Adverbial clauses of time, place, condition, and manner

 

Clauses of time tell us about when something happens. We can use conjunctions like ‘when’, ‘whenever’, ‘before’, ‘after’, ‘as’, ‘while’ ‘until’, ‘as soon as’, and ‘since’:

 

• I stopped running when I saw my friend.
• Annie gets excited whenever she sees a dog.
• I’ll do my homework before I go back to school.
• Harry went home after the movie ended.
• I watched my mother as she prepared the dinner.
• He washed the dishes while his girlfriend vacuumed the floor.
• The shop is open until 4pm.
• I will come over as soon as I finish eating.
• Gemma hasn’t stopped working since she arrived.

 

Clauses of place tell us about where something happens. We can use ‘where’, ‘wherever’, and ‘everywhere’:

 

• Wherever I go, I always see McDonalds.
• I’m not sure where she lives.
• We met kind people everywhere we went.

 

Note: clauses beginning with ‘whenever’, ‘wherever’, and ‘everywhere’ show that something always happens in a place or at a certain time.

 

Clauses of condition tell us about the circumstances under which something happens. These clauses often begin with ‘if’, ‘unless’, or ‘provided that’:

 

• I only watch TV if my favorite show is on.
• He won’t go to university unless he studies very hard.
• You can play the game, provided that you follow the rules.

 

Clauses of manner show us how something happens. They usually begin with ‘like’, ‘as though’ or ‘as if’:

 

• She looked as though she was in pain.
• Ryan walked past as if he hadn’t seen us.
• He talked to me like I was a child.