Who likes boring sentences? Well, that’s a silly question but it has a very certain answer! If you just said, “not me!” then we’re off to a great start. A conjunction is just what we need to turn a boring sentence into an intriguing one. Let’s just say, we have several ideas to convey in one context. Like, “I like ice cream. I like pasta. I like pizza.”
That repetition, doesn’t look good, does it? In comes a connecting word, and changes the sentence into am interesting one. “I like ice cream, pasta, and pizza.” There, that’s better, isn’t it?
Conjunction
1. What is a conjunction?
Words that connect, join, or link words, sentences, phrases, or clauses are conjunctions. For example,
“Kevin is so exhausted, yet, he continues to work.” In this sentence, the word “yet” is the connecting
word.
2. Are there different types of conjunctions?
Yes, there are three types of conjunctions. They are,
a) Coordinating conjunctions
b) Subordinate conjunctions
c) Correlative conjunctions
3. What is a coordinating conjunction?
When the connecting word is such that it connects two phrases that are grammatically equal, it is a
coordinating conjunction. There are 7 words that fall in this category of the types of this part of speech. It is very easy to remember these words since they form an abbreviation called FANBOYS.
We can expand the above abbreviation as for, and, nor, by, or, yet, and so. All of these words are so
common that we can remember the idea of coordinating conjunctions. Let us understand how we can place them in a sentence with the help of an example. “I was annoyed, still I kept quiet.”
Observe how the conjunction is right after the comma that joins two sentences of equal rank. If we split the two sentences in the example we get- “I was annoyed. I kept quiet.”
4. What is subordinate conjunction?
When a connecting word combines a dependent clause with an independent clause it is a subordinating conjunction. Of the common subordinating words are after, because, if, that, though, although, till, when, unless, while, and where.
For example, “you will pass if you work hard.” In this sentence, the dependent clause is “you work hard” because clearly it has no meaning until we join it with the independent clause which is “you will pass.”
To represent time, condition, comparison, Purpose, cause, reason, and consequence are all the various ways to use a subordinating conjunction. It is for this reason that it is very common for people to confuse conjunctions and prepositions.
5. How to understand the difference between a preposition and conjunction?
Like we mentioned above, it is very easy to get confused between a preposition and conjunction since the usage is somewhat similar. In such scenarios, it is important that one takes a look at the entire sentence to recognize which part of speech it is. We will take a look at an example to understand this difference.
“Stay till Monday.” Now in this sentence, the word still is a preposition. Rather we can call it the
preposition of time.
“We shall stay here till you return.” On the contrary, in this sentence, the word till is conjunction. When you want to find the difference between these two parts of speech you need to see if you are able to split the sentence into two. Let us try splitting the second example, “we shall stay here” is the independent clause of the sentence, Whereas, “you return” is the dependent clause in the sentence. It clearly indicates that the word still is a subordinating conjunction.
With constant practice, it becomes simpler to identify the difference between the two. The simplest trick to be able to do so is by splitting the sentence and figuring out the purpose of its use. Basically, the word should be connecting two parts in the sentence to be conjunction which is not what a preposition does.
Click here to read our previous lesson on Prepositions.
6. What is correlating conjunction?
When two people belong to one family we call them relatives. Correlating conjunctions are somewhat similar. They are pair words that have to be used together in one sentence. Either or, neither nor, not only but also, etc. are some such pairs. Clearly, they correlate with one another.
For example, “Neither have I finished my English homework, nor have I finished my geography project.” The example sentence displays how the correlating words join two sentences to make them one. Although, the requirement remains that they need to be used as a pair.
Conclusion
Conjunctions are by far one of the simplest topics of elementary grammar. They are easy to remember, easy to use, and easy to identify. if you found this lesson helpful and easy to understand why don’t you let us know in the comments section below? Stay updated and subscribe to vocabulary today for daily word updates.
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