Teaching subordinate clauses to KS2 pupils gets much easier with the right resources close at hand.
Subordinate clauses depend on the rest of the sentence and can’t stand alone. They usually start with words like because, although, or when. These teaching resources for upper KS2 help pupils see how subordinate clauses add detail and complexity to their writing from Year 3 up to Year 6.
Michelle Connolly, founder of LearningMole and a former primary teacher with over 15 years of classroom experience, says, “Understanding subordinate clauses transforms children from simply writing basic sentences to crafting more sophisticated pieces that engage their readers.”
The UK educational platform offers curriculum-aligned resources that break these grammar concepts into manageable lessons.
You’ll find everything from interactive activities to clear explanations that line up with National Curriculum requirements.
If your pupils get to grips with main and subordinate clauses, they’ll build a solid foundation for writing throughout primary school.
The trick is to pick resources that make these ideas accessible with practical examples and engaging exercises, not loads of technical jargon.
Key Takeaways
A subordinate clause has a subject and a verb, but it can’t stand alone as a full sentence.
When pupils in Years 3 to 6 understand how subordinate clauses work with main clauses, they start building more interesting and complex sentences in their writing.
A subordinate clause (or dependent clause) is a group of words with a subject and a verb, but it doesn’t make sense by itself.
It needs a main clause to complete its meaning.
Take this sentence: “I stayed inside because it was raining.” Here, “because it was raining” is the subordinate clause.
It’s got a subject (“it”) and a verb (“was raining”), but on its own, it leaves you hanging.
Resources for teaching subordinate clauses at KS2 usually introduce this idea in Year 3 or Year 4.
By Year 6, pupils should spot and use subordinate clauses confidently to add detail and variety.
The main clause makes sense by itself.
The subordinate clause adds extra information but relies on the main clause.
Look at this: “When the bell rang, the children ran outside.” “The children ran outside” is the main clause—it stands alone.
“When the bell rang” just tells you when, but on its own, it’s not a complete thought.
| Main Clause | Subordinate Clause |
|---|---|
| Makes sense alone | Doesn’t make sense alone |
| Contains essential information | Adds extra detail |
| Can be a simple sentence | Must attach to a main clause |
You can swap the order of main and subordinate clauses: “The children ran outside when the bell rang” still keeps the same roles.
When pupils understand main and subordinate clauses, they move on from basic sentences to more complex ones.
Subordinate clauses let you add detail about when, where, why, how or under what conditions something happens.
They join to the main clause using subordinating conjunctions like because, although, while, when, if, until or since.
In Year 3 and Year 4, pupils start spotting these conjunctions and use them to build more complex sentences.
A plain sentence like “The cat climbed” gets more interesting with a subordinate clause: “The cat climbed because the dog chased it.”
By Years 5 and 6, children use subordinate clauses with more advanced connectives like meanwhile, therefore and nevertheless.
This helps them write explanations, descriptions and stories that meet National Curriculum expectations for upper Key Stage 2.
Subordinate clauses come in three main types.
Adverbial clauses add info about time, place or reason.
Relative clauses describe nouns with words like ‘who’ or ‘which’.
Non-finite clauses use verb forms without a specific tense.
An adverbial clause gives extra information about when, where, why or how something happens.
These clauses always start with words like ‘because’, ‘although’, ‘when’, ‘if’ or ‘while’.
You can spot an adverbial clause by looking for these words at the start.
For example, “I stayed inside because it was raining” uses “because it was raining” as the adverbial clause.
Children in Years 3 and 4 usually start with simple adverbial clauses using ‘because’ and ‘when’.
By Year 5 and 6, they try more complex words like ‘although’ and ‘meanwhile’.
Teaching subordinate clauses works better when you focus on one type at a time.
You can move adverbial clauses around. “When I woke up, I felt tired” works just as well as “I felt tired when I woke up.”
A relative clause adds detail about a noun in your sentence.
These clauses start with relative pronouns like ‘who’, ‘which’, ‘that’, ‘whose’ or ‘where’.
The Year 5 National Curriculum teaches children to use relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose or that.
