Adverbial clauses in English. Time clauses (when, as soon as, till, untill, after, before)

How often do we talk about the past? Yes, every day!

You constantly tell your friends/parents/colleagues anecdotes, memories, stories.

If this is easy to do in Russian, then in English you need to know the timing.

For example, in Russian we say: "He thought she was studying English." In this sentence, we use both the past and the present tense.

But in English language when you are talking about the past, you cannot use the past tense with the present or future in the same sentence.

To say such a sentence, you need to agree on tenses in it.

Since we don't do this in Russian, the timing is a bit unusual for us. Therefore, you need to properly deal with this topic in order to avoid mistakes.

In the article I will tell you the rules for coordinating tenses in English, and also give a table with examples.

From the article you will learn:

What is tense agreement in English

Time alignment- this is the dependence of time in one part of the sentence on the time that is used in another.

We use it in complex sentences that consist of several parts.

There are 2 parts of a complex sentence:

1. Home is an independent part of the sentence

For example:

He said...

We are thinking...

2. Adnexal- this is the part that depends on the main (we can ask a question from the main part to the subordinate).

For example:

He said (what exactly?) that I will come at 9.

We think (what exactly?) what will she call.

Coordinating tenses, you need to learn how to change the subordinate part of the sentence.

Below we will consider the coordination of the following times:

1. Past and present

• present simple tense
• Present continuous tense

2. Past and future tense

3. Past and Past Tense

4. Past tense and modal verbs

So, let's begin.

Agreement of past tense and present

1. Past tense and present simple(regular action)

Let's take a closer look at how past tense and present simple tense agree.

Let's say we have a sentence:

He thinks she drives a car.
He thinks she's driving.

As you can see, both parts of this sentence are in the present tense. That is, in the present period of time, he thinks that she is driving a car.

How do you say it in the past tense?

For example, imagine the situation:

A friend tells you that a week ago he met a girl and then he thought she was driving. But now he already knows that this is not so.

That is, in the first part of the sentence we now have the past tense:

He thought...
He thought...

In Russian, in this case, the second part will not change (the present tense will remain in it), but in English we cannot leave the second part unchanged.

Wrong:

He thought she drives a car.
He thought she was driving.

We need to match the first part with the second. And for this we also put the second part in the past tense.

That is, we change present simple tense (Present Simple) on past simple tense (Past Simple), adding the ending -ed to the regular verb or putting irregular verb into the 2nd form.

He thought she drove a car.
He thought she was driving.

Let's look at a couple more examples:

2. Past tense and Present Continuous(process that is currently in progress)

How does the past tense and present continuous agree?

He thinks she is sleeping.
He thinks she is sleeping.

Both parts of this sentence are in the present tense: at the moment he thinks that she is currently sleeping.

But imagine the situation:

When meeting, the girl asks her boyfriend why he did not call her. And he explains to her that he did not call her in the morning because thought she was sleeping.

That is, the first part of the sentence is now in the past tense:

He thought...
He thought...

Again, in Russian, nothing will change in the second part, but in English, we cannot leave everything as it is.

Wrong:

He thought she is sleeping.
He thought she was sleeping.

We need to change the present tense in the second part to the past. That is, we change the present long time(Present Continuous) on Past Continuous Past Continuous, changing auxiliary verbs (am / is to was, are to were):

He thought she was sleeping.
He thought she was sleeping.

Let's look at a few more examples:

Coordination of past tense and future

Let's see how past and future tenses are coordinated.

For example, we have a sentence:

She knows that he will come.
She knows he will come.

Now imagine the situation:

Girl tells her friend what else last week she knew he would come.

As you can see, we again change the time in the first part from the present to the past:

She knew...
She knew...

Only now we cannot leave the future tense in the second part.

Wrong:

She knew that he will come.
She knew he would come.

We need to make the future tense past, and for this we change auxiliary will to would.

She knew that he would come.
She knew he would come.

Here are some more examples:

Agreement of past tense and past

To begin with, let me explain to you why and when we need to coordinate the past tenses with each other.

