In this section, you will get a chance to practice what you have learned in this lesson. Review the chart of subordinating conjunctions below. Then, read the instructions and do the exercise that follows.
| after | if | though | although | if only |
| as if | as | in order that | unless | once |
| now that | until | as long as | whenever | when |
| as though | rather than | before | because | since |
| where | than | so that | whereas | even if |
| while | wherever | even though | that |
If you choose correctly, the item will display a green frame. If you choose incorrectly, the item will display a red frame.
Now that you have chosen the correct subordinating conjunctions, review the sentences above. Four of these sentences need to have commas added, and four sentences needs no additional punctuation. Using your notes, indicate which sentences need a comma and where the comma should be inserted. When you’re finished, check your understanding to see the correct responses.1. This sentence needs no additional punctuation because the subordinating conjunction comes at the end of the sentence.
2. Even though I am only 4’10” tall, I want to be a basketball star.
3. My mom always says, “Whenever you finish eating your vegetables, you can have some cake.”
4. This sentence needs no additional punctuation because the subordinating conjunction comes at the end of the sentence.
5. Instead of complaining about what she did to me, I decided to try to do something about it.
6. This sentence needs no additional punctuation because the subordinating conjunction comes at the end of the sentence.
7. Although she didn’t give me the best part in the play, I still think she’s a good drama teacher.
8. Even though the subordinating conjunction “whenever” follows the prepositional phrase “from now on,” the subordinating conjunction comes at the beginning of the sentence. This sentence needs no additional punctuation.
You read the lesson. You did the activities. You know how powerful a subordinating conjunction can be. So what are you waiting for? Uh oh! The first few sentences in this paragraph are a bit choppy. Let’s start again.
Because you read the lesson, you know how powerful a subordinating conjunction can be when you are trying to improve your writing. Think about the possibilities as you continue to write. With your knowledge of subordinating conjunctions, sentence combinations will be endless and interesting.