Question

Which of these sentence contains a subordinate clause?
A) The poem that I read in class is by Maya Angelou.

B) The maple tree in the back yard grew to be quite tall.

C) Working the early morning shift can be very exhausting.

D) The red cardinal stood out against the white snow and the black barn.
Eliminate

Answer 1

The answer is A. The poem that I read in class is by Maya Angelou. (The subordinate clause is bolded.)

Subordinate means dependent - so, this clause has elements of a sentence (such as subject and predicate), but it cannot stand on its own. It only adds some information to the main clause. It always has a subordinate conjunction or a relative pronoun (which, whose, whom, etc.) which connects it to the main sentence; in this case, it is a subordinate conjunction that.