This rule applies if the action in the subordinate part took place earlier than in the main part. That is, we need such an agreement to show the sequence of actions.

Let's take a closer look at this.

For example, we have a continuation:

He said that she went away.
He said she left.

Both parts of such a sentence are in the past simple tense (Past Simple). That is, we conclude that actions occur at one moment in time.

For example, he just walked her to the car and said that She is gone.

But if we want to show that one action happened before another happened, then we need to change the time in the second part.

For example, imagine a situation, a day ago your friend went to visit her parents, and today her friend called you and asked where she was. To which did you reply that She is gone.

In this case, we use the time in the second part of the sentence past perfect(past perfect), which indicates that this action has taken place before. In this case, we use the auxiliary verb had and put the action in the 3rd form.

He said that she had gone away.
He said she left.

We do the same if the present perfect action (Present Perfect) is used in the sentence, since it is also translated into Russian in the past tense. In this case, we highlight the result we got.

He said that he had written a book.
He said he wrote a book.

That is, once in the past he wrote a book, but he was asked about it just now.

Most often, we coordinate the past tense with the past when we convey someone's words.

Past tense (direct speech):	Past tense (indirect speech)
He said, "They flew." He said, "They have arrived."	He said that they had flown. He said they've arrived (they first flew in, and then he said it).
They said, “He has done homework.” They said, "He did his homework."	They said that he had done homework. They said he did his homework (he did his homework first and then they said).

Past tense and modal verb agreement

Modal verbs, unlike other verbs, do not indicate an action (go, read, study), but show an attitude towards these actions (I must go, I can read, I should study).

When coordinating tenses, we put them in the past tense:

• can - could
• may - might
• have to - had to

For example, we have a sentence in the present tense:

He knows that she can speak English.
He knows that she can speak English.

But suppose he tells his acquaintances that when he hired her,

That is, we put the first part in the past tense:

He knew...
He knew...

Having put the first part in the past tense, we cannot leave the modal verb in the present tense.

Wrong:

He knew that she can speak English.
He knew that she could speak English.

Therefore, we put can in the past tense - could.

He knew that she could speak English.
He knew that she could speak English.

Let's look at a few more examples:

And now let's look at the general tense agreement table in English.

General table of tense coordination in English

Here's how the times change when agreed:

Was	Change to
present simple He thinks that she works. He thinks she's working.	past simple He thought that she worked. He thought she was working.
Present Continuous She knows that they are training. She knows they are training.	Past continuous She knew that they were training. She knew they were training.
Future tense - will She thinks that she will read the book. She thinks she will read this book.	Future tense - would She thought that she would read the book. She thought she would read this book.
past simple He said, "They called". He said, "They called."	past perfect He said that they had called. He said they called.
Present Perfect They said, "We have cooked dinner". They said, "We have prepared dinner."	past perfect They said that they had cooked dinner. They said they had cooked dinner.
Modal verbs - can, may, have to They think that she can drive. They think she can drive.	Modal verbs - could, might, had to They thought that she could drive. They thought she could drive.

It is also worth noting that in some cases it is not necessary to coordinate the times.

In what cases does the rule of coordinating tenses in English not apply?

This rule has its exceptions - cases where we do not adhere to the general rule.

Let's take a look at them:

1. The subordinate clause refers to a known fact

For example:

He knew that ice melts.
He knew the ice was melting.

2. Modal verbs are used in subordinate clausesshould, must, ought

For example:

They said that he should go home.
They said he should go home.

3. In the subordinate clause, the past continuous tense is used (PastContinuous)

For example:

They thought she was sleeping.
They thought she was asleep.

In conclusion, I want to say that the topic of tense coordination is closely related to other grammatical topics. Most often, we need to coordinate times when we convey someone's words, that is, we translate direct speech into indirect speech.

So, we have considered the rules for coordinating times, and now let's move on to practice.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English. Leave your answers in the comments below the article.

1. He thought they would go to the theatre.
2. She saw him washing the car.
3. We knew that she could dance.
4. They thought she was learning English.
5. He said that they had signed the documents.

