In grammar, a conjunction (abbreviated CONJ or CNJ) is a part of speech that connects two words, sentences, phrases or clauses together. A discourse connective is a conjunction joining sentences. This definition may overlap with that of other parts of speech, so what constitutes a "conjunction" must be defined for each language. In general, a conjunction is an invariable grammatical particle, and it may or may not stand between the items it conjoins.
The definition may also be extended to idiomatic phrases that behave as a unit with the same single-word conjunction (as well as, provided that, etc.).
Many students are taught that certain conjunctions (such as "and", "but", "because", and "so") should not begin sentences; although authorities such as the Chicago Manual of Style state that this teaching has "no historical or grammatical foundation."[1]
A simple literary example of a conjunction: "the truth of nature, and the power of giving interest" (Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Biographia Literaria) [2]
Coordinating
conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions, also
called coordinators, are conjunctions that join, or coordinate, two or
more items (such as words, main clauses, or sentences) of equal syntactic
importance. In English, the mnemonic acronym FANBOYS can be used
to remember the coordinators for, and, nor, but, or,
yet, and so.[3][4] These are not the only coordinating
conjunctions; various others are used, including[5]:ch. 9[6]:p. 171 "and nor" (British),
"but nor" (British), "or nor" (British),
"neither" ("They don't gamble; neither do they smoke"),
"no more" ("They don't gamble; no more do they smoke"), and
"only" ("I would go, only I don't have time").
Here are some examples of
coordinating conjunctions in English and what they do:
for
presents a reason ("He is gambling with his
health, for he has been smoking far too long.").
and
presents non-contrasting item(s) or idea(s)
("They gamble, and they smoke.").
nor
presents a non-contrasting negative idea ("They
do not gamble nor do they smoke.").
but
presents a contrast or exception ("They gamble,
but they don't smoke.").
or
presents an alternative item or idea ("Every day
they gamble or they smoke.").
yet
presents a contrast or exception ("They gamble,
yet they don't smoke.").
so
presents a consequence ("He gambled well last
night so he smoked a cigar to celebrate.").
Correlative
conjunctions
Correlative conjunctions work in pairs to join
words and groups of words of equal weight in a sentence. There are six
different pairs of correlative conjunctions:
- either...or
- not only...but (also)
- neither...nor (or increasingly neither...or)
- both...and
- whether...or
- just as...so
Examples:
- You either do your work or prepare for a trip to the office.
- Not only is he handsome, but he is also brilliant.
- Neither the basketball team nor the football team is doing well.
- Both the cross country team and the swimming team are doing well.
- Whether you stay or you go, it's your decision.
- Just as many Australians love cricket, so many Canadians love ice hockey.
Subordinating
conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions, also
called subordinators, are conjunctions that conjoin an independent
clause and a dependent clause. The most common subordinating
conjunctions in the English language include after, although, as,
as far as, as if, as long as, as soon as, as
though, because, before, if, in order that, since,
so, so that, than, though, unless, until,
when, whenever, where, where as, wherever,
and while. Complementizers can be considered to be special
subordinating conjunctions that introduce complement clauses (e.g.,
"I wonder whether he'll be late. I hope that he'll be on
time"). Some subordinating conjunctions (until and while),
when used to introduce a phrase instead of a full clause, become prepositions
with identical meanings.
In many verb-final languages, subordinate clauses must precede the main clause on which they depend. The
equivalents to the subordinating conjunctions of non-verb-final languages such
as English are either
- clause-final conjunctions (e.g., in Japanese); or
- suffixes attached to the verb and not separate words[7]
- the form of the verb used is formally nominalised and cannot occur in an independent clause
- the clause-final conjunction or suffix attached to the verb is actually formally a marker of case and is also used on nouns to indicate certain functions. In this sense, the subordinate clauses of these languages have much in common with postpositional phrases.
What is a Conjunction?
You can use a conjunction to link words, phrases, and clauses, as in the following example:
I ate the pizza and the pasta.
Call the movers when you are ready.
