Use Other Adverb Connectors Correctly

Adverb clauses can express the ideas of time and cause, as you saw in Skill 7; adverb clauses can also express a number of other ideas, such as contrast, condition, manner, and place. Because these clauses are adverb clauses, they have the same structure as the time and cause clauses in Skill 7. Study the following examples:

I will leave at 7:00 if I am ready.

Although I was late, I managed to catch the train.

In each of these examples, there are two clauses that are correctly joined with adverb connectors. In the first sentence, the adverb condition connector ifcomes in the middle of the sentence. In the second sentence, the adverb contrast connector although comes at the beginning of the sentence, and a comma (,) is used in the middle of the sentence.

The following example shows a way that this sentence pattern can be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Example from the Paper and Computer TOEFL® Tests

You will get a good grade on the exam provided ____

(A) studying (B) study (C) to study (D) you study

In this example you should quickly notice the adverb condition connector provided. This connector comes in the middle of the sentence; because it is a connector, it must be followed by a subject and a verb. The best answer to this question is answer (D), which contains the subject and verb you study.

The following chart lists adverb contrast, condition, manner, and place connectors and the sentence patterns used with them:

OTHER ADVERB CONNECTORS

CONDITION CONTRAST MANNER PLACE

if although as even though in that where

in case wherever provided providing unless whether

though while whereas

S V adverb connector SV

Bob went to school even though he felt sick.

adverb connector SV, SV

Even though Bob felt sick, he went to school.

NOTE: A comma is often used in the middle of the sentence with a contrast connector.

The Smith family arrived at 2:00, while the Jones family arrived an hour later.