For example, “The dog that barked loudly lived next door” uses ‘that’ to tell you which dog.
Relative clauses make your writing more detailed and interesting.
Instead of two short sentences like “I met a teacher. She taught Year 4,” you can write: “I met a teacher who taught Year 4.”
You need to put relative clauses right after the noun they describe.
This keeps your meaning clear and helps readers know who or what you mean.
Non-finite clauses use verb forms that don’t show a specific time.
These clauses often begin with ‘-ing’ verbs (present participles) or ‘-ed’ verbs (past participles).
For example, “Walking to school, I saw a robin” uses “Walking to school” as the non-finite clause.
The verb ‘walking’ doesn’t say if it was today or yesterday.
These clauses add variety to your sentences without using connecting words.
Year 6 pupils should start spotting and using non-finite clauses in their writing.
They’re handy for combining ideas smoothly.
For example, “Tired from running, the children sat down” sounds better than “The children were tired from running and they sat down.”
Non-finite clauses don’t pop up as much in KS2 grammar lessons as adverbial or relative clauses.
Still, they help advanced writers build more sophisticated sentences.
When you understand how subordinate clauses differ from simple and compound sentences, you can teach sentence variety much more effectively.
Each sentence type plays a different role in writing and follows its own rules.
A simple sentence has just one clause with a subject and a verb.
It expresses a complete thought on its own.
For example, “The dog barked” or “Sarah ran to school” both work as simple sentences.
Simple sentences form the base of all writing KS2 pupils learn.
They don’t use subordinate clauses or connect clauses together.
Teachers introducing sentence structure usually start with simple sentences in KS1.
Pupils need to master simple sentences before building compound or complex ones.
Each simple sentence stands alone and makes sense by itself.
This type of sentence is clear and direct, but if you use too many, writing can sound a bit choppy.
A compound sentence joins two simple sentences with a coordinating conjunction.
You’ll usually use ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘or’, ‘so’, ‘yet’, or ‘nor’.
Each part of a compound sentence could be a simple sentence on its own.
For example, “The dog barked and the cat ran away” has two main clauses joined by ‘and’.
Both “The dog barked” and “the cat ran away” make sense alone.
This is different from a subordinate clause, which can’t stand alone.
Teaching compound sentences helps Year 3 to Year 6 pupils bring variety to their writing.
Neither clause depends on the other, which makes compound sentences different from complex sentences.
Pupils should know that compound sentences only have main clauses, never subordinate ones.
A complex sentence has one main clause and at least one subordinate clause.
The subordinate clause adds extra information but can’t stand alone.
Words like ‘because’, ‘although’, ‘when’, and ‘if’ usually introduce subordinate clauses.
For example, “The dog barked because it heard a noise.” The main clause is “The dog barked” and the subordinate clause is “because it heard a noise.”
The subordinate clause needs the main clause to make sense.
By Year 6, pupils should understand terms like simple sentence, compound sentence, and multi-clause sentence.
Multi-clause sentences can have more than one subordinate clause or a mix of different types.
For example, “When the bell rang, the children ran outside and played football” combines a subordinate clause with a compound main clause.
LearningMole has free video resources that explain how subordinate clauses fit into different sentence types for KS2 learners.
The platform gives clear examples that help pupils spot the difference between dependent and independent clauses.
Subordinating conjunctions link a main clause to a subordinate clause, making complex sentences possible. These words let children add detail to their writing and show how ideas connect.
Some of the most common subordinating conjunctions are because, although, while, when, before, after, if, since and unless. These words introduce a clause that depends on the main clause for its meaning.
You can help children remember these by grouping them. Time connectives are when, before, after, while and until. Reason connectives include because, since and as. Contrast connectives are although, whereas and while.
Popular subordinating conjunctions for KS2:
Teachers usually introduce these gradually. Start with because, when and if in Year 3. Add more challenging ones like whereas and provided that in Years 5 and 6.
A subordinate conjunction word mat gives children a handy reference during writing. These visual tools usually show conjunctions sorted by purpose or difficulty.
