Conjunctions are English words that connect words or phrases. Sometimes we want to show a more complicated relationship between the ideas, like a relationship involving time. Some common time conjunctions are: when, after, before, until, since, while, once, as and as soon as.
- I like to have the radio on while I study.
- Before he plays football, James always does a warm-up.
In these cases, we use subordinating conjunctions. Subordinating conjunctions link an independent clause/main clause with a dependent clause of time.
| Conjunction | Use | Example |
| before | The main clause happens earlier in time. | She made her bed before she left the house. |
| after | The main clause happens later in time. | After I ate dinner, I went to bed. |
| until/till | The main clause happens up to the time when the dependent clause happens. | I’m not leaving until you say sorry. |
| as soon as once | The main clause happens immediately after the dependent clause. | Romeo fell in love as soon as he saw Juliet. |
| while | The main clause happens at the same time as the dependent clause. | While Steve cut the onions, Jean peeled the potatoes. |
| when | The main clause happens after the dependent clause, or at the same time. | When he saw her, he smiled. When I lived in Norway, I lived with a local family. |
| since | The main clause began at the moment the dependent clause happened. | We’ve been friends since the second grade. |
| as | The main clause happens while the dependent clause is in progress. | We got to the party as everyone was leaving. |
| during | The main clause happens at the same time as the dependent clause. | During the Alaskan winter, the sun is hardly ever seen. |
| whenever | The main clause always happens as a result of the dependent clause. | Whenever I see her, I smile. |
Watch this video from Nick Shepherd to learn about several time conjunctions (or ‘linkers’) that are used to link clauses of time:
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