Grammar, Resourcefully
Subordinating Conjunctions: KS2 List and Teaching Tips
Subordinating conjunctions – what are they and how do you teach them?
If you’re teaching sentence structure in KS2, subordinating conjunctions are one of those topics that can feel trickier than it needs to. The terminology sounds complicated, but the concept is straightforward once children see it in action. And it’s worth getting right – subordinating conjunctions appear in the National Curriculum from Year 3 onwards, come up regularly in the KS2 SATs GPS paper, and are one of the most effective tools children have for writing more complex, varied sentences.
So, what is a subordinating conjunction?
A conjunction is a word that joins two clauses together. A subordinating conjunction joins a main clause to a subordinate clause – a clause that depends on the main clause to make full sense. The main clause is the part that makes sense on its own as a complete sentence; the subordinate clause doesn’t.
Here’s a simple example:
She stayed inside. It was raining.
Join them with a subordinating conjunction:
She stayed inside because it was raining.
The word because is the subordinating conjunction. It connects the two clauses and shows the relationship between them – in this case, the reason. The clause because it was raining can’t stand alone as a sentence; it needs the main clause to make sense. That dependency is what makes it subordinate.
Subordinating conjunctions vs. coordinating conjunctions
Children sometimes muddle these two, so it’s worth being clear. Coordinating conjunctions – for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS) – join two clauses of equal weight. Both clauses can stand alone.
She stayed inside and she read her book.
Subordinating conjunctions create an unequal relationship. One clause depends on the other.
She stayed inside because it was raining.
The test is simple: if you remove the conjunction and both halves still make sense as sentences, it’s coordinating. If one half falls apart, it’s subordinating.
KS2 subordinating conjunctions list
There are lots of subordinating conjunctions, but these are the ones children need to know and use in KS2.
Cause and effect because, since, as, so that
Time when, while, before, after, until, as soon as, whenever, once
Condition if, unless, although, even though, even if, provided that, in case
Contrast although, whereas, while, even though
Place where, wherever
A few of these do double duty – while can show time or contrast, and as can show cause or time. That flexibility is worth pointing out to children in Upper KS2, where they’re expected to think more carefully about the effect of their word choices.
Why do subordinating conjunctions matter in KS2?
Subordinating conjunctions are introduced in Year 3 as part of the National Curriculum, when children begin to write multi-clause sentences using when, if, because and although. By Year 6, they’re expected to use a much wider range and to vary where the subordinate clause sits within the sentence – which is where the teaching gets interesting.
In the SATs GPS paper, children might be asked to identify the subordinating conjunction in a sentence, complete a sentence using an appropriate conjunction, or explain the relationship between two clauses. It’s also a key feature of the KS2 writing assessment – examiners look for varied and well-structured sentences, and subordinating conjunctions are one of the clearest markers of that.
How to teach subordinating conjunctions in KS2
1. Start with BECAUSE
Because is the most intuitive subordinating conjunction for children to grasp, because it directly answers the question “why?” Use it as the entry point before introducing the wider list.
Write a simple statement on the board:
The dog barked.
Challenge children to extend it using because:
The dog barked because a stranger opened the gate. The dog barked because it was hungry.
Once children are comfortable with because, introduce one or two others – when, if, although – and explore how each changes the relationship between the clauses.
2. Teach clause position
One of the most valuable things you can teach children about subordinating conjunctions is that the subordinate clause doesn’t have to come second. It can move to the front of the sentence – and when it does, it needs a comma.
She stayed inside because it was raining. (subordinate clause at the end – no comma needed)
Because it was raining, she stayed inside. (subordinate clause at the front – comma required)
This is a direct link to fronted adverbials, which are often subordinate clauses in their own right. If you’ve already taught fronted adverbials, this is a natural next step that ties the two concepts together neatly.
3. Use sentence combining
Give children two short, choppy sentences and ask them to combine them using a subordinating conjunction from the list. The constraint of having to choose the right conjunction – one that shows the correct relationship between the clauses – does a lot of the thinking work.
The children were excited. It was the last day of term.
Possible combinations:
The children were excited because it was the last day of term. Although it was the last day of term, the children stayed focused. The children were excited even though they had to sit a test.
Each version changes the meaning slightly. Drawing attention to that is where the real language learning happens.
4. AFOREST and persuasive writing
In Upper KS2, subordinating conjunctions become particularly useful in persuasive writing. The conjunctions although, even though and whereas let children acknowledge a counter-argument before dismissing it – a sophisticated move that adds real weight to a piece of writing.
Although some people think screen time is harmful, research suggests it can support learning when used carefully.
Spotting this in real texts and practising it in their own writing gives children a purpose for subordinating conjunctions beyond grammar exercises.
Subordinating conjunction challenge
A quick activity that works as a starter or fast-finisher task. Give children a plain sentence:
The boy ate his lunch.
Challenge them to extend it using three different subordinating conjunctions, one at a time:
The boy ate his lunch even though he wasn’t hungry. Before the boy ate his lunch, he washed his hands. The boy ate his lunch while his sister played outside.
Then ask: how does each conjunction change what the sentence tells us? This builds the habit of choosing conjunctions deliberately rather than defaulting to because every time.
Common mistakes to watch out for
Using because for everything. Once children discover subordinating conjunctions, because tends to do all the work. Push them to use conjunctions of time (when, before, after), condition (if, unless) and contrast (although, even though) as well.
Incomplete subordinate clauses. Some children write the subordinate clause without the main clause – Because it was raining. – and present it as a full sentence. This is a sentence fragment, and it comes up as an error in the GPS paper. Get children into the habit of checking that every sentence has a main clause that can stand alone.
Forgetting the comma when the subordinate clause comes first. This is the same rule as fronted adverbials: if the subordinate clause opens the sentence, it needs a comma before the main clause begins. Although it was cold, they went outside. The comma is easy to miss, especially for children who are focused on the content rather than the punctuation.
Confusing although with but. Both show contrast, but they work differently. But is a coordinating conjunction (She was tired but she kept going), while although introduces a subordinate clause (Although she was tired, she kept going). The distinction matters in the GPS paper.
Ready to teach subordinating conjunctions with confidence?
If you’re looking for ready-made resources to support your conjunctions teaching, our Subordinating Conjunctions Display and Worksheet Pack has everything you need. It includes a classroom display with the full KS2 list, sentence-building activities, and GPS-style questions – all ready to use straight away.
Download the Subordinating Conjunctions Pack →
Grammar
Whether you’re introducing subordinating conjunctions for the first time in Year 3 or consolidating them ahead of SATs in Year 6, we hope this guide has been useful. If you haven’t already, our expanded noun phrases guide pairs well with this one – the two concepts often appear together when children are building more complex sentences. As always, if there’s a resource you’d like us to create, just let us know – we’re always adding to the collection.