The simplest constructions of the type "My name is…; I am working…,; I'm going…” learn in the very first English lessons. But such phrases are not enough to use the language at least at an intermediate level. For an interesting conversation and successful communication with foreigners, you need to learn how to compose simple sentences extended expressions. We will develop this skill in ourselves today, studying the clauses of time in English and conditional constructions. Knowledge of typical combinations and the ability to use them correctly will enrich and diversify our speech.

Meaning of subordinate clauses

Subordinate clauses are dependent constructions of complex sentences that help to reveal the meaning of the main sentence more widely, expressing any signs, causes, conditions, consequences, etc. The method of attaching an additional part of an expression to the main one can be different, but more often this always happens with the help of or allied words.

Dependent sentences in English can have different semantic meanings, and refer to any member of the sentence, both main and secondary. The most numerous category of subordinate structures is the adverbial group. It carries the meanings of time, purpose, place, cause, etc., in general, all those topics for which the circumstance is responsible. According to the construction of constructions, most of these additional sentences coincide with similar expressions in Russian. But two representatives of the adverbial group of English clauses sometimes have a tense form that is not typical for Russian-speaking people. We will talk about them in more detail in the next section.

Adverbs of tense in English

These additional constructions carry explanations about when and how long the actions and events referred to in the main clause are performed or were / will be performed. In other words, they express the time of occurrence of events. The sentences explaining the time are attached to the main part with the help of conjunctions. The union when is most often used in English speech, therefore such subordinate clauses are often called that: sentences with when. But for different shades of time, other unions are also widely used, for example: assoonas,until,since,after,till,before,bythetime.

• MyparentshadgonetothetheaterbeforeI came home My parents had gone to the theater before I came home.
• Wewentforawalkintheparkafterthe snow had stopped We went for a walk in the park after the snow stopped falling.
• Myfatherhasn'tseenhisparentssincehe moved to the Netherlands My father has not seen his parents since he moved to the Netherlands.

In these examples, the clauses of time used in English do not differ much from Russian ones. What is their catch then? It lies in the construction of a practical construction, which refers to the future tense. In Russian we say " When I get home I will repeat this lesson". Note that both parts are in the future tense.

In English speech, such a construction is impossible, because the rules of grammar do not allow using the future tense in additional constructions. This is what distinguishes the clauses of time and conditions from other clauses. To indicate future events or actions, they will use the Present tense forms ( present Simple orpresent Perfect to indicate the completion of an action). Note that this rule only applies to the dependent construct, main part can stand in any form, including in the future. Let's see how it looks in practice.

Offer	Translation
When I meet my colleague , I'll tell him about this story.	When I meet my colleague, I will tell him about this story.
I hope I will be at home before the hurricane reaches our city .	I hope that I will be at home before the hurricane hits our city.
Nick will go to the airport as soon as the concert finishes .	Nick will go to the airport as soon as the concert is over.
After the rain stops , they'll go to the supermarket.	After the rain stops, they will go to the supermarket.
I will live in this room until my brother returns home from his trip .	I will live in this room until my brother returns home from his trip.
By the time the police find him , he'll live in another country.	By the time the police find him, he will be living in another country.
They'll go to play football when they have done their homework .	They will go to play football when they finish their homework.
As soon as he has finished talking , I can use the phone.	As soon as he finishes talking, I can use the phone.

Note that the English language has peculiar punctuation rules, according to which the subordinate clause is separated by a comma only when it is at the beginning of a sentence.

Let's just add a couple of words about conditional sentences, since they are the only constructions that behave in the same way when forming sentences with the future tense. As the name implies, these expressions reveal various probabilities, conditions, possibilities under which the events of the main statement may or may not be fulfilled. Unions by which they can be easily recognized - if,unless,incase.

The condition in English is a voluminous and complex topic, since English grammar has several types of such constructions with different rules for their use. You can learn more about all types of conditional sentences in the adjacent material.

As we have already said, subordinate clauses can be of various types. And here, too, a little English cunning is hidden, since different types sentences can use the same conjunctions. For beginners in learning English, such confusion sometimes puts them in an awkward position and makes them make mistakes. In order to avoid unpleasant situations in a conversation, it is necessary to be able to distinguish which member of the sentence the dependent construction refers to. Why this is really important, let's look at example phrases.

