Grammar: Conjunction

Conjunctions are a hardworking bit of grammar, which enable writers to create much more interesting sentences. The most common conjunction is the coordinating conjunction to which our teachers applied the FANBOYS acronym.

Naturally, grammarians went wild with more categories…

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. . . an evolving list of the structural rules and principles that determines where words are placed in phrases or sentences as well as how the language is spoken. Sometimes I run across an example that helps explain better or another “also known as”. Heck, there’s always a better way to explain it, so if it makes quicker and/or better sense, I would appreciate suggestions and comments from anyone on an area of grammar with which you struggle or on which you can contribute more understanding.

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Conjunction
Definition: Conjunctions have one job, to connect two thoughts or ideas. They join words, phrases, or clauses together to clarify what the writer is saying and provide smooth transitions from one idea to another. Because the purpose of a conjunction is to join, it should not be used at the beginning of a sentence. POST CONTENTS: Two Main Types: Coordinating Conjunction List of Coordinating Conjunctions, a.k.a. FANBOYS Four Functions: Adversative Conjunction Cumulative or Copulative Conjunction Disjunctive or Alternative Conjunction Illative Conjunction Subordinating Conjunction List of Subordinating Conjunctions Causal Conjunction Three Forms: Single Compound Correlative Other Word Classes May Function as Conjunctions: Conjunctive Adverb List of Conjunctive Adverbs Nominal Adverb Verbal Adverb
I particularly like an example Burckmyer provides on how a conjunction connects things: The ship was heavily plated with steel. The ice was 20-feet thick. The bow was reinforced and fitted with an ice cutter. The ship could make no headway. Using conjunctions, the sentences become: The ship was heavily plated with steel, but the ice was 20-feet thick, so, although the bow was reinforced and fitted with an ice cutter, the ship could make no headway. Return to top or post contents
Types of Conjunctions:
Coordinating	Definition (& Function): Joins two parts of a sentence that are equal: words to words (adverbs to adverbs, nouns to nouns, adjectives to adjectives, etc.), phrases to phrases, clauses to clauses, so you can see it does not mean they are two independent clauses. The coordinating conjunction always comes between the two parts they are joining. A.k.a. coordinator, coordinate structure English
Return to top or post contents	Legend: Green indicates the comma and/or coordinating conjunction Word to Word: Cheese and wine go together so well. (noun to noun) Jack and Jill went up the hill. (proper noun to proper noun) Phrase to Phase: That book is either in my backpack or on the shelf to go out. Clause to Clause: I like coffee, but I need a lot of milk and sugar in it. The water was warm, but I didn’t go swimming. I like wearing this helmet, but it doesn’t go with my pumps. The day was cool, but we went on a picnic anyway.
	Punctuation With Coordinating Conjunctions
	Rule: Do NOT use a comma when joining two words/phrases/clauses.
	Legend: Green indicates the conjunction Word to Word: milk and cookies Phrase to Phrase: a pot of tea or a cup of coffee Clause to Clause: You want me to do this because you know I like it.
	Rule: Joining three or more words/phrases/clauses requires a comma between the elements
	Legend: Green indicates the comma and conjunction Word to Word: coffee, tea, or me Phrase to Phrase: Do you want to see The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, or Barefoot in the Park? Clause to Clause: Think about it, think about it some more, and think about it again.
	Rule: Joining two independent clauses requires a comma before the coordinating conjunction (remember that a subordinating conjunction only works with a dependent clause).
	Clause to Clause: Jonas used up all the toilet paper, but he didn’t replace the roll. Suzie stuck gum into Mary’s hair, so she had to go to the beauty parlor to get her hair cut. Legend: Green indicates the comma and conjunction
	List of Coordinating Conjunctions
	and but	for nor	or so	yet either … or neither … nor
	Textbroker.com suggests using the following acronym to remember the most-often-used coordinating conjunctions: FANBOYS – For – And – Nor – But – Or – Yet – So
Adversative Conjunctions	Definition: Expresses contrast between two statements and does not use a comma.
Return to top or post contents	List of Adversative Conjunctions
	but nevertheless still		whereas while yet +++
	Example:
	Legend: Green indicates the conjunction The rope was thin but it was strong. She is poor but she is happy. He is hardworking whereas his brother is quite the reverse.
Cumulative or Copulative Conjunctions	Definition: Adds one statement to another.
Return to top or post contents	List of Cumulative or Copulative Conjunctions
	and as well as		both … and not only … but also
	Example:
	Legend: Green indicates the conjunction Alice wrote the letters and Peter posted them. The cow got up and walked away slowly.
Disjunctive or Alternative Conjunctions	Definition: Presents two alternatives.
Return to top or post contents	List of Disjunctive or Alternative Conjunctions
	else either … or neither … nor neither		nor or otherwise +++
	Example:
	Legend: Green indicates the conjunction She must weep, or she will die. Either he is mad, or he feigns madness. They toil not, neither do they spin. Neither a borrower, nor a lender be.
Illative Conjunctions	Definition: Expresses something inferred from another statement or fact
Return to top or post contents	List of Illative Conjunctions
	for		so
	Example:
	Legend: Green indicates the conjunction Somebody came, for I heard a knock at the door. He must be asleep, for there is no light in his room. He has been working hard, so he will pass.
Subordinating	Definition & Function: Joins a subordinate dependent clause to a main clause. The subordinating conjunction generally appears at the beginning of the subordinate clause (English Club). A.k.a. subordinator
Return to top or post contents	Rule: Use a comma between a dependent clause and an independent clause when the dependent clause is placed first in a sentence.
	Legend: Green indicates the dependent clause Blue indicates the subordinate conjunction Orange indicates the independent clause Although it was cold, I went swimming. Because my car broke down, I had to take the bus. When the movie was over, we went out for pizza.
