subordinating construction

In linguistics, a subordinating construction is a grammatical structure that connects a subordinate clause to a main clause. A subordinate clause, also known as a dependent clause, has a subject and verb but cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. It relies on the main clause for its full meaning.1

A subordinating conjunction is the word that introduces a subordinate clause and links it to the main clause. Examples of subordinating conjunctions include "until," "since," "unless," "so," and "whether". These conjunctions help to establish the relationship between the ideas expressed in the two clauses, often indicating time, cause, condition, or concession. For instance, in the sentence "She waited until they were seated," "until" is the subordinating conjunction that connects the subordinate clause "until they were seated" to the main clause "She waited".21