Co-ordinating Conjunctions
You use a co-ordinating conjunction ("and," "but," "or," "nor," "for," "so," or "yet") to join individual words, phrases, and independent clauses. Note that you can also use the conjunctions "but" and "for" as prepositions.In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is a co-ordinating conjunction:
Lilacs and violets are usually purple.
In this example, the co-ordinating conjunction "and" links two nouns.
This movie is particularly
interesting to feminist film theorists, for the
screenplay was written by Mae West.
In this example, the co-ordinating conjunction "for" is used to
link two independent clauses.
Daniel's uncle claimed that he
spent most of his youth dancing on rooftops and
swallowing goldfish.
Here the co-ordinating conjunction "and" links two participle
phrases ("dancing on rooftops" and "swallowing
goldfish") which act as adverbs
describing the verb
"spends."Subordinating Conjunctions
A subordinating conjunction introduces a dependent clause and indicates the nature of the relationship among the independent clause(s) and the dependent clause(s).The most common subordinating conjunctions are "after," "although," "as," "because," "before," "how," "if," "once," "since," "than," "that," "though," "till," "until," "when," "where," "whether," and "while."
Each of the highlighted words in the following sentences is a subordinating conjunction:
After
she had learned to drive, Alice felt more independent.
The subordinating conjunction "after" introduces the dependent
clause "After she had learned to drive."
If
the paperwork arrives on time, your cheque will be mailed on Tuesday.
Similarly, the subordinating conjunction "if" introduces the
dependent clause "If the paperwork arrives on time."
Gerald had to begin his thesis
over again when his computer crashed.
The subordinating conjunction "when" introduces the dependent
clause "when his computer crashed."
Midwifery advocates argue that
home births are safer because the
mother and baby are exposed to fewer people and fewer germs.
In this sentence, the dependent clause "because the mother and baby are
exposed to fewer people and fewer germs" is introduced by the
subordinating conjunction "because."Correlative Conjunctions
Correlative conjunctions always appear in pairs -- you use them to link equivalent sentence elements. The most common correlative conjunctions are "both...and," "either...or," "neither...nor,", "not only...but also," "so...as," and "whether...or." (Technically correlative conjunctions consist simply of a co-ordinating conjunction linked to an adjective or adverb.)The highlighted words in the following sentences are correlative conjunctions:
Both
my grandfather and my father
worked in the steel plant.
In this sentence, the correlative conjunction "both...and" is used
to link the two noun
phrases that act as the compound
subject of the sentence: "my grandfather" and "my
father".
Bring either a Jello salad or a potato scallop.
Here the correlative conjunction "either...or" links two noun
phrases: "a Jello salad" and "a potato scallop."
Corinne is trying to decide whether to go to medical school
or to go to law school.
Similarly, the correlative conjunction "whether ... or" links the
two infinitive
phrases "to go to medical school" and "to go to law
school."
The explosion destroyed not only the school but also the neighbouring pub.
In this example the correlative conjunction "not only ... but
also" links the two noun phrases ("the school" and
"neighbouring pub") which act as direct
objects.Note: some words which appear as conjunctions can also appear as prepositions or as adverbs.
1) Which conjunction is used to connect two equal parts of
a sentence?
either until but since after
2)
Which conjunction is
used to connect two unequal parts of a sentence?
so or but if and
3) Which conjunction is used with the correlative neither?
and nor but so or
4) Which conjunction fits best in the sentence: I am hungry xxx I don't want to eat.
but so after before or
5) Which conjunction fits best in the sentence: He will eat xxx he gets home.
or because when and since
6)
Which conjunction fits best in the sentence:
Do you want pizza xxx a hamburger?
than so while as or
7) Which conjunction fits best in the sentence: I would tell you xxx I knew.
and unless if or so
8)
Which conjunction fits best in the sentence: Come xxx get it.
butexplain and when so
9) Which conjunction fits best in the sentence: He ate xxx he was hungry.
if so or although because
10)
How many conjunctions are in the sentence: After Ben and Sid come, we can leave.
0 1 2 3 4
