| Type of subordinate clause
| Examples
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| Subject clauses
| 1. It’s time you bought a new coat.
2. It’s time we went.
3. It’s time we left.
4. It’s time I were going.
5. It’s time we were leaving.
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| Predicative clauses
| 6. I feel as if I were flying.
7. I feel as if an express train had hit me.
8. You look as if you had just seen a ghost!
9. He looks/looked as though he hadn’t had a decent meal for a month.
10. He looked as if he were about to burst.
11. She felt as if she were holding her breath under water, as if her lungs were about to burst.
12. For an instant, it appeared as if Mattie might soften, as if she might choose to believe him after all.
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| Object clauses
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| Object clauses
(wish)
| 1. I wish things were different.
2. I wish I were Steffi Graff.
3. I wish it were Tuesday today.
4. I wish the situation were a little clearer.
5. I wish I had a motorbike.
6. I wish I got more letters.
7. I wish you didn’t work so hard.
8. I wish you weren’t leaving.
9. I wish I were going on holiday with you.
10. I wish it weren’t raining.
11. I wish I weren’t going to Bristol.
12. I wish she wouldn’t sing in the bath.
13. I wish you would shut up.
14. I wish you would leave.
15. I wish you wouldn’t make such a mess.
16. I wish you wouldn’t talk with your mouth full!
17. I wish I could come on holiday with you next year.
18. I wish I hadn’t eaten so much.
19. I wish I hadn’t lost my bicycle.
20. I wish I had learnt to drive when I was 17.
21. I wish you hadn’t said, ‘Lier’.
22. «I wish you wouldn’t call me down in public,» cried Sally.
23. I wish a large sum of money would come my way.
24. I wish he would come to the point.
25. I wish that you wouldn’t talk to meso rudely in public.
26. I wish he wouldn’t offer advice on my marriage - it’s nothing to do with him.
27. I know he’s worried about us, but I wish he wouldn’t interfere.
28. I wish he would leave.
29. I wish I had been there.
30. I wish you wouldn’t impose your will on all of us.
31. I wish you wouldn’t let loose like that!
32. I wish she would stop boasting about her exam results.
33. I wish he’d stop brooding about the past.
34. I wish I could turn the clock back.
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| Object clauses
(indirect question)
| 1. She has never asked me if it were so or not.
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| Adverbial clauses of comparison
| 1. He acts as if he were in charge.
2. Margaret looked at me as if I were crazy.
3. He behaves as though he were the owner.
4. He orders me about as if I were his wife.
5. He spoke to me as if I were deaf.
6. Jake paled, almost as if he’d been shot himself.
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| Adverbial clauses of concession
| 7. Even if it were raining I should go.
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| Adverbial clauses of condition
| 8. If I were you I’d plant some trees round the house.
9. I should be a bit more careful if I were you.
10. Were I Tom I would refuse.
11. If I had a map I would lend it to you.
12. If I lived near my office I’d be in time for work.
13. If someone tried to blackmail me I would tell the police.
14. If a burgler came into my room at night I’d scream.
15. If I died my hair blue everyone would laugh at me.
16. If we were going by boat I’d feel much happier.
17. If I were to resign ...
18. If Peter were to apply for the post he’d get it.
19. If the price were to go down, I’d buy that car.
20. If someone in your family were to win $1,000 in a lottery, the same problem of choice would arise.
21. Were he to tell us everything, we could try to solve his problem.
22. If he had tried to leave the country he would have been stopped at the frontier.
23. If I had worked harder at school I would be sitting in a comfortable office now; I wouldn’t be sweeping the streets.
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