You can make mats that group conjunctions by time, cause, contrast and condition. Many teachers laminate them for independent writing or stick them up in the classroom.
The best word mats show example sentences for each conjunction.
Teaching resource packs often come with ready-made word mats and other helpful materials. LearningMole has free video tutorials that show how to use subordinating conjunctions in sentences, which works nicely with word mats.
Try colour-coding your word mats by conjunction type. It makes it easier for children to pick the right word for their meaning.
Children really need to practise joining sentences with conjunctions to become fluent. Start with simple sentence pairs and ask pupils to join them using a suitable subordinate conjunction.
The subordinate clause can go at the start or end. When it comes first, children must remember to add a comma after it. This rule often trips them up, so model it regularly through shared writing.
Effective practice activities include:
Encourage children to use a variety of conjunctions, not just because every time. When you notice repeated conjunctions in their writing, challenge them to pick alternatives from their word mat.
Students build complex sentences by joining a main clause with a subordinate clause using subordinating conjunctions. The subordinate clause can appear in different places, and punctuation rules change depending on its position.
A main clause stands alone as a complete sentence. A subordinate clause adds extra information but can’t work by itself.
You connect these using subordinating conjunctions like because, although, when, if, while, until and since.
For example, “The children played outside” is a main clause. Add “because the sun was shining” with the conjunction because, and you get a complex sentence.
Teachers usually start by helping students spot main and subordinate clauses separately. Pupils practise finding which part can stand alone and which needs the other to make sense.
LearningMole offers free videos showing how to build complex sentences step by step for Key Stage 2. A good method is to use sentence cards for matching main and subordinate clauses before pupils try writing their own.
Subordinate clauses can go at the beginning or end of a sentence. This gives writing some variety.
When the subordinate clause comes first, it acts as a fronted adverbial and builds anticipation.
Compare these:
The meaning stays the same, but the emphasis shifts. Year 4 and Year 5 pupils benefit from playing with both positions to see how the sentence feels.
Resources for teaching sentence structure often have activities where students rearrange clauses to create different effects. Pupils should see that moving the subordinate clause changes how formal or dramatic the sentence sounds.
Where you put your subordinate clause changes the punctuation. If the subordinate clause comes first, add a comma after it before the main clause.
Subordinate clause first: “Although she was tired, Emma finished her homework.”
Main clause first: “Emma finished her homework although she was tired.”
When the main clause comes first, you usually don’t need a comma. This rule matches the National Curriculum for multi-clause sentences at Key Stage 2.
Pupils often add commas in the wrong places or forget them when the clauses switch around. Practice should focus on spotting the subordinate clause and applying the right punctuation.
When children understand the basics of subordinate clauses, they can spot them in sentences and use them correctly. Every subordinate clause includes a verb and subject, and it can have other words that add detail.
Every subordinate clause needs a verb and a subject. The verb is the action or state, and the subject is who or what does the action.
Look at this: “Because the dog barked loudly, we woke up.” The subordinate clause is “because the dog barked loudly.” “Dog” is the subject, “barked” is the verb.
You can help pupils spot these by asking two questions. Ask “What is happening?” to find the verb. Then ask “Who or what is doing it?” to find the subject.
Year 3 and Year 4 pupils often struggle to find verbs in subordinate clauses that start with “when,” “if,” or “although.” Teaching resources on subordinating conjunctions can help with guided practice. Give children examples where they highlight the verb and subject in different colours.
Subordinate clauses often use nouns, adjectives and adverbs for detail. A noun names a person, place or thing. An adjective describes the noun. An adverb tells us more about how, when or where the verb happens.
Take this: “When the small rabbit hopped quickly into the garden, it found carrots.” The subordinate clause “when the small rabbit hopped quickly into the garden” has “rabbit” as the noun, “small” as the adjective, and “quickly” as the adverb.
Colour coding activities for subordinating clauses help pupils spot these word types. Children can highlight nouns, adjectives and adverbs in different colours. This visual approach works well for KS2 learners who need to see patterns in sentences.
