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."
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."
Conjunction:
Conjunction is a word that connects or joins clauses,
words and phrases together in a sentence. They are used to coordinate words in
a sentence.
For example:
When people first learn to write, they usually begin
with short, basic sentences like these: “My name is Ted. I am a boy. I like
dogs.” One of the most important job conjunctions do is to connect these short
sentences so they sound more like this: “I am a boy named Ted, and I like
dogs.”
Some other examples are given
below:
1.
Peter and paul are good friends.
2.
I ran fast, but came second.
3.
He failed in the exam because he
didn't prepare well.
Exercises:
Pick out the conjunctions in the following:
1.
The boy is honest though he is poor.
2.
We should not talk while the
teacher is lecturing.
3.
My mother knows that I will get
first mark
4.
As
the head of the department
entered the class, thestudents stood up.
5.
He is taller than me.
Choose the correct conjunction to complete each sentence.
1.
My brother loves animals. He just brought a puppy a kitten to
home with him.
a) But b)Or c)Yet d)And
2.
I want to go for a hike I
have to go to work today. a)But b)Yet c)Or d)For
3.
I’d like to thank you the lovely gift. a)Or b)For c)And d)Yet
4.
Types of Conjunction:
# Coordinating
conjunction # Subordinating conjunction # Correlative conjunction.
Coordinating conjunction:
A
coordinating conjunction connects
words, phrases, and clauses of equal importance. The main coordinating
conjunctions are and, or, and but.
Eg:
1.
They bought apples, pears, and oranges.
2.
You
can wait either on the steps or
in the car.
3.
The paintings are pleasant but bland.
4.
I try very hard in school, yet I
am not receiving good grades
5.
You
can eat your cake with a
spoon or fork.
Exercises:
Complete each sentence using
the correct coordinating conjunction:
1.
My car has a radio a CD player. (but, or, and)
2.
Sharon hates to listen to rap music,
will she tolerate heavy metal. (but, nor, or)
3. Carol wanted to drive to Colorado, Bill insisted that they fly. (and, or, but)
4.
I’m afraid of heights, I appreciate the view from the top of this building. (and, yet, nor)
5.
I
have to be on time, my
boss will be annoyed if I’m late. (and, nor,
for)
6. Do you like chocolate vanilla ice cream better? (or, nor, and)
7.
I have to go to work at six,
I’m waking up at four. (but, so, yet)
8.
I was on time, everyone else was late. (so, but, for)
9.
Nadia doesn’t like to drive, she
takes the bus everywhere. (but, yet, so)
10.
Our trip to the museum was interesting, there were several new artifacts on display.
(but, for, yet)
Subordinating conjunction:
A subordinate conjunction performs two functions within
a sentence. First, it illustrates the importance of the independent clause. Second, it provides a transition
between two ideas in the same sentence. The transition always indicates a
place, time,
or cause and effect relationship.
For example:
1.
We looked in the metal canister,
where Ginger often hides her candy.
2.
She waited until they were seated.
3.
It had been quiet since
the children left.
4.
Sara begins to sneeze whenever she
opens the window to get a breath of fresh
air.
5.
When the doorbell rang, my dog
Skeeter barked loudly
Exercises:
Choose the best answer to complete
each sentence.
1. the basement flooded, we spent all day cleaning up. a)After b)Although c)Before d)Even if
2) I don’t
want to go to the movies I
hate the smell of popcorn. a)Although b)Because c)Whenever d)So that
3.
I paid Larry, garden design work is top-notch. a)Whenever b)Whose c)After d)If
4.
spring
arrives, we have to be prepared for more snow.
a)Because b)Until c)Although d)Now that
5.
the alarm goes off, I hit the snooze
button. a)As soon as b)Because c)Before d)Now that
Complete
each sentence using the subordinating conjunction:
1.
you win first place, you will receive a
prize. (wherever, if, unless)
2.
You
won’t pass the test you
study. (when, if, unless)
3.
I could not get a seat, I
came early. (as, though, when)
4.
Pay attention to your work
you will not make mistakes. (so that,
unless, or)
5.
The musicians
delivered a rousing performance
they had rehearsed often. (though, as, once)
Correlative conjunction:
These
conjunctions correlate, working in pairs to join phrases or words that carry
equal importance within a sentence.
The
most common pairs are either ... or, both ... and, neither ... nor, and not
only ... but (also).
Examples:
1.
She is both intelligent and beautiful.
2.
I will either go for a hike or stay
home and watch TV.
3.
Jerry is neither rich nor famous.
4.
He is not only intelligent, but
also very funny.
5.
Would you rather go shopping or spend the day at the beach?
Exercises:
Complete each
sentence using the correct correlative conjunction pair from the parenthesis:
a)
I plan to take my vacation
in
June in July. (whether / or, either
/ or, as / if)
b)
I’m feeling happy sad, I try to keep a positive attitude. (either / or, whether / or, when / I’m)
c)
had
I taken my shoes off I
found out we had to leave again. (no sooner / than, rather / than, whether /
or)
d)
only is
dark chocolate delicious, it can be healthy. (whether
/ or, not / but, just as / so)
e)
I have salad
for dinner, I can have
ice cream for dessert. (if /then, when / than, whether / or)
f)
flowers
trees grow during warm weather. (not only / or, both / and, not / but)
g)
do
we enjoy summer vacation, we enjoy winter break. (whether / or, not only / but also, either / or)
h)
Calculus is easy difficult (not / but, both / and,
either / or)
i)
It’s going to rain
snow tonight. (as / if, either
/ or, as / as)
j)
Savoryflavors are sweet
sour. (often / and, neither / nor, both / and)
