Understanding Conjunctions: A Guide to Word Classes in English

In English, words are categorized into nine word classes based on their role in a sentence. These include nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, pronouns, determiners, conjunctions, and interjections. In this article, we will focus specifically on conjunctions.

Conjunctions serve the purpose of connecting two words, clauses, or phrases within a sentence. They play a crucial role in forming complex sentences by combining simple ones. For example, the sentences "I sing," "I play the piano," and "I don't play the guitar" can be linked with conjunctions such as "and" and "but" to create a longer sentence, such as "I sing and play the piano, but I don't play the guitar."

The English language has a vast variety of conjunctions. To test your knowledge, try filling in the blank in the following sentence: "He is my brother __ I love him." Some possible conjunctions that can fit in this blank are "and" (He is my brother and I love him), "so" (He is my brother, so I love him), and "therefore" (He is my brother; therefore, I love him).

Conjunctions fall into three categories in English grammar: coordinating, subordinating, and correlative.

• Coordinating Conjunctions: These join two parts of a sentence with equal significance. They are easily recognizable and the most commonly used type of conjunctions. Some examples are "for," "and," "nor," "but," "or," "yet," and "so." They can be remembered using the acronym FANBOYS.
• Subordinating Conjunctions: These join two parts of a sentence with unequal significance, where one clause/phrase relies on the other. Typically, this involves an independent and a dependent clause. Subordinating conjunctions include "unless," "until," "although," "whereas," "since," and "because."
• Correlative Conjunctions: These are two conjunctions that work together in a sentence. They are also referred to as "paired conjunctions." Examples of correlative conjunctions are "either/or," "neither/nor," "not only/but also," and "both/and."

Parents or teachers may have advised against starting a sentence with "because" or "but." However, beginning a sentence with a conjunction can add emphasis and is not grammatically incorrect. For instance, "Because it was Christmas, Emma put carrots out for the reindeer." Placing "because" at the beginning of the sentence highlights the fact that it was Christmas and makes the sentence more interesting than starting with the alternative, "Emma put carrots out for the reindeer because it was Christmas."

Recap: What are Conjunctions?

• Conjunctions connect two words, clauses, or phrases in a sentence.
• They help in creating complex sentences.
• There are three types of conjunctions: coordinating, subordinating, and correlative.
• Coordinating conjunctions join two parts of a sentence with equal significance.
• Subordinating conjunctions join two parts of a sentence with unequal significance, where one clause/phrase relies on the other.
• Correlative conjunctions are two conjunctions that work together in a sentence.

Examples of Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions join two parts of a sentence with equal significance. Here are a few examples:

• "I like dogs" and "I like cats" can be combined with "and" to form "I like dogs and cats."
• "She drives a car" and "She rides a bike" can be linked with "or" to form "She drives a car or rides a bike."
• "He is tall" and "He is handsome" can be connected with "but" to form "He is tall but handsome."

Examples of Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions join two parts of a sentence with unequal significance. Some examples include:

• "Peter didn't leave the house" and "There was a tiger in his front garden" can be joined with "due to" to form "Peter didn't leave the house due to the tiger in his front garden."
• "We can go home" and "I finish my work" can be linked with "until" to form "We can go home until I finish my work."
• "She is allergic to peanuts" and "She always carries an EpiPen" can be connected with "since" to form "She always carries an EpiPen since she is allergic to peanuts."

Differences between Coordinating and Subordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating and subordinating conjunctions are two types of connectors used in sentences to join different clauses or phrases together. However, they have distinct functions in terms of linking sentence elements.

• Coordinating conjunctions, such as "and" and "but", connect two independent clauses that have equal importance. For example, "I don't like cake" and "It is not chocolate fudge cake" can be combined as "I don't like cake, unless it is chocolate fudge cake."
• On the other hand, subordinating conjunctions, like "because" and "unless", connect an independent clause with a dependent clause/phrase that has less importance. For instance, "He is excited" can be linked with "He gets good grades" using "because" to form "He is excited because he gets good grades."

In summary, coordinating conjunctions create a balance between two main clauses, while subordinating conjunctions establish a hierarchical relationship between an independent and dependent clause/phrase. Understanding the function of each type of conjunction is crucial in constructing clear and cohesive sentences.