As you remember, the rule about subordinate tenses says that the union when in English requires the Present tense after itself. But in the first sentence, we used the future, is this a deliberate mistake? No. These two are absolutely different situations conjunction: in the first case, it adds a complement construction ( doesn't know what?), and in the second situation, when attaches an adverbial construction that reveals the duration of the action ( won't know about it when?). Let's give a couple more examples for better memorization.

• Theydon'twriteyetwhen they will arrive - They do not write yet, (about what? - about that ...) when they arrive.
• Nobodysayswhen we have to finish ourworks - No one says (what? - that ...) when we have to turn in our work.

• Iwillbehappywhen I pass thisexamverywell - I will be happy (when? - then ...) when I pass this exam very well.
• Wewillhavesupperwhen guests arrive - We will have dinner (when? - then ...) when the guests arrive.

This rule also applies to conditional constructs if the if clause is used as an object in the clause.

This concludes the development of English clauses of time. We hope that you have mastered the basic rules, learned to distinguish between use cases and are ready to test your knowledge by doing exercises on the subject of adverbial tenses in English. Good luck in improving your foreign language!

Let's complicate it:

We are watching a movie at the moment and Jane's sister is her homework.

In this sentence, in addition to the previous grammatical basis, a new one appeared - the second one.

sister is the subject

is is the predicate

About this sentence, in addition to being complex, we can say that it is complex, that is, both of its parts are completely independent and can exist separately from each other, they are equal (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Compound sentence ()

Consider another suggestion:

I "ll show you my city as soon as you.

And again, we have two grammatical bases:

I is the subject

will show is the predicate in one sentence, while

you is the subject

arrive is the predicate - in the second.

This sentence is also complex, but it is complex, that is, one part depends on the other. We look:

When?--->(as soon as you arrive).

The first part of the sentence can exist independently, while the second becomes meaningless without it. We call the independent sentence the main one, from which we ask the question, and the second sentence is the dependent, or subordinate clause. In any subordinate clause there must be a characteristic conjunction. (In the sentence above, this is the union as soon as).

Adverbial clauses are of several types:

defining;

mode of action;

circumstantial (place, cause, purpose, time).

It is the latter type that we are going to talk about.

When clauses require conjunctions that specify tense parameters, such as:

when - when

after - after

before - before

until

until - until the moment when

as soon as - as soon as

while - while; Bye; whereas

We see that the main clause (I "ll buy a car) is used with Future Simple, while the subordinate clause (the conjunction clause (When I have money)) is used with the Present Simple.

Study the following examples:

1. As soon as we off the train, I "ll see my sister. - As soon as we get off the train, I will see my sister.

2. After I pass my exams, I "ll have my holidays. - After I pass my exams, my holidays will begin.

Open theto make the sentences complete. Pay attention that all the sentences refer to the future.

1. Will I see you before you (start)?

2. What (you do) when you come home?

3. He will ring me up when he (return) home.

4. I "m sure, he (come) to say goodbye to us, before he leaves to Saint-Petersburg.

5. Please, turn off the light when you (leave) the room.

6. all the arrangements about it before she flies there.

7. Before he starts for London, (he spend) a day or two at the not far from here.

8. Don't go away until mother (come) here.

Answer: 1. start 2. will you do 3. returns 4. will come 5. leave 6. will make 7. will spend 8. comes.

Bibliography

1. Afanas'eva O.V., Mikheeva I.V. English language. Grade 9 - M.: Bustard, 2008.
2. Baranova K.M., Dooley D., Kopylova V.V. English language. - M.: Education, 2011.
3. Biboletova M.Z., Trubaneva N.N. English language. Grade 9 - M.: Title, 2008.

Homework

1. Open the brackets in the following sentences:
   When the rain (stop), we (go) out.
   I (send) you a postcard when I (be) on holiday.
   Before you (leave), you must visit the gallery.
   Wait here until I (come) back.
   When I (go) shopping, I (buy) some food.
   When I (see) Tom tomorrow, I (invite) him to our party.
   Before you (leave), don "t forget to shut the window.
   I (phone) you as soon as I (arrive) in London.

