Main and subordinate clauses

A KS2 English worksheet created by an experienced teacher to help your child identify main and subordinate clauses. Includes examples and answers.

What is a main clause in KS2 English? 

Think of a main clause as the main building block of a sentence. 

A main clause has a subject and verb. 

When you put these together, you get a complete sentence that can stand on its own. 

What are examples of main clauses?

Here are some examples of main clauses:

The dog barked.

The sun shines brightly.

I like ice cream.

The birds chirp in the morning.

What is a subordinate clause? 

A subordinate clause is like a helper in a sentence. It's a group of words that has a subject and a verb but can't stand alone as a complete sentence. Instead, it relies on the main clause to make sense.

What are some examples of subordinate clauses? 

Here are some examples of subordinate clauses: 

When the bell rings, I'll go home.

While I'm at work, my husband takes care of the kids.

Before the movie starts, we'll grab some popcorn.

How will this KS2 worksheet about main and subordinate clauses help your child?

This teacher-created resource was designed to help teach your child about main and subordinate clauses, with easy-to-understand explanations and examples. Your child will need to put their learning into action with the questions and check their answers after.

For more support with primary-school English, check out our hub page, or try a new challenge such as our Using relative clauses worksheet.