Nkabɔmdeε (ntoasoɔ) – Subordinating Conjunctions (continued) In our previous lesson we discussed coordinating conjunctions. In this unit, we will discuss subordinating conjunctions. A subordinating conjunction joins a subordinate clause and a main clause. Such clauses are usually introduced by a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun. Its meaning depends on the rest of the sentence (main clause). It can not express a complete thought until it is joined with the main clause. It must always be attached to a main clause to complete the meaning. The following are some examples of subordinating conjunctions: sε (that), gye sε (until), ma, kansa … (mpo) a, (if even), ansa (before), sε … a, (if) etc. In the examples below, the subordinate clauses are underlined/italized and the subordinating conjunction blocked. The main clauses are left unmarked. 1. sε (that): This conjunction ends the subordinate clause which initiates the sentence. The main clause always follows the conjunction. Nhwεsoɔ: a. ɔkaa sε ɔmmɔ abusua. (He said that he does not belong to a family) b. Kofi baa sε ɔbεdi fufu. (Kofi came that he will eat fufu). c. Abofra no suu sε ɔbεkɔ California. (The child cried that he will go to California) d. Mmaa no kaa sε wɔbεkɔ dwaso. (The women said that they will go to market) e. Charles kaa sε ɔnkɔ Ghana. (Charles said that he will not go to Ghana) 2. sε … a, (if/when): This conjunction is the condition clause in conditional sentences. They can occur at the beginning or end of the sentence. In some cases the sε is omitted as in sentences d and e below. The a always occurs immediately followed by a comma. Nhwεsoɔ: a. Sε Kofi ba a, yεbεkɔ New York. (If Kofi comes, we will go to New York) b. Mεhwε me papa, sε ɔhwε me a. (I will care for my father if he cares for me) c. Sε woma me sika a, mεkɔ. (If you give me money, I will go) d. Mesua Twi a, mεkɔ Ghana. (If I learn Twi, I will go to Ghana) e. Me maame ba a, yεbεdi fufu. (If my mother comes we will eat fufu) 3. gye sε (unless/until) Nhwεsoɔ: a. Menkɔ Ghana gye sε menya sika pii. (I will not go to Ghana unless I get a lot of money) b. Asuafoɔ no rensua Twi gye sε Charles ba. (The students will not learn Twi unless Charles comes) c. Memfi ha gye sε mahu Twi tikya (I will not leave here unless I see the Twi teacher) d. Menkɔ fie gye sε abofra no da (I will not go home unless the child sleeps) e. Ghanafoɔ rento aba gye sε amanyεkuofo yε adepa (Ghanaians will not vote unless political parties do what is good) Note: in these types of sentences, the second part cannot be flipped to the initial position. When this happens gye sε will co-occur with another conjunction ansa na as we will see very soon in this section. 4. ansa (na) (before): This type of conjunction is used to join two clauses (main and subordinate) indicating two actions with one occurring before the other. The first action is most of the time in the past and the second part in the progressive as in the sentences below. Nhwesoɔ: a. ɔbaa ha ansa yεrekɔ (He came here before we went/left) b. Wɔyεε bɔne pii ansa wɔrenu wɔn ho. (They committed a lot of crime before repenting) c. Asuafo no suaa Twi ansa wɔresua Swahili (The students learned Twi before learning Twi) d. Mmofra no dii fufu ansa wɔrekɔ fie. (The children ate fufu before going home) e. Megyee sika no ansa mereba ha (I got the Money before going home) If it is a habitual occurrence, then this is how the above sentences will look like: a. ba ha ansa yεakɔ (He comes here before we go/leave) b. Wyε bne pii ansa wɔanu wɔn ho. (They commit a lot of crime before they repent) c. Asuafo no sua Twi ansa wɔasua Swahili (The students learn Twi before they learn Twi) d. Mmofra no di fufu ansa wɔakɔ fie. (The children eat fufu before they go home) e. Megye sika no ansa makɔ hɔ (I get the Money before I go there) 5. gye sε … ansa (na) (unless-before combination) Nhwεsoɔ: a. Gye sε woba ansa mede sika no ama wo (Unless you come before I give you the Money) b. Gye sε asuafoɔ ba ansa yεakɔ fie (Unless the students come before we go home) c. Gye sε osuani no kɔ Ghana ansa ɔasua Twi (Unless the student goes to Ghana before he learns Twi) d. Gye sε moba ansa yεakɔ (Unless you come before we go) e. Gye sε awofoɔ hwε wɔn mma ansa wɔn mma ahwε wɔn (Unless parents take care of their children before they take care of them) When ansa initiates the sentence there is the introduction of the marker bε in the first clause. Examples: a. Ansa yεbεkɔ Ghana no gye sε yεsua Twi (Before we go to Ghana (unless) we learn Twi) b. Ansa osuani no bεsua Twi gye sε ɔsua Swahili (Before the student learns Twi she has to learn Swahili) 6. εfi sε/εfiri sε/esiane sε (because): This conjunction is used to answer the question why? (adεn?). the three conjunctions are used interchangeably. Nhwεsoɔ: a. ɔkɔɔ ayaresabea εfiri sε ɔyare (He went to the hospital because he is sick) b. Afia bεkɔ Ghana εfiri sε ne kunu firi Ghana (Afia will go to Ghana because the husband comes from Ghana) c. Yaa resua Twi εfiri sε ɔpε sε ɔkɔ Ghana (Yaa is learning Twi because she wants to go to Ghana) d. Menni Amεreka nkrataa εfiri sε menyε Amεrekani (I do not have American papers because I am not an America) e. ɔnka Twi εfiri sε ɔnyε Ghanani (He does not speak Twi because he is not a Ghanaian) 7. esiane sε/εfiri sε/εfi sε … enti (because-so combination) Nhwɛsoɔ: a. ɛsiane sɛ asuafoɔ nni Twi nwoma enti kyerɛkyerɛni no yɛɛ bi maa wɔn. (Because the students do not have Twi book (so) the teacher made some for them) b. Esiane sɛ ɔyare enti ɔkɔɔ ayaresabea (Because he was sick (so) he went to hospital) c. Esiane sɛ ɔny adwuma enti ɔnni ska (Because he does not work (so) he hasn’t go money) d. Esiane sɛ Kofi nni sika enti ɔankɔ New York (Because Kofi has no money (so) he did not go to New York) e. ɔnni sika enti ɔndi/ɔnni aduane pa ((Because)he hasn’t got money (so) he doesn’t eat good food) Note: Esiane sɛ can be dropped as in sentence (e). 8. abere a .... no (by the time/when) Nhwɛsoɔ: a. Abere a ɔbae no, na mekɔ dada (By the time he came, I had left already) b. Asuafoɔ resua Twi no, na meredidi (By the time the students were learning, I was eating) c. Meredidi no, na asuafoɔ no resua Twi (By the time I was eating, the students were studying Twi) d. Abere a merekɔ fie no, mehuu ɔwɔ (By the time I was going home, I saw a snake)