Read the following paragraph:
Source: operation tree house stage 3, leogaggl, Flickr
Jose and I decided to build a tree house all by ourselves. We started on Friday although we weren’t really ready. Because we just got the idea on Wednesday, we hadn’t even asked for permission from our parents yet. Getting permission might be hard, but Jose is not worried. He says his parents, who always say yes no matter what, will give him permission. He knows they will. If I had to guess, I would think I would have the hardest time with my mom, who is worried about the whole power tool thing.
Now, let’s see if you can identify the main and subordinate clauses. First, read through the paragraph below and decide which are the main clauses. Then, decide which are the subordinate clauses and click to highlight them. If you choose correctly, the subordinate clauses will highlight in blue.
You might have found this lesson challenging, but being able to tell the difference between main and subordinate clauses and using them correctly is important if you want your writing to become more sophisticated. Using complex sentences in your writing is the difference between hammering a few pieces of odd wood together to practice your carpentry skills and building the perfect tree house in the backyard using expert carpentry skills.