Teachers support pupils learning subordinate clauses with structured lesson plans that break grammar into easy steps. Clear explanations that connect new ideas to familiar sentence patterns make a big difference.
Good lesson plans use visual aids and hands-on practice to help Year 5 and Year 6 pupils grasp clause structure. Start with a quiz to check what pupils already know.
Educational resources like video content can show how subordinate clauses work in real sentences. These videos give examples that pupils can discuss.
Activity sheets work best when they include colour coding and sentence building. You might ask pupils to cut out subordinating conjunctions and match them to sentence halves. This practical approach helps children see how dependent clauses connect to main clauses.
Differentiated worksheets let you support pupils at different levels in the same class. Some need extra help with word mats showing common subordinating conjunctions. Others can try building more complex sentences on their own.
Start by saying a main clause makes sense by itself, but a subordinate clause needs the main clause to finish its meaning. This simple difference helps pupils understand how the two parts relate.
Use sentences from familiar books to show subordinate clauses in context. Point out how words like ‘because’, ‘although’, and ‘when’ start a subordinate clause.
Make it concrete by asking pupils to cover up one part of a sentence. If the rest still makes sense, they’ve found the main clause. This hands-on activity helps young learners visualise grammar rules.
Teachers can pick from loads of materials to help pupils learn about subordinate clauses, from printed activities to digital slides. These resources make it easier to show how dependent clauses fit into complex sentences.
Worksheets give pupils practical experience finding and writing subordinate clauses. Many subordinate clause resources offer differentiated tasks for a range of abilities from Year 3 to Year 6.
You can find worksheets that focus on specific skills. Some ask pupils to underline subordinate clauses. Others have them add subordinating conjunctions like ‘because’, ‘although’ or ‘when’ to join clauses.
Activity sheets often use colour coding. Pupils might highlight main clauses in one colour and subordinate clauses in another. Subordinating clauses KS2 activity sheets sometimes let children cut out conjunctions and arrange them to build complex sentences.
A PowerPoint on using subordinate clauses helps you teach the concept through clear examples and definitions. These slides usually explain what a clause is, then show the difference between main and subordinate clauses.
Most English resources offer animated slides that show how subordinate clauses add extra information to sentences. The presentations often include activities where you work through examples together as a class.
Your subordinate clause PowerPoint might start with a quiz to check what pupils already know. Some presentations show how to punctuate complex sentences correctly, especially when the subordinate clause comes first.
Teachers say these visual aids make it much easier to explain tricky grammar rules in a way that fits Year 4 and Year 5 requirements.
Visual aids and quick checks help pupils get to grips with subordinate clauses more easily. These tools support both teaching and assessment in the KS2 classroom.
A subordinate conjunction word mat gives pupils instant access to linking words like because, although, when, and while. You can put these mats on desks during writing lessons so children can check them on their own.
The mats usually include common subordinating conjunctions organised by purpose: time (after, before, until), cause (because, since), or contrast (although, whereas).
Display posters work well on classroom walls to remind everyone. Many resources for teaching subordinate clauses include visual examples of full sentences with the subordinate clause highlighted in a different colour.
This colour coding helps pupils spot the difference between main and subordinate clauses quickly. You might also use word mats that show sentence starters, which work well for Year 3 and Year 4 pupils just learning about complex sentences.
These tools lighten the cognitive load during writing and help build confidence.
Quick exit quizzes let you check understanding before pupils leave the lesson. You can ask children to spot whether an underlined clause is main or subordinate in five sentences.
This only takes a few minutes and gives you clear feedback on who understands the concept. Another good option is to have pupils complete sentences by adding their own subordinate clauses.
You might give a main clause like “The dog barked” and let them add a subordinate clause using a conjunction from the word mat. Assessment activities for identifying clauses often include worksheets you can adapt into exit tickets.
Digital quizzes work well for instant marking. Pupils answer on tablets or whiteboards, and you see results straight away to plan your next steps.
Students build their understanding of subordinate clauses bit by bit across KS2, with different expectations for each year. Year 6 students often need targeted revision materials before they move on to secondary school.
