Conjunctions

2008 Nov 23

Conjunctions are words that join words, phrases, or clauses. When using a conjunction to join two sentences, use a comma before the conjunction (except for conjunctions: and or). In English there are three kinds of conjunctions:

• Coordinating conjunctions join similar words, phrases, or clauses to each other;
  but must always join the same kind of words, e.g.
  
  • subject + subject
  • noun phrase + noun phrase
  • verb phrase + verb phrase
  • sentence + sentence
  In English the main coordinate conjunctions are:

  mnemonic: fanboys

  for

  and

  nor

  but

  or

  yet

  so

  along with:

  plus

  minus

  less

  times

  multiplied by

  divided by

  over

  under

  next to

  inside

  containing

  
  
• Correlative conjunctions also join similar words, phrases, or clauses to each other, but act in pairs. In modern English the main coordinate conjunctions are:

  both ... and ...

  either ... or ...

  neither ... nor ...

  not ... but ...

  not only ... but also ...

  whether ... or ...

  
  
• Subordinating conjunctions join a subordinating clause to a main clause. They are adverbs used as conjunctions and occur at the start of a clause. An adverbial clause can occur either before or after the main clause. Subordinators are typically classified as follows:

  time	cause & effect	opposition	condition
  after	because	although	if
  before	since	though	unless
  when	now that	even though	only if
  while	as	whereas	whether or not
  since	in order that	while	even if
  until	so		in case (that)
  			if and only if

References

• Azar, B. S.(1993). Understanding and Using English Grammar. Englewood Hills, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents.
• Byrd, P. and Benson, B. (1992). Applied English Grammar. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
• Greenbaum, S. and Quirk, R. (1990). A Student's Grammar of the English Language. Essex, England: Longman.
• Hodges, J. and Whitten, M. (1984). Harbrace College Handbook. Atlanta: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publisher.

2005-2008