The non-finite subordinate clause is a subordinate clause that does not have a subject and verb relationship like a typical main clause. Instead, it uses verb forms such as the “-ing” form. The clause is introduced by the words “before” or “after” to indicate a specific point in time.
Here’s an example to illustrate this:
“Before going to bed, she always brushes her teeth.“
In this example, “Before going to bed” is the non-finite subordinate clause. It doesn’t have a subject and verb structure but uses the “-ing” form of the verb “go.” The main clause is “she always brushes her teeth.” The non-finite subordinate clause with “before” establishes the time relationship, indicating that she brushes her teeth before going to bed.
Similarly, the construction can be used with “after” to indicate a time relationship after the main clause:
“After finishing his homework, he went out to play.”
Here, “After finishing his homework” is the non-finite subordinate clause. It uses the “-ing” form of the verb “finish.” The main clause is “he went out to play.” The non-finite subordinate clause with “after” shows the time relationship, indicating that he went out to play after finishing his homework.
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 61 in the category of CLAUSES is defined as:
non-finite subordinate clause with ‘before’ and ‘after’ + ‘-ing’, before or after a main clause, to refer to time.
- Another way to say this is: ‘after + gerund’ or ‘before + gerund’
- Also, note that this point will clash with C1 complex ordering of events in the past.
For example:
After studying English, I go to my apartment.
PELIC STUDENT: Arabic, Male, Level 3
Corpus research for after/before + verb+ing
A search in the iWeb corpus for:
before|after _VVG
reveals the most common present particples.
1 AFTER READING 97478
2 BEFORE GOING 75587
3 BEFORE MAKING 70563
4 AFTER TAKING 63018
5 BEFORE MOVING 61309
Born in Dublin, Beckett studied English, French and Italian before moving to Paris,
where he spent most of his life writing theatre, poetry and prose.
6 BEFORE TAKING 58086
7 AFTER GETTING 56298
8 AFTER SEEING 53409
9 AFTER COMPLETING 52419
10 BEFORE STARTING 52351
11 BEFORE USING 49405
12 AFTER RECEIVING 49253
13 AFTER SPENDING 43812
14 AFTER USING 43337
15 BEFORE GETTING 42429
16 BEFORE JOINING 41595
17 BEFORE HEADING 40958
18 AFTER MAKING 36905
19 AFTER LEAVING 35843
20 BEFORE LEAVING 35706
21 AFTER GRADUATING 34703
22 BEFORE RETURNING 33477
23 AFTER WATCHING 31484
24 BEFORE APPLYING 30087
First of all, before applying for a job, creating a clear resume is an essential and basic step.
PELIC STUDENT: Chinese, Female, Level 5 writing class
25 AFTER GOING 29517
26 AFTER WINNING 29421
27 AFTER LOSING 28437
28 AFTER WORKING 28224
29 BEFORE ENTERING 27755
30 BEFORE ADDING 27100
31 AFTER HEARING 26517
32 BEFORE COMING 25380
33 BEFORE SERVING 24975
34 BEFORE DECIDING 24609
35 AFTER PLAYING 24382
36 BEFORE BECOMING 23540
37 AFTER TRYING 22512
38 AFTER FINISHING 21975
39 AFTER GIVING 21298
40 AFTER LOOKING
20573
I really wanted to read books after looking at this.
TLC STUDENT female Sri Lanka B1
41 BEFORE PUTTING 20320
42 AFTER EATING 20008
43 AFTER SERVING 19105
44 AFTER STARTING 18936
45 BEFORE TURNING 18592
46 BEFORE BEGINNING 18437
47 BEFORE BUYING 18209
48 AFTER BUYING 18096
49 BEFORE REACHING 17725
50 BEFORE PROCEEDING 17637
51 AFTER INSTALLING 17418
52 AFTER FINDING 17203
53 BEFORE SENDING 17126
54 AFTER RUNNING 16821
55 BEFORE TRYING 16819
56 AFTER MOVING 16787
57 AFTER MEETING 16151
58 AFTER COMING 15731
59 AFTER RETURNING 15644
60 AFTER LEARNING 15377
61 AFTER SUFFERING 14834
62 BEFORE GIVING 14650
63 BEFORE ATTEMPTING 14333
64 AFTER OPENING 13487
65 BEFORE CONTINUING 13341
66 AFTER APPLYING 12975
67 AFTER REMOVING 12930
68 AFTER REVIEWING 12840
69 AFTER ADDING 12445
70 AFTER ENTERING 12154
71 AFTER TALKING 12083
72 BEFORE INSTALLING 12040
73 AFTER BECOMING 12018
74 AFTER FALLING 11966
75 AFTER ARRIVING 11951
76 AFTER HITTING 11937
77 BEFORE RUNNING 11894
78 BEFORE SIGNING 11746
79 BEFORE SUBMITTING 11736
80 AFTER PASSING 11664
81 BEFORE PLACING 11664
82 BEFORE HITTING 11518
83 BEFORE SETTING 11451
84 AFTER PUTTING 11273
85 AFTER SIGNING 11226
86 AFTER CHECKING 10965
87 AFTER POSTING 10883
88 BEFORE PURCHASING 10727
89 AFTER MISSING 10585
90 AFTER CLICKING 10566
91 BEFORE COMMITTING 10432
92 BEFORE ARRIVING 10322
93 AFTER VISITING 10269
94 AFTER SETTING 10208
95 BEFORE OPENING 10104
96 AFTER ATTENDING 9908
97 AFTER REACHING 9845
98 AFTER FAILING 9663
99 AFTER SCORING 9214
100 AFTER LISTENING 9144
B1 Verbs from the above corpus with examples:
- Applying: “Before applying for the job, he updated his resume.”
- Attempting: “After attempting the difficult puzzle, she felt a sense of accomplishment.”
- Attending: “After attending the concert, they went out for dinner.”
- Continuing: “Before continuing his studies, he took a gap year to travel.”
- Installing: “After installing the software, they restarted their computers.”
- Reaching: “Before reaching the summit, they had to overcome many obstacles.”
- Removing: “After removing the stains, the shirt looked brand new.”
- Scoring: “Before scoring the winning goal, he practiced tirelessly.”
- Setting: “After setting the table, they sat down for dinner.”
- Signing: “Before signing the contract, he carefully read through the terms and conditions.”
In each example, the non-finite subordinate clauses with “before” or “after” + “-ing” verbs are used to express a time relationship relative to the main clause. They indicate that the action described by the “-ing” verb occurs before or after the action in the main clause.