Conjunctions

Conjunctions

A conjunction is a linking word such as and, or, but. Conjunctions are used to connect words or sentences. A conjunction may link two or more than two words or sentences. Conjunctions connect words or groups of words and show how the words are related. There are three kinds of conjunctions.: coordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions, and subordinating conjunctions. 

1. Coordinating conjunctions link similar words or word groups. There are seven coordinating conjunctions:

• both . . .and
• either . . . or
• neither . . . nor
• not only . . . but 
• also whether . . . or

Use this mnemonic to help you remember the seven coordinating conjunctions:

FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

2. Correlative conjunctions also link similar words or word groups, but they are always used in pairs. Here are the correlative conjunctions:

• both . . .and
• either . . . or
• neither . . . nor 
• not only . . . but also 
• whether . . . or

3. Subordinating conjunctions link an independent clause (complete sentence) to a dependent

clause (fragment). Here are the most often used subordinating conjunctions:

after	although	as		as if
as	long	as		as soon as
before	even though	in order that		if
since	so that	though		till
unless	until	when		whenever
where	wherever	as though
because

Examples:

Maggie could play the piano before she was five.
I always brush my teeth after I’ve had my breakfast.
You have grown taller since I saw you last.
Look both ways before you cross the street.
Joe listened to music while he was doing his homework.
Miss Lee was smiling as she walked into the class.
Wait here until I come back.
Don’t leave until you’ve finished your work.
Tran saw an accident while he was walking home.
Take all your belongings with you when you leave the plane.
Joe first met his wife when he was studying in London.
Tom and Joe have been friends since childhood.
After he began exercising regularly, Jerry became healthier.
The animal is large but timid.
It’s cold, wet and windy today.
Is this a sheep or a goat?
a cat and its kittens
a builder and his tools
a doctor and a nurse
slow but steady
sweet or sour?
a male or a female?
A horse, a zebra or a donkey?
Paul has a dog, a parrot and a cat.

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