Adverb clauses bring variety of information to sentences – time, place, manner, condition, concession, purpose, and more. Information on degree (or extent), provided by adverb clause of degree (or extent), is the topic of this post.
Learn more: This post covers just one adverb clause. Learn other types of adverb clause.
What is adverb clause of degree (or extent)?
Adverb clauses of degree express the degree to which event in the matrix clause is true. (Matrix clause is what’s left after removing subordinate clause. In the sentence Insofar as her health permits, she intends to travel, for example, she intends to travel is matrix clause.) They’re introduced mainly by subordinating conjunctions insofar as and inasmuch as. Examples:
Insofar as her health permits, she intends to travel. [To the degree (or extent) her health permits, she intends to travel.]
Our team will proceed with the project insofar as the budget allows for additional expense. [To the degree (or extent) the budget allows for additional expense…]
Inasmuch as the law allows, we will take legal action against any infringement of intellectual property rights. [To the degree (or extent) the law allows, we will…]
The event was a success inasmuch as the attendees were very satisfied with the presentations.
[Incorrect. Inasmuch as has two meanings: to the degree and since. Here, second meaning holds, implying it’s not adverb clause of degree. It’s in fact adverb clause of circumstance.]
Comparative clauses are incorrectly treated as adverb clauses of degree
Comparative clauses compare two propositions. They’re introduced by subordinating conjunctions as and than, which are part of correlatives as…as, more…than, less…than, and –er…than. The clause together with as, more, less, or –er functions like adverb of degree. Examples:
The dog fetches as energetically as an enthusiastic puppy.
[as…as an enthusiastic puppy modifies energetically in the same way degree adverb very would modify energetically.]
The new car is more fuel-efficient than the old model is.
[more… than the old model is modifies fuel-efficient in the same way degree adverb very would modify fuel-efficient.]
Ella writes less poetry than Jack does short stories.
My apartment is larger than yours.
Based on this similarity with adverb of degree, comparative clauses are often dubbed as adverb clause of degree. But that’s incorrect. Here is the reason.
You would know that there are three types of dependent clauses – noun, relative (or adjective), and adverb. But there is another – comparative clause – which is a modifier like relative and adverb clause. Comparative clause, in other words, is at the same hierarchical level as other three dependent clauses, but it’s different from them. It’s not noun clause. It’s not relative clause. It’s not adverb clause. That’ why you’ll never see the term adverb clause of comparative.
If comparative clause is not an adverb clause, how can it be an adverb clause of degree? You can call it a clause of degree – but not an adverb clause of degree. An adverb clause of degree is what we discussed in the first section of this post.
You can confirm that a comparative clause is indeed not an adverb clause through substitution test.
Substitution test
If we can substitute comparative clause with a meaningful adverbial (usually prepositional phrase or adverb phrase), the comparative clause is an adverb clause. Otherwise, not. Let’s try this. Can you replace following comparative clause by an adverbial?
The new car is more fuel-efficient than the old model is.
[This substitution with a prepositional phrase, for example, is weird: The new car is more fuel-efficient above the old model. It’s nearly impossible to get a meaningful adverbial substitute; hence, comparative clause is indeed not an adverb clause. Note that following isn’t a substitute because it’s just an elliptical version of the comparative clause: The new car is more fuel-efficient than the old model.]
Now, if you try substitution test with an actual adverb clause of degree, you would be able to find a meaningful adverbial substitute:
Our team will proceed with the project insofar as the budget allows for additional expense.
[You can replace the clause by an adverbial prepositional phrase: Our team will proceed with the project to the extent (or degree) the budget allows for additional expense. Hence, it’s an adverb clause.]