	Rule: Do NOT separate with a comma when the independent clause is placed first and the dependent clause second.
	I was going to take the class though it wasn’t necessary for my degree. I went swimming although it was cold. I had to take the bus because my car broke down. We went out for pizza when the movie was over. Legend: Green indicates the subordinate dependent clause Blue indicates the subordinate conjunction
	List of Subordinating Conjunctions
	after although as as much as assuming at least because before how if in case lest once since soon supposing than that though ’til unless until when whenever where whereas wherever whether while why as far as * as if * as long as * as long as * as soon as * assuming that * as though * but that * even if * even though * inasmuch as * in case that * in order that * insofar as * in that * no matter how * now that * provided that * rather than * so that * supposing that *
	* Complex conjunction
Causal Conjunction	Definition: Used to connect two related clauses or sentences and to show a cause-and-effect relationship between the two or to explain. A.k.a. cause-and-effect conjunction Source: Cause, Using
Return to top or post contents	Causal conjunctions can be subordinating conjunctions, coordinating conjunctions, or adverbs or adverbials.
	List of Causal Conjunctions
	as a consequence of as a result of because because of consequently due to due to the fact for this reason hence in order to in order that on account of otherwise resulting in seeing that similarly since so thanks to the reason thereby therefore this causes this led to thus whereas which means
	Examples:
	I am about to walk the dog hence my casual clothes and wellingtons. I hurt my arm because I fell off the swing. I finished eating dinner so I was allowed to have ice-cream! The playground was slippery at school because it had snowed on Sunday. She was very tired as a result of working late. As a result of working late, she was very tired.
Forms for Conjunctions:
Single	Definition: Exactly that, just one word. See the list of subordinating conjunctions above for single words, i.e., “after”, “before”, “since”, etc.
Compound	Definition: More than one word and usually ending with as or that. See the list of subordinating conjunctions above for words marked with a single *.
Correlative	Rule: These are required conjunction pairs. Always use them in the order noted here, but also use a parallel construction.
Return to top or post contents	both … and either … or neither … nor not only … but also
	I want either the cheesecake or the chocolate cake. We’ll have both the cheesecake and the chocolate cake. I didn’t know whether you’d want the cheesecake or the chocolate cake, so I got both. Oh, you want neither the cheesecake nor the chocolate cake? No problem. I’ll eat them both – not only the cheesecake but also the chocolate cake. I see you’re in the mood not for desserts but appetizers. I’ll help you with those, too. Legend: Green indicates the conjunction pairs
	Correlatives with Parallel Construction
	YES		NO
	She was not only his wife, but also his second cousin.		She was not only his wife, but also she was his second cousin.
	His brusque attitude not only irritated his secretary, but also his clients.		His brusque attitude not only irritated his secretary but also annoying to his clients. Legend: Green indicates the conjunction pairs Blue indicates the wrongful parallelism
Other Word Classes That May Function as Conjunctions
A.k.a., pseudo-conjunction
Conjunctive Adverb	Definition: Use when connecting ideas to ease the transition between ideas in a sentence or between sentences. They do this by showing comparison, contrast, sequence, cause-effect or other relationships between ideas (K12Reader).
Return to top or post contents	List of Conjunctive Adverbs
	accordingly also anyhow besides consequently conversely finally for example furthermore hence henceforth however immediately in addition indeed in fact instead likewise meanwhile moreover namely nevertheless next nonetheless notwithstanding now otherwise similarly so still subsequently then thereby therefore thus yet
Joins Two Independent Clauses	Rule: Conjunctive adverb acts like a coordinating conjunction BUT requires a semicolon, NOT a comma, to join the clauses
Return to top or post contents	Form: independent clause ; conjunctive adverb , independent clause
	Legend: Green indicates the independent clause Blue indicates the punctuation required and its conjunctive adverb The dark skies and distant thunder dissuaded Clarice from her afternoon run, moreover she had thirty calculus problems to solve for her morning class. Marge’s deep freeze doesn’t hold more than fifty pounds of meats, otherwise she would have picked up more venison. The dog chased down his prey, then to the child’s delight, Rover licked his laughing face.
Introduce, Interrupt, Conclude	Rule: Introduce, interrupts, or concludes a single independent clause. Commas are often needed to separate the conjunctive adverb from the rest of the sentence.
Return to top or post contents	Legend: Green indicates the conjunctive adverb Introduce Instead, he was flirting with the pretty waitress at the coffee house. Interrupt This young man is determined, nevertheless, to take her to dinner one night soon. Conclude He did wash his dusty hands, however.
Weak Breaks, Interruptions	Rule: If the break or interruption is weak, do not use a comma(s). And this is where English is so typical. It’s up to you to decide if your use of the conjunctive adverb is weak or strong. It’s your intention that counts: are you making a point here? Then it’s strong. If the conjunctive adverb is simply bridging two clauses, then it’s weak and does not use a comma.
Return to top or post contents	Legend: Green indicates the weak conjunctive adverb Anna called to say her car would not start. Rafael will therefore have to walk to school. The long noodles splashed tomato sauce all over the front of Brenda’s shirt. Ordering fettuccine was a mistake indeed.
Nominal Conjunction	Definition: Functions as a noun.
Return to top or post contents	Legend: Green indicates the nominal conjunction The moment he comes, I’ll let you know. Every time she says that, I cringe. I’ll call you the instant I get home.
Verbal Conjunction	Definition: Derived from a verb
Return to top or post contents	List of Verbal Conjunctions
	assuming (that) granted (that)
	Legend: Green indicates the verbal conjunction I’ll call you, seeing as you are here.

