Conjunctions
A
conjunction is a word
that "joins". A conjunction joins two
parts of a sentence.
Here are some
example conjunctions:
| Coordinating
Conjunctions |
Subordinating
Conjunctions |
| and, but, or, nor, for,
yet, so |
although,
because, since,
unless |
We can consider conjunctions
from three aspects.
Form
Conjunctions have three
basic forms:
- Single Word
for
example: and, but, because,
although
- Compound (often ending with
as or
that)
for example:
provided that, as long as, in order
that
- Correlative (surrounding
an adverb or adjective)
for
example: so...that
Function
Conjunctions have two
basic functions or "jobs":
- Coordinating
conjunctions are used to join two
parts of a sentence that are
grammatically equal. The two
parts may be single words or clauses, for
example:
- Jack
and Jill went up the hill.
-
The water was warm,
but I didn't go swimming.
- Subordinating
conjunctions are used to join a
subordinate dependent clause to a
main clause, for
example:
- I went swimming
although it was
cold.
Position
- Coordinating
conjunctions always come between the
words or clauses that they
join.
- Subordinating
conjunctions usually come at the
beginning of the subordinate
clause.
In this lesson we
will look in more detail
at:
Coordinating
Conjunctions
The short, simple conjunctions
are called
"coordinating conjunctions":
- and, but, or, nor, for,
yet, so
A
coordinating conjunction joins
parts of a sentence (for
example words or independent
clauses) that are
grammatically
equal or
similar. A coordinating
conjunction shows that the elements it joins
are similar in importance and
structure:
Look at these
examples - the two elements that the
coordinating conjunction joins
are shown in square brackets [
]:
- I like [tea]
and [coffee].
- [Ram likes
tea], but [Anthony likes
coffee].
Coordinating conjunctions
always come
between the words or
clauses that they
join.
When a
coordinating conjunction joins
independent clauses, it is
always correct to place a
comma before the
conjunction:
- I want to work
as an interpreter in the future, so
I am studying Russian at
university.
However, if the independent
clauses are short and
well-balanced, a comma
is not really
essential:
- She is kind
so she helps people.
When "and" is
used with the last word
of a list, a
comma is
optional:
- He drinks beer, whisky,
wine, and rum.
- He drinks beer, whisky,
wine and rum.
The 7
coordinating conjunctions
are short, simple words. They
have only two or three letters. There's an
easy way to remember them - their
initials spell:
| F |
A |
N |
B |
O |
Y |
S |
| For |
And |
Nor |
But |
Or |
Yet |
So |
Subordinating Conjunctions
The majority
of conjunctions are "subordinating
conjunctions". Common subordinating conjunctions
are:
- after, although, as, because, before, how,
if, once, since, than, that, though, till, until, when, where,
whether, while
A subordinating conjunction joins a subordinate
(dependent) clause to a main (independent) clause:
Look at this example:
main or
independent clause |
subordinate or
dependent
clause |
| Ram went swimming |
although |
it was raining. |
|
subordinating
conjunction |
|
A subordinate or dependent clause "depends" on a
main or independent clause. It cannot exist alone. Imagine that somebody says to
you: "Hello! Although it was raining." What do you understand? Nothing! But a
main or independent clause can exist alone. You will understand very well if
somebody says to you: "Hello! Ram went swimming."
A subordinating conjunction always comes
at the beginning of a subordinate clause. It "introduces" a
subordinate clause. However, a subordinate clause can sometimes come after and
sometimes before a main clause. Thus, two structures are
possible:
|
|
|
Ram went swimming although it was
raining. |
|
|
|
Although it was raining, Ram went
swimming. |
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