Page 261 - English - Teaching Academic Esl Writing

SUBORDINATE CLAUSES 247
The Most Common Adverbial Clause Subordinators in Academic Writing
Condition Time Concession Cause
if (and rarely, unless)
when (and occasionally, as, after, before, until) although, while, though (in declining order) because, (and occasionally, since)
In general terms, concessive clauses can be employed as sophisticated hedging devices that can also help writers have a balanced perspective on an issue/topic at hand.
Prefabricated sentence chunks with concessive clauses can be highly useful and easy to employ in introductions, thesis statements, topic sentences, and generalizations:
Although/While xxx, yyy (thesis/topic/generalization)
It is important for L2 writers to remember that their main point should be placed in the main clause (the-main-for-main types of constructions; Quirk et al., 1985):
Although many among minorities do not have money to go to school, they need to get education to win the struggle for power in society.
Need for achievement varies widely from person to person, although psycholo- gists suggest a learned achievement motive.
On the other hand, cause clauses may need to be used sparingly and with caution.
Discourse Functions of Adverbial Clauses
The mobility of adverb clauses,just as that of adverbs and adverbial phrases (see chaps. 3 and 9), can be used to the writer's advantage. If the subordinate clause isplaced at the beginning of the sentence, it can play an important role in establishing a cohesive and discourse-organizing link between the text and/or ideas that immediately precede the clause and the new information that follows (see also chap. 11on text cohesion). On the other hand, adverbial clauses placed at the ends of sentences provide expansion of the information in the main clause (Celce-Murcia, 1998; DeCarrico, 2000). For example,
This ability to influence public opinion and mobilize the entire nation against a par- ticulardeviantactivity ... illustratesthevastpowerofthemassmediaindefining devi-
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