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Resources for Conjunctions

Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.

Burckmyer, Becky.Awesome Grammar. Franklin Lakes, NJ: Career Press, 2008. Print. 52-58.

“Cause and Effect Conjunctions.” Ashford Primary. n.d. Accessed 29 May 2024. <https://www.ashford-primary.surrey.sch.uk/docs/homelearning_spring2021/Spring1/Year5_1-5Feb/Monday%20Grammar%20-%20Cause%20and%20effect%20conjunctions.pdf>.

“Conjunctions.” English Club. n.d. Web. 18 Dec 2014. <http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/conjunctions.htm>.

“Conjunctions.” Towson.edu. n.d. Web. 19 Dec 2014. <http://www.towson.edu/ows/conjunctions.htm>.

Keira. “Commas and Coordinating Conjunctions (FANBOYS).” Textbroker.com. 30 Apr 2010. Web. 19 Dec 2014. <https://www.textbroker.com/commas-and-coordinating-conjunctions-fanboys>.

“Kinds of Conjunctions.” English Grammar. 12 June 2010. Web. 19 Dec 2014. <http://www.englishgrammar.org/kinds-conjunctions/#tUShmTWQfFmYSCrh.99>.

Parent, Beth. “Correlative Conjunctions.” Your Dictionary.com. n.d. Web. 21 May 2021. <https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/conjunctions/correlative-conjunctions.html>.

Simmons, Robin L. “The Conjunctive Adverb: Recognize a conjunctive adverb when you find one.” Chomp Chomp. n.d. Web. 18 Dec 2014. <http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/conjunctiveadverb.htm>.

“Using Causal Conjunctions.” Almondsbury Primary School. n.d. Accessed 29 May 2024. <https://www.almondsburyprimary.co.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=542&type=pdf#:~:text=Causal%20conjunctions%20are%20used%20to,I%20am%20really%20hungry%20now!>.

Wilson, Paige & Teresa Ferster Glazier. The Least You Should Know About English. Boston: Thomson Learning, 2003. Print. 26.

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Revised as of 29 May 2024
By: Kathy Davie