Difference Between Relative Clause and Subordinate Clause

The key difference between relative clause and subordinate clause is that the relative clause begins with a relative pronoun whereas the subordinate clause begins with a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun.

First of all, a clause is a group of words that contain a subject and a predicate. There are two types of clauses namely independent clauses and dependent clauses. Independent clauses can convey a complete thought whereas dependent clauses cannot. Dependent clauses are also known as subordinate clauses. A relative clause is also a type of a subordinate clause.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is a Relative Clause
3. What is a Subordinate Clause
4. Similarities Between Relative Clause and Subordinate Clause
5. Side by Side Comparison – Relative Clause vs Subordinate Clause in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is a Relative Clause?

A relative clause is a clause that begins with a relative pronoun. Since it begins with a relative pronoun, it cannot give a complete idea. Therefore, a relative clause is a type of subordinate clause. A relative clause basically acts as an adjective as it identifies and modifies the noun preceding it. For example,

This is the guy who helped us yesterday.

Give me the book that is on the table.

Neal, who is my neighbor, is an eyewitness to the accident.

The party, which lasted the whole night, ended with the gruesome murder of the host.

This is the hotel where they met.

As seen from the above examples, there are two types of clauses as defining clauses and non-defining clauses. A defining clause adds essential information to a sentence while a non-defining clause adds non-essential information to a sentence. A non-defining clause is set apart from the rest of the sentence by the use of commas. For example, “Mrs. Davidson, who is a very nice lady, talked to my mother.” However, a defining clause is not set apart from the rest of the sentence. For instance, “The lady who owns a red Volvo talked to my mother.”

What is a Subordinate Clause?

A subordinate clause or a dependent clause is a clause that cannot express a complete idea. This is because a subordinate clause begins with a subordinate conjunction or a relative pronoun. For example,

until I met you

when he laughed at me

whenever I see you

whatever you do

None of the above clauses can give a complete idea. You have to combine them with independent clauses to get a full meaning. For instance,

I didn’t know the truth + until I met you = I didn’t know the truth until I met you.

I got angry + when he laughed at me = I got angry when he laughed at me

Furthermore, subordinate clauses can have various roles in a sentence. They can act as nouns, adjectives or adverbs.

The lady who talked to me wore a blue halter dress. – acts as an adjective

Whatever you think makes no difference to us. – acts as a noun

I wandered along the path until the sun went down. –  acts as an adverb

What are the Similarities Between Relative Clause and Subordinate Clause?

• They cannot give a complete idea.
• Both can start with a relative pronoun.

What is the Difference Between Relative Clause and Subordinate Clause?

A relative clause is a clause that begins with a relative pronoun while a subordinate clause is a clause that begins with a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun. Hence, this is the key difference between relative clause and subordinate clause. Moreover, based on their role, we can identify another difference between relative clause and subordinate clause. That is; while the relative clause acts as an adjective, the subordinate clause can act as a noun, adjective, or as an adverb.

Summary – Relative Clause vs Subordinate Clause

In brief, a relative clause begins with a relative pronoun whereas a subordinate clause begins with a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun. Moreover, a relative clause can act as an adjective while a subordinate clause can act as a noun, adjective or an adverb. Thus, this summarizes the difference between relative clause and subordinate clause.

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