Which class of words connects a subordinate clause to a main clause, such as "if", "because", or "when"?

• A. Subordinating Conjunction
• B. Coordinating Conjunction
• C. Modal Auxiliary Verb
• D. Parsing

Answer: (A)

Subordinating conjunctions are the words that link a subordinate (dependent) clause to a main (independent) clause. They signal the relationship between the two parts, such as condition, reason, or time. Because of that, words like if, because, and when introduce clauses that cannot stand alone and rely on the main clause to complete the thought.

Coordinating conjunctions, by contrast, join two clauses that could each stand alone, using words like and, but, or. A modal auxiliary verb is an auxiliary that expresses mood like possibility or necessity, not a clause-connecting word. Parsing is a process of analyzing sentence structure, not a class of connecting words.