sarah walked into Fanny’s house after Philomena went in.

11. When Philomena and Sarah leave Fanny’s house Part 1 of the movie ends.

[Answers]