Subordinating Conjunctions in Complex Sentences
Subordinating conjunctions connect dependent clauses to independent clauses, showing relationships like time, cause, condition, or contrast between ideas. There are many subordinating conjunctions including because, since, when, although, and if.
Unlike relative pronouns, subordinating conjunctions often establish logical relationships. For example, in "Since you are feeling better, let's go downtown," the word "since" shows a cause-and-effect relationship between feeling better and going downtown.
You can identify a dependent clause introduced by a subordinating conjunction by checking if it can stand alone as a complete sentence. If it can't, it's dependent! In "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade," the clause "When life gives you lemons" is dependent because it needs more information to make complete sense.
Remember: The position of your subordinating conjunction can change the emphasis in your sentence. Starting with the dependent clause ("Because you are tall, you should try basketball") creates a different effect than putting it at the end.