1. Insert the necessary conjunctions in the gaps:
   as soon as, before, after, until, when
   Call me _______ you finish your homework.
   Jane will buy everything______we take off, don't worry.
   I "ll tell John everything______I meet him.
   They will go home______the party is over.
   We will not start dinner_____Jack arrives.

1. Translate the following sentences:
   When I am in Paris, I will visit my aunt.
   As soon as I get home, I will go to bed.
   She's not going anywhere until they tell the truth.
   We will visit the library before we go on vacation.
   Anna will read the documents after she recovers.

1. Internet portal E-grammar.org ().
2. Internet portal Englishlessonsbrighton.co.uk ().
3. Internet portal Egeacademy.com ().

As you know, the proposal sentence) is a combination of words that expresses a certain complete thought. Being the minimum unit of speech, a sentence can be either simple ( simple) and complex in structure. Everything is in the article of the same name on our blog. And if you missed something or didn’t notice something while studying them, read the article again.

From the material of the article, you will learn that complex sentences may be complex in composition compound) and complexly subordinated ( complex). The difference between them is that in the first all parts of the sentence are equal, and in the second there is a main sentence ( principal clause) and one or more subordinate clauses ( subordinate clauses) to explain it.

Relative clauses in English are introduced into a complex sentence with the help of, which are not so few. The main ones are that, because, as, if, whether, when, since, after, before, till, unless, though and others.

Types of subordinate clauses in English

Since subordinate clauses in English explain the main thing, they play the role of various members of the sentence, hence their types and names appeared. So, subordinate clauses are:

1. Subject clauses (the subject clause) introduced by unions that(What), if / whether(whether), who(Who), what(What), which(which), when(When), where(Where), how(How), why(Why).
   

   Whether we met there or does not mean anything now. Whether we met or not doesn't matter now.

   What she told me yesterday turned out to be the truth. What she told me yesterday turned out to be true.

2. Predicate clauses(predicative - the predicative clause), which is found in the same unions as the previous subordinate clause in English.
   

   The question is whether he knows about her betrayal or not. “The question is whether he knows about her betrayal or not.

   The problem was that he treated us as unfamiliar people. “The problem was that he treated us like strangers.

3. Adnexal additional(the object clause), which are attached to the main clause using conjunctions that, if / whether, what, who, which, where, how, why.
   

   He told us that he had seen us buying a bouquet of flowers. He said he saw us buying a bouquet of flowers.

   I do not understand what I must do now. I don't understand what I should do now.

4. Clauses (the attributive clause), and to work with them you will need unions such as who(which), whose(whose), which / that(which), where(Where), why(Why).
   

   The house where we once lived has been burnt. The house we once lived in burned down.

   The woman who helped us was a doctor from our local hospital. The woman who helped us was a doctor from our district hospital.

5. Adverbial clauses (the adverbial clause) , which have their own classification.

   First of all, this adverbial clauses of place (the adverbial clause of place), which, as the name suggests, require only conjunctions where(where, whither) and wherever(wherever, wherever).

   The dog sleeps wherever he wants. The dog sleeps where he wants.

   Do you know where he plays football? Do you know where he plays football?

   This is followed by such subordinate clauses in English as adverbial adverbial tense (the adverbial clause of time). Accordingly, they need unions that determine the time parameters: when(When), after(after), before(before), till(until), while(while), since(since), as soon as(as soon as).

   She was still crying when he entered the room. She was still crying when he entered the room.

   By the time you get married, I will have a family with three children. “By the time you get married, I will already have a family and three children.

   Next, we select a group such as adverbial adverbial reasons (the adverbial clause of reason) and explain them by unions because(because), as / since(because).

   I called you because I needed money. I called you because I needed money.

   He can't go to the party because he caught cold. He cannot go to the party because he has a cold.

