HUMAN RESOURCES UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
SEMESTER ONE
ENGLISH GRAMMAR ONE
ADVERBIAL CLAUSE
PRESENTED BY: Mr. Uy Veasna
Academic Year: 2010-2011

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Definition: An adverbial clause is a subordinate clause
used to modify a verb, adjective or adverb.
Types of adverbial clauses
a)Time clause
An adverbial clause of time tells when the action
described by the independent clause takes place.
 Time clause is introduced by the subordinators
when(ever), while, as soon as, after, since, as, before,
and until.
e.g. When the darkness comes, you should turn on the
light.
e.g. I had loved you before I met you.
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b) Place clauses
An adverbial clause of place tells where the action
described by the independent takes place.
 Place clause is introduced by the subordinators
where (a definite place), wherever (any place);
everywhere (every place) and anywhere (any place).
e.g. Most people prefer to shop where they can be sure
of quality.
e.g. Everywhere I shop, I use my credit cards.

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c) Manner, distance, and frequency clauses
 Adverbial clauses of manner, distance and frequency
are introduced by :
as + adverb + as
as
as if/ as though
 Adverbial clause of manner answers the question
“How?”
 Adverbial clause of distance answers the question
“How far?”
 Adverbial clause of frequency answers the question
“How often?”
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e.g. The demonstrators left as the police ordered.
(manner)
e.g. The students finished the exam as quickly as they
could. (manner)
e.g. Kareen jogs on the beach as far as he can.
(distance)
e.g. She visits my house as often as she has free time.
(frequency)
e.g. Thida speaks English fluently as if/as though she
were a native speaker. (manner)

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d) Reason clauses
An adverbial clause of reason answers the question
“Why?”
 A reason clause is introduced by the subordinators
because, since, and as.
e.g. As the price of gasoline decreased, most people
drive cars now.
e.g. You aren’t allowed to enter the room since you are
late.
e.g. I do love her because she is beautiful.

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e) Result clauses
An adverbial clause of result expresses the result of
what is stated in the independent clause.
 A result clause is introduced by :
 so adjective/adverb +that
 such a(n)+noun phrase+that
 so much/many +noun phrase + that
 so little/few +noun phrase +that
e.g. New textbooks are so expensive that many students
buy used ones.
e.g. The school fee is rising so rapidly that some
students are looking for a part-time job.
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e.g. The library is such a big place that I couldn’t find
the book I needed.
e.g. There is always so much noise in the dormitory
that I cannot study there.
e.g. There were so many people waiting for the bus
that she decided to get on the next one.
e.g. I have so little money that I now can’t marry you,
darling.
e.g. They own so few clothes that they have to wear
one for three days.

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f) Purpose clauses
An adverbial clause of purpose shows the purpose of
the action in the independent clause.
 The purpose clause is introduced by the
subordinators so that or in order that.
 Note:
1. The modals may/might, can/could, will/would or have
to usually occur in a purpose clause.
2. in order that is formal.
e.g. Farmers use chemical pesticides so that they can grow
bigger harvests.

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 Note: When the subjects of the two clauses are the
same, purpose is often expressed by an infinitive
phrase (to grow bigger harvests), or by an infinitive
phrase with in order to (in order to grow bigger
harvests), instead of by an adverbial clause.
e.g. Farmers also spray their fields in order that
consumers might enjoy unblemished(free of
imperfection) fruits and vegetables.

