What is a Conjunction?

Two and two make four.

Bring me fries or sandwich.

Our house is small, but our hearts are huge.

Here, all the above sentences are joined together with conjunctions (the underlined words). A conjunction is a word which joins together two or more words or sometimes two sentences, phrases or clauses.

what are clauses?

Conjunctions make the sentences look powerful with fewer words, while at the same time it makes the sentence look simple, making it easy for readers to interpret and understand. It makes the sentence compact with effective words.

For instance,

Riya and Rihaan love drawing.

Here, ‘and’ serves as a joiner for two sentences which instead can be said as,

Riya loves drawing and Rihaan loves drawing.

So,

The man is rich, but a miser – is a contracted way of saying

The man is rich, but he is a miser.

Consider the following examples for better understanding.

For words: day and night

For phrases: She must weep, or she will die.

For clauses: God made the universe and man discovered the continent.

Conjunctions merely join, they do not do any other work.

Types of Conjunctions:

Find the three types of conjunctions which are defined and explained with the examples to get the better understanding mentioned below.

Coordinating Conjunctions

When two statements are joined of equal rank then they are called as Coordinating Conjunctions. The sentence containing two independent statements when joined together based on equal importance, then they are coordinating conjunctions.

The chief coordinating conjunctions are:

For, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

(A quick tip: They are easy to memorize if you take the first letter from each which makes it FANBOYS.)

For instance:

He is slow, but he is sure.

I was annoyed, yet I kept quiet.

As you sow, so shall you reap.

Neither a borrower, nor a lender be.

Either he is crazy, or he feigns craziness.

Subordinating Conjunctions

When the sentence contains two statements or clauses one of which is dependent on the other, then it is called as subordinating conjunction. A Subordinating Conjunction joins a clause to another on which it depends for its complete meaning.

The chief subordinating conjunctions are:

After, because, if, that, till, before, while, where, when, as, unless, although, though.

For instance:

You will succeed if you work smart.

He eloped because he was afraid.

Answer the first question before you proceed further.

As he was not there, I spoke to his mother.

Tell them I will come.

Correlative Conjunctions

Conjunctions which are used in pairs are called as Correlative Conjunctions. These conjunctions connect two similar sentences or clauses which are alike in length and grammatical diagram.

For instance:

Either take it or leave it.

I do not care whether you leave or you stay.

Not only is he irrational but also adamant.

It is neither useful nor ornamental.

He not only visited Paris but also London.

Conjunction Usage:

There are a few basic rules for the usage of conjunctions for your writing or speaking skills to flow smoothly and to help it sound effective to the readers and listeners.

Conjunctions are used in jotting down lists.

For example:

We bought eggs, pancakes, chocolates, and soya milk for the picnic.

Conjunctions are used for joining and connecting thoughts, sentences, phrases and clauses to make effective sentences.

For example:

She went to grocery shopping and bought few daily items.

Make the sentences which agree when you use conjunctions.

For example:

I ate hurriedly yet found it delicious.

Conjunction List:

Find below some commonly used conjunctions-

And	As	Because	But
For	Just as	Or	Neither
Nor	Not only	So	Whether
Yet	If	Than	Else

Examples of Conjunction:

I have been in such a pickle since I last saw you.

We eat so that we may live.

He is stronger than Ali.

Sia will go if Preeti goes.

He may enter, as he is a friend.

Walk quickly, else you will not overtake him.

Make hay while the sun shines.

Catch me if you can.

He is richer than I am.

I will not see her, though she comes.

Look before you leap.

We shall stay here till you return.

I hear that your brother is in the US.

Conjunctions are an essential part of speech. They help you improve the flow of the sentence all the while making it crisp and short. The use of conjunctions essentially combines two or more related sentences into one and helps in efficiently putting a statement, limiting the usage of words.

However, sticking to the correct usage of conjunctions is necessary for effective sentences and proper English communication. A wrongly placed conjunction between two sentences would alter the entire meaning of the sentence making it undecipherable.

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