AN ANALYSIS OF THE SUBORDINATE CLAUSES IN THE NOVEL ENTITLED

FANGIRL BY RAINBOW ROWELL

By
Melia Fitrianingsih
1708103094
Introduction
The process of creating a sentence needs several things, one of them is clause. It is
included into clause part in the syntax explanation. The clause cannot be separated with the
sentence. It is the constituent structure that can be developed to be a sentence. Traditional
grammar bases its analysis on the meaning. The sentence is determined by the meaning as a
word arrangement that states meaning, feeling, and ideas. It is divided into two kinds, first is
active voice and second is passive voice. Both active voice and passive voice in the traditional
grammar are determined by meaning. The active voice is the sentence that the subject does an
action and the passive voice is used when we want to emphasize the action (the verb) and the
object of a sentence rather than subject (El-Sakram&Nada, 2014, p. 437). There are some cases
of clauses in every sentence. It is focusing to how the clause itself in creating the sentence. This
paper will be discussing the adverbial clause as the type of subordinate clause in the novel
entitled Fangirl (Rowell, 2013). This research used theory of Miller (2002).
Literary Review
Syntax has some units to make the sentence can be read. The first unit is phrase. It
allows us to represent the relationship between other units, namely heads and modifiers.
Another unit is clause, which allows us to represent meaningfully about the relationship
between verbs and different types of phrase. There are some characteristics that a clause can
be ideal. First, it contains a phrase indicating to an activity or state. Second, a phrase indicating
to the things and people connected in the action or state. Third, a phrase indicating to time and
place. The clause is a unit which a basic comprises of an action word and its complements
however which may comprise of an action word, its supplements, and its subordinates. The
clause is a valuable unit since it gives us a framework for talking about the connection in
between (Miller, 2002, p. 6).

There is also the central concept of clause in the sentence. The first concept is the main
clause, the clause that can stand alone. The second one is the subordinate clause, the dependent
clause that cannot stand alone, it must begin either a subordinate conjunction (such because,
why, while, etc.) or relative pronoun. The subordinate clause itself has three kinds of clause
(Miller, 2002, p. 65). Those clauses are complement clauses, relative clauses, and adverbial
clauses.

A complement clause is a noun phrase that follows a preposition without which the
meaning of the verb is incomplete. The complement clauses occur in slots in the main clause
that can be occupied by ordinary noun phrases. Thus, complement clause is a clause which is
used as the complement of some other words (typically as the complement of a verb, adjective
or noun). The most common type is a complement clause following a verb (Steel, Rose, &
Eadie, 2016, p. 335).

Relative clause usually called as adjective clause. It is included into dependent clause
which means it cannot stand alone, even it has the constituent structure such as subject and
verb (Green, 2016, p. 31). It can be concluded that relative clause is a dependent clause that
has a function as an adjective in order to explain a noun and represent its noun specifically.
Relative clauses have to be consisted of relative pronoun (who, whom, whose), relative noun
(which), and relative adverb (where, when, and why) to make the sentence can be read
correctly (Bresnan, 2013, p. 276). It can be seen in the sentence the boy who is sitting in the
chair is my cousin. The phrase who refers to the person who is sitting. It explains the boy itself.
Adverbial clauses are thus a structural subcategory of adverbials, whose functional
diversity they share to some extent. The term “adverbial clause” is sometimes used in the
literature in a wider sense. Including obligatory clauses functioning as predicative complement
which typically denote semantic concepts such as time, place, or direction. Adverbial clauses
can be in the beginning of the sentence and followed by independent clause. Otherwise, the
independent clause can be in the beginning of the sentence and followed by adverbial clause
(Hacker, 1999, p. 21).

Discussion

No Noun/Phrase/Sentence Type of Subordinate

Clause
1. “She kept Jesse around so long because she Adverbial clauses
was never really sure that he liked her.”
2. “She was never really sure that he liked her.” Complement clauses

3. Wren said, “There are guys in our dorm who Relative clauses
wear cowboy hats, like, all the time, even
when they are walking down the hall.
 4. Wren was on the front of the sled when he hits Adverbial clauses
the tree.
5. The three of them were the only people which Relative clauses
did not stop to look for Levi in the city.

The data (1) belongs to adverbial verb. The adverbial clause of reason in the data (1)
because she was never really sure that he liked her, gives the reason why she kept Jesse around
so long. This text clause contains of two main clauses (she kept Jesse, he liked her), one
complement (around so long), and two subordinate conjunctions (because and that). From that
explanation it can be concluded that the system clause belongs to adverbial clauses because the
clause she kept Jesse around so long modifies the main clause she was never really sure that
he liked her.

Furthermore, the data (2) showed that was the complement clause. The clause that he
liked her modifies the main clause she was never really sure. This text clause contains of one
main clause (he liked her), one subordinate conjunction (that), and one complement (never
really sure). This system clause belongs to the complement clause because the clause she was
never really sure cannot stand alone if the clause that he liked her did not complete the clause
before. Because, the subordinate itself cannot stand alone.

The data (3) belongs to the relative clause. The relative clause who wear cowboy hats,
like, all the time, even when they are walking down the hall modifies the noun the guys.
However, the word there are stands as the subject and predicate, and the word in the room
stands as the complement. Wren stands as the subject, said stands as the predicate there are
guys in our dorm stands as the complement and who wear cowboy hats, like, all the time, even
when they are walking down the hall stands as the modifier of the clause Wren said, “There
are guys in our dorm.” This text clause contains of one subordinate clause (who) to modifies.
The system clause belongs to the relative clause.

The data (4) belongs to the adverbial clause because the adverbial clause of time in the
data (4), when he hits the tree, gives the time which another event happened., namely he was
on the front of the sled. It modifies the main clause he was on the front of the sled. That system
clause is adverbial clause.

The data (5) belongs to the relative clause because it has wh article the subordinate
conjunction in the clause. The relative clause which did not stop to look for Levi in the city
modifies the noun three (people). However, the words were the only people stand as the
complement of the sentence. This system clause belongs to the subordinate clause, especially
into relative clause because it cannot stand alone.

Conclusion

The clause can be called as the subordinate clause when they cannot stand alone. The
subordinate clause needs the complement. Every type of subordinate clause has the different
subordinate conjunction to make the sentence complete. Those subordinate conjunction also
has the different function in each type of subordinate clause. The function itself can make the
sentence complete and the sentence can be read well.

References
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https://doi.org/10.1044/20152016_JSLHR-L-15-0001