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g) Concession (unexpected result) clauses
An adverbial clause of concession is used to express ideas or
actions that are not expected.
 The concession clause is introduced by the subordinators
although, even though (stronger form), and though.
e.g. Although I studied all night, I failed the test.
e.g. He always tries to make love with her even though she
doesn’t like him.
 Notice the difference in meaning between because and even
though.
e.g. Because the weather was cold, I didn’t go swimming.
(expected result)
e.g. Even though the weather was cold, I went swimming.
(unexpected result)
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h) Contrast (direct opposition) clauses
Note:
1. The information in the first clause is the direct opposition
of the information in the second clause of the sentence.
2. Place a comma between the two clauses. (This is an
exception to the rule.)
 Contrast clause is introduced by the subordinators
while or whereas.
e.g. San Francisco is very cold during the summer,
whereas San Juan is extremely hot.
e.g. While San Juan is extremely hot during the
summer, San Francisco is very cold.
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i) Conditional clauses
Zero/general conditional
If +present simple, present simple
Use1: Zero conditional is used to talk about general facts at
any time but mostly in the present.
e.g. If you boil water, it evaporates.
e.g. Tomato plants die quickly if you don’t look after
them.
Note: We can use other present tenses in both clauses, e.g.
present perfect or present continuous.
e.g. Beef is very risky to eat if it hasn’t been cooked well.
e.g. If she is traveling abroad on business, she always phones
me every evening.
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Note: We can use modal verbs in either clause,
especially can and may:
e.g. If you can solve this problem, you are clever.
e.g. You may pass the exam easily if you study hard.
Use 2: We use the zero conditional to talk about
events or situations that can occur at any time, and
often occur more than once, and their results.
e.g. If I eat seafood, I get red spots on my skin.

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Note: If can be replaced by when(ever) in this type of
conditional.
e.g. If/When you press this key, the game starts, and
when you click here, it stops.
Use 3: We can use an imperative instead of a present
tense in the result clause to give a general instruction.
e.g. If you stop using this mobile phone, throw it away.

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First conditional
If+ present simple, will/won’t+ base form
Use1: First conditional is used to describe possible
future events or situations and their results.
e.g. If you try to speak English, you will improve it.
e.g. We won’t be able to buy that car if we don’t save
money.
Note: We can use other present tenses in if clause.
e.g. If you are traveling on national road 4, you’ll need
to pay the tolls.

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Note: We can use other future forms in the independent
clause.
e.g. If the results of the customer survey are favorable,
the supermarket is going to introduce more new goods.
Note: We can use modal verbs in either clause,
especially can, may and should.
e.g. If your mother can pay your debt, you may be
free.
e.g. If you all are studious, you should pass the exam.

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Use 2: We can use the first conditional to express a
variety of functions.
 Commands:If you get home late, don’t wake us up!
 Don’t forget to close the windows if you go
out, will you?
 Offers: I’ll call the hotel if you don’t have time.
 Suggestions: Shall we go out tomorrow if the
weather is good?
 Warnings: I’ll call the police if you don’t leave
right now!

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 Second conditional
If +past simple, would/wouldn’t+ base form
Use1: Second conditional is used to describe an
impossible present or future events or situations.
e.g. If I were you, I would kill her immediately.
e.g. We would call you if the result of the blood test
were negative.
Note: We can use the past continuous in if clause and
was going to in the result clause.
e.g. If the celebrity were staying in the hotel, security
arrangement was going to be tightened.

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Note: We often use modal verbs in the independent
clause, especially might or could.
e.g. If he were in your shoes, he could save your wife.
! With be in the if clause, we usually use the
subjunctive were for all persons.
! It is possible to use would in both clauses in US
English but not in British English.
e.g. The terrorism wouldn’t happen if the police
would be firmer with the security.(AmE)
e.g. The terrorism wouldn’t happen if the police were
firmer with the security.(BrE)
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Use 2: The second conditional has two main meanings:
1) It can describe an improbable future event or situation.
The condition is unlikely to be fulfilled because the
future event is unlikely to happen.
e.g. If the result of the blood test were negative, we would
call you within two days.
2) It can describe a hypothetical (supposed but not
necessarily real or true) current situation or event, i.e. one
which is contrary to known facts. It is therefore impossible
to fulfill the condition.
e.g. If the police were confident of their case, surely they
wouldn’t hesitate to apprehend him.
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Use 3: We use the second conditional to express a
variety of functions.
 Giving advice (with were): If I were you, I would
ask her out for dinner.
 Polite requests: If you could deal with this
matter, I’d be very grateful.
 Desires/regrets: If we weren’t so busy, we
could spend more time together.