   Smooth transition to adverbial adverbial purpose (the adverbial clause of purpose). Remember introductory unions that(to), so that / in order that(in order to), lest(not to...).

   She must speak louder so that everybody could hear her. She must speak louder so that everyone can hear her.

   He works hard in order that he can afford himself to buy a house of his dreams. He works hard to afford to buy his dream house.

   Of course, do not forget about such subordinate clauses in English as adverbial adverbial clauses (the adverbial clause of condition) based on unions if(If), provided that / on condition that(provided that).

   If you find the book I asked, I will fulfill my promise. “If you find the book I asked for, I will keep my promise.

   I won't be free unless you tell me about this. "I won't be free until you tell me."

   There are still subgroups of adverbial clauses course of action (the adverbial clause of manner), comparisons (the adverbial clause of comparison) And concessions (the adverbial clause of concession). The first and second subgroups of subordinate clauses in English need conjunctions as(How), as if / as thought(ostensibly). But for the third fit though(Although), no matter how(no matter how), no matter what(whatever it is, anyway).

   She is looking at her mother as if she doesn't recognize her. She looks at her mother as if she doesn't recognize her.

   He reads as quickly as he can. He reads as fast as he can.

   No matter what he says, I do not believe him. Whatever he says, I don't believe him.

How many types subordinate clauses in English formed. Although, despite their number, they are all understandable and by no means difficult. One has only to remember the unions and features of each group of subordinate clauses. And with the help of this information, you can quickly navigate in such a complex topic as.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

when, as, while, before, after, since, till/until, whenever, as long as, by the time, as soon as, the moment that, no sooner… than, hardly… when, once, immediately, the 1st/ last/next time.

The comma separates the clauses of time at the beginning of a sentence.

Wheneverheisincity,hevisitsus - Whenever he is in town, he visits us

You can keep those CDs for as long as you likeholdthesecd umyself

His head had no sooner touched the pillow than he fell asleep - Before his head touched the pillow, he fell asleep

Hardly had I lit a cigarette as the wind blew it out of my hands- NotmanagedIignitecigarette, Howby the windherknocked outatmefromhands

Temporary agreement

Temporary clauses follow the rules for coordinating tenses in English. The present or future tense of the main subclause requires the present tense in the subordinate clause. The past tense of the main sub-clause also requires the past tense.

She takes off her shoes the moment that she gets home - Sheremovesshoes, Howonlycomes inhome

I'll call you as soon I get to my hotel - IcallyoustraightawayByparishVhotel

They'll go home when the film is over - Theywill gohomeafterviewingmovie

When he callsI'll give him the message - WhenHewill call, II will passto himmessage

Turn off the lights before you leave - Beforeleavingextinguishlight

He took a shower after he had finished painting the room– Dokrasivroom, Heacceptedshower

They had reserved a table before they went to the restaurant- BeforehikeVrestaurantTheyorderedtable

He jumped out of bed the moment he woke up - Hejumped outfrombed, Howonlyawoke

Temporary alliances

• when - when

We'llordersomepizzaswhenourfriendsgethere – We will order pizzas when friends join us

When combined with will/would like a question word.

I'm not sure when his next book will be published- NotI know, Whenwill come outhisnextbook

• till/until - up to

You must stay in the office till you finish / have finished the report– StayVoffice, ByeNotfinishreport

• bythetime - by the time

I'll have set the table by the time you come home - II will covertableToyoursreturn

• as/while - while

We learned several interesting facts as we were listening to the lecture– Listening to the lecture, we learned some interesting facts

English Joke

Ted had a habit of dropping in at the house next door on baking day, for the woman of that house had a deft way in the making of cookies, and Ted had no hesitation in enjoying her hospitality, even to the extent of asking for cookies if they were not promptly forthcoming.

When the boy's father learned of this, he gave Ted a lecture and a strict order never to ask for cookies at the neighbor's kitchen. So, when a few days later the father saw his son munching a cookie as he came away from the next house, he spoke sternly:

"Have you been begging cookies again?"

"Oh, no, I didn't run any," Ted answered cheerfully. “I just said, this house smells like if it was full of cookies. But what's that to me?