Year 3 students start by recognising that a subordinate clause has a subject and a verb but doesn’t make a complete sentence on its own. They learn to spot simple subordinating conjunctions like ‘because’, ‘when’, and ‘if’ in sentences.
Year 4 expectations include using more subordinating conjunctions such as ‘although’, ‘while’, and ‘since’. Students learn the difference between main and subordinate clauses.
They practise putting subordinate clauses in different places within sentences. By Year 5, children work with more complex sentence structures.
They use conjunctions like ‘whereas’, ‘meanwhile’, and ‘therefore’ to create varied patterns. Students also learn about relative clauses as a special kind of subordinate clause.
Year 6 curriculum requirements focus on mastering all clause types. Students should confidently spot and write complex sentences with subordinate clauses in different positions.
They need to understand terms like main clause, subordinate clause, relative clause, and complex sentence for end-of-year assessments.
Year 6 revision materials should cover everything from Years 3 to 6 in the KS2 subordinate clause curriculum. Focus revision on spotting subordinate clauses in longer texts, understanding how they add detail, and using a range of subordinating conjunctions.
Practice activities for Year 6 might include underlining subordinate clauses in passages, finishing sentences with suitable conjunctions, and writing their own complex sentences. LearningMole has free curriculum-aligned videos that break down clause structure into simple steps for revision.
Effective revision techniques include colour-coding main and subordinate clauses, sorting conjunctions by type, and turning simple sentences into complex ones. Many teachers use quick daily quizzes to check understanding before SATs.
Year 6 revision should also cover common mistakes like comma placement with subordinate clauses and making sure the subordinate clause actually relates to the main clause.
Teachers often want practical ideas for introducing and reinforcing subordinate clauses in KS2. Students in Years 3 to 6 learn best with a mix of visual aids, hands-on practice, and clear examples.
You can use sentence sorting activities where students separate sentences into main and subordinate clauses. This hands-on approach lets children move sentence parts around and see how they fit.
Interactive games work well for Year 4 and Year 5. Try matching activities where students pair main clauses with suitable subordinate clauses to make complex sentences.
Drama activities let students act out sentences. One group becomes the main clause, while another group plays the subordinate clause, making it obvious that one can’t stand alone.
Start with visual examples that highlight subordinate clauses in different colours. A KS2 grammar PowerPoint usually has 23 slides with colour-coded sentences that make the structure clear.
Build your presentation step by step. Show a main clause first, then add subordinate clauses one at a time so students can see how the sentence grows and changes.
Include practice slides where children identify subordinate clauses in sentences. Reveal answers slowly to keep everyone thinking and interested.
Subordinate clause teaching packs include examples for Years 3 to 6. These resources use sentences about school life, hobbies, and everyday things.
You can also find examples in children’s literature. Books for 8 to 11 year olds often have subordinate clauses that suit your students’ reading levels.
LearningMole has free video resources that show subordinate clauses through animated examples and simple explanations for primary children.
Gap-fill exercises work well where students finish sentences by adding subordinate clauses. KS2 writing worksheets usually show the first example so children know what to do.
Highlighting activities let students use coloured pencils to mark subordinate clauses in passages. This visual approach helps children spot patterns in how clauses appear in sentences.
Sentence combining worksheets challenge students to join two simple sentences using subordinate conjunctions. You can make these easier by giving word banks for some students, while others work independently.
Time conjunctions: when, before, after, until, whilst, since. These words help students describe events in order.
Cause and effect conjunctions: because, as, since. Year 4 children often use these when writing explanations in different subjects.
Conditional subordinators: if, unless, provided that. Contrast words include although, even though, whereas. These help children write more sophisticated arguments.
Stick with colour coding across your resources. Maybe use blue for main clauses and red for subordinate clauses so children start to spot the difference at a glance.
Put together reference materials that highlight the key difference. Main clauses make sense on their own. Subordinate clauses just don’t.
You can find teaching resources on clauses that include quick quizzes to check if students get it.
Hand out word mats with subordinating conjunctions. When students notice these words, they know a subordinate clause is coming, which makes it easier to spot different clause types when reading or writing.
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