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Mon, 3 May 1999 16:14:25 -0400 |
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>Do you consider "if" and "because" to be coordinating or subordinating
conjunctions?
"Because" is a subordinating conjunction, but "if" can have two distinct
roles:
(1) "If" is sometimes a subordinating conjunction, introducing an adverbial
clause:
We'll have a picnic if the rain stops.
Like other adverbials, adverbial clauses can be moved to precede the main
clause:
If the rain stops, we'll have a picnic.
(2) "If" can also be a complementizer (complementizing conjunction),
introducing a complement clause:
I wonder if the rain will stop.
Here the "if" clause acts as the direct object of the sentence. "That" and
"whether" are two other complementizers.
-Richard Veit
UNCW English Department
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