Conjunction (grammar)
| In grammar, a conjunction is a part of speech that connects words, phrases, or clauses that are called the conjuncts of the conjunctions. That definition may overlap with that of other parts of speech, and so what constitutes a "conjunction" must be defined for each language. In English, a given word may have several senses, and be either a preposition or a conjunction depending on the syntax of the sentence. For example, after is a preposition in "he left after the fight" but is a conjunction in "he left after they fought". In general, a conjunction is an invariable (non-inflected) grammatical particle that may or may not stand between the items conjoined. | |
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| wikipedia:: Conjunction (grammar) |
and, or but
Relativizer
Syndeton
Coordinating
FANBOYS can be used to remember the most commonly used coordinators: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. These are not the only coordinating conjunctions; various others are used, including: "and nor" (British), "but nor" (British), "neither" ("They don't gamble, neither do they smoke"), "no more" ("They don't gamble, no more do they smoke"), and "only" ("I would go, only I don't have time"). Types of coordinating conjunctions include cumulative conjunctions, adversative conjunctions, alternative conjunctions, and illative conjunctions.
- For – an illative (i.e. inferential), presents rationale ("They do not gamble or smoke, for they are ascetics.")
- And – a cumulative, adds non-contrasting items or ideas ("They gamble, and they smoke.")
- Nor – presents an alternative non-contrasting (also negative) idea ("They do not gamble, nor do they smoke.")
- But – an adversative, presents a contrast or exception ("They gamble, but they don't smoke.")
- Or – presents an alternative non-contrasting item or idea ("Every day they gamble, or they smoke.")
- Yet – an adversative, presents a strong contrast or exception ("They gamble, yet they don't smoke.")
- So – an illative (i.e. inferential), presents a consequence ("He gambled well last night, so he smoked a cigar to celebrate.")
Correlative
Correlative conjunctions work in pairs to join words and groups of words of equal weight in a sentence. There are many different pairs of correlative conjunctions:
- either...or
- not only...but (also)
- neither...nor
- both...and
- whether...or
- just as...so
- the...the
- as...as
- as much...as
- no sooner...than
- rather...than
- not...but rather
Subordinating
Subordinating conjunctions, also called subordinators, are conjunctions that join an independent clause and a dependent clause, and also introduce adverb clauses. The most common subordinating conjunctions in the English language include after, although, as, as far as, as if, as long as, as soon as, as though, because, before, even if, even though, every time, if, in order that, since, so, so that, than, that, though, unless, until, when, whenever, where, whereas, wherever, and while
Conjunctions of time
| Conjunction | Example |
|---|---|
| after | We'll do that after you do this. |
| as long as | That's fine as long as you agree to our conditions. |
| as soon as | We'll get to that as soon as we finish this. |
| by the time | He had left by the time you arrived. |
| long before | We'll be gone long before you arrive. |
| now that | We can get going now that they have left. |
| once | We'll have less to worry about once the boss leaves. |
| since | We haven't been able to upload our work since the network went down. |
| till | Please hold on till the server reboots. |
| until | We are waiting until you send us the confirmation. |
| when | They can do what they want when they want. |
| whenever | There is a good chance of rain whenever there are clouds in the sky. |
| while | I really appreciate you waiting while I finish up. |