CONJUNCTIONS &

SENTENCE CONNECTORS
A conjunction is a word that joins words and
clauses.

Examples:

 I like papaya and watermelon.

 The girl is honest but the boy is dishonest.

In the above sentences, the highlighted words are

conjunctions.
 Kinds of Conjunctions

Coordinating Conjunctions
Subordinating Conjunctions

Correlative Conjunctions
 Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating Conjunctions join clauses of equal rank.

They are for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so.
Examples:
Jack and Jill are good friends.
I will go shopping or I will go camping.
I was feeling hungry so I made a sandwich.
I called him but he didn’t come.
The sauce was sweet yet it had a spicy flavour.
I go to the library for, I love to read.
I couldn’t go to the store, nor could he.
You can remember these conjunctions using
the acronym FANBOYS.
 USES OF COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
(FANBOYS)
1. For - It explains reason or purpose (just like ‘because’).
Eg. He’s overweight, for he eats too many cakes and biscuits.

2. And – It adds/connects one thing to another.

Eg. The girl bought an ice-cream and lemonade.

3. Nor – It is used to show a negative idea to an already stated negative idea

(two negative ideas).
Eg. I neither love nor hate watching TV.

4. But – It shows contrast (dissimilarity).

Eg. John likes movies, but not the scary ones.

5. Or – It presents an alternative or a choice.

Eg. Would you rather read a book or watch a good TV show?
6. Yet (still)– It introduces a contrasting idea that
follows the previous idea (similar to ‘but’).
Eg. I always take a book to the park, yet I never seem to turn
a single page.
7. So (therefore)- It indicates effect, result or
consequence (outcome).
Eg. It started to rain so I put up my umbrella.
 Some more coordinating conjunctions:

 Otherwise, else : Study hard otherwise (or else) you will fail.
 Whereas, while : Good people love others whereas (while)
bad people hate others.
 Nevertheless : You use nevertheless when saying something
that contrasts with what has just been said. Eg: Many
marriages fail. Nevertheless, people continue to get married.
 Subordinating Conjunctions

A conjunction that joins together two clauses of

unequal rank or order is called a subordinating
conjunction.
Examples: after, because, although, since, when
etc.
 Classification of Subordinating Conjunction
Subordinating Conjunctions that tell time:

 After : He arrived after everybody had gone home.

 Before : Before she left, she gave everyone a present.
 As soon as : I'll give him the message as soon as I see him.
 Since : I've been very busy since I started my new job.
 When : Steven was very unhappy when things weren’t
going well for him.
 While : You can go swimming while I'm having lunch.
 Subordinating Conjunctions that tell cause
or reason:

• Because: Susie didn’t attend the party because she was

not invited.

• Since: Let’s discuss the problem now, since you’re here.

• As: I went to bed at 9 pm as I had a plane to catch at 6 am.

 Subordinating Conjunctions that tell condition:

 If : If anyone calls, tell them I'm not at home.

 Unless : I'm not going to the party unless you come too.
 Until : You're not watching TV until you finish your
dinner.
 As long as : The car will keep running as long as you take
good care of it.
 Provided : I agree to these conditions provided you agree
to mine.
 Subordinating Conjunctions that show contrast:

 Although : Although it rained a lot, we've still enjoyed

our holiday.
 Though : Though it was rainy, we put on our jackets and
went for a walk.
 Even though : I enjoyed the holiday even though it
rained a lot.

Please note: Although and though can be used

interchangeably. ‘Even though’ is slightly stronger than
although.
Subordinating Conjunction that shows purpose :
 So that: I will go to France so that I can learn French.

Correlative Conjunctions
Correlative conjunctions are more similar to
coordinating conjunctions than to
subordinating conjunctions because the
sentence fragments they connect are usually
equal. These conjunctions are used in pair.
 Some common Correlative Conjunctions:
• Both / and : She is both intelligent and beautiful.
• Either / or : I will either go for a hike or stay home and watch TV.
• Neither / nor : Jerry is neither rich nor famous.
• Not only / but also : He is not only intelligent, but also very
funny.
• No sooner / than : No sooner did the bell ring than the boys left
the class.
• So / that : He was so exhausted that he couldn’t even walk.
• Scarcely / when : He had scarcely recovered from flu when he
caught jaundice.
• Though / yet : Though he was poor yet he was honest.