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 Note: We can use should+infinitive or were to +
infinitive in the second conditional to emphasize
the condition is unlikely to happen.
e.g. If the printer should break down within the first
year, we would repair it at our expense.
e.g. If you were to listen more carefully, you might
understand a little more.
 Note: We can put was/were (to) before the subject
in order to sound more formal.
e.g. Were you to accept our request, we would be
delighted.
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 Note: We can make this condition more formal by
placing should before the subject.
e.g. Should you help me now, I would help you back
some time.
Third conditional
If +past perfect, would/wouldn’t have + past
participle
 Use 1: Third conditional is used to describe unreal
or impossible events or situations in the past.
e.g. If we had had a camera, we would have taken
some photos of Angkor Wat temple.
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Note: We can use continuous forms in either or both clauses of this
conditional.
e.g. If someone had been teasing your child so nastily, you’d have
behaved in the same way.
Note: We can use modal verbs in the independent clause, usually
might or could.
e.g. It might have been easier to do the exercises if I had known the
formula.
 In US English, it is possible to use would have in the if clause. This
is becoming more common in British English although many people
consider it incorrect.
e.g. If the film would have finished on time, we wouldn’t have missed
the train. (AmE)
e.g. If the film had finished on time, we wouldn’t have missed the
trained. (BrE)
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 Use 2: We can use the third conditional to express
criticism.
e.g. If you had been driving more slowly, you could
have stopped in time.
  We can put the auxiliary verb before the subject
to create a more literary style.
e.g. Had she lived with me, she would have become a
rich woman.

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 Mixed conditionals
 Mixed second/third conditional
If +past simple, would/wouldn’t have +past participle
 Note: If the condition in if clause describes the unreal
event or situation in the present, which is contrary to
the known facts, the result in the independent clause
refers to the past.
e.g. If the island were still a tourist attraction, last week’s
earthquake would have caused far more deaths. (= The
island is no longer a tourist attraction, so the earthquake
didn’t cause a huge number of deaths.)
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 Mixed third/second conditional
If +past perfect, would/wouldn’t + base form.
 Note: If the condition in if clause describes the
unreal event or situation in the past, which is
contrary to the known facts, the result in the
independent clause refers to the present.
e.g. Last year if I had earned enough money to
marry Miss Linda, she would be my wife now. ( I didn’t
earn enough money last year, so she is not my wife
now because she married someone else, not me.)

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 Alternatives to IF
 We often use unless to express a negative condition. It is
similar to if…not or only if.
e.g. Unless you study hard, you won’t pass the exam.
 We use the conjunctions provided/providing (that), so/as
long as and on the condition (that) to emphasize that the
condition is necessary to the result. They all mean only if.
e.g. She may not go away from you provided that you still
have money.
e.g. She’ll say goodbye on the condition that you run out of
money.

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Note: We do not use these conjunctions with the third
conditional because they can only refer to the present
or future conditions.
 We would have killed him as long as he had looked
down on us.
 We will kill him as long as he looks down on us.
We use Suppose/Supposing (that)…and What if… to
talk about imaginary conditions.
e.g. Suppose he asked you to go to the cinema, would
you go?

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 We often omit the result clause with the conjunction—What
if.
e.g. What if the money doesn’t arrive on time?
 We use in case to imagine a future situation. It is not the same
as if.
e.g. I’ll come round later in case you’re here.( I don’t know if you’ll
be here.)
e.g. I’ll come round later if you are here. (I’ll only come if you are
here.)
 We often use in case to imagine a precaution necessary for a
situation.
e.g. She gave me the key to get in the house in case you were out.

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 In case of (+noun) is more formal and is often used in
instructions.
e.g. In case of emergency, ring the bell on the wall.
 We use even if to express a condition that is
unexpected in the circumstances.
e.g. Even if they do go down with flu after they have had
the vaccination, it’s likely to be less serious.
 We use whether …or not to express alternative
conditions (for all conditional patterns).
e.g. They’ll deliver the furniture whether there’s
someone to receive it or not.
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END OF PRESENTATION
THANK
YOU
SO
MUCH!
GOOD LUCK!

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