22 Apr What Is a Conjunction? Definition, Types, & Examples.

What Is a Conjunction?

A conjunction is a word used to
join words, dependent or independent clauses, or phrases. Three of the most
common ones include and, but, and or. A conjunction is one
of the eight parts of speech in the English language.

 

Examples:

 

·        
Mario and
Beverly went to the movies.

·        
Elissa was going to go, but she had too much homework.

·        
“Do you want popcorn or nachos?” he asked.

·        
She didn’t bring her umbrella because she didn’t know it was going to
rain.

·        
I’m not going if Craig isn’t going.

 

Types of Conjunctions

 

There are four types of
conjunctions:

 

·        
Coordinating

·        
Subordinating

·        
Correlative

·        
Compound

 

Coordinating Conjunctions

 

Coordinating conjunctions are
words that connect two equal sections of a sentence together. For example, they
can link two adjectives, two nouns, two independent clauses, or two phrases. There
are seven coordinating conjunctions, which can be easily remembered by the
acronym FANBOYS.

 

F – for

A – and

N – nor

B – but

O – or

Y – yet

S – so

 

Examples:

 

·        
Rhody was tired, so she took a nap.

·        
Cuba bought her a new bike and a new helmet.

·        
Manuel seemed excited yet scared at the same time.

Coordinating Conjunction Rules

 

The primary rule to keep in mind
when using coordinating conjunctions involves comma usage. When a coordinating
conjunction connects two independent clauses, a comma must be placed before the
conjunction. For example, Kelly likes seafood, but Jamar hates it.
If the coordinating conjunction connects two words or phrases, a comma is not
necessary and would not be correct. For example, Jeffrey has a dog and a cat.

 

To determine if a comma is needed
before a coordinating conjunction, ask if there is a subject and a predicate on
either side of it. In the first example above, “Kelly” and “likes seafood”
appear before the conjunction. “Kelly” is the subject, and “likes seafood” is
the predicate. On the other side of the conjunction is “Jamar” as the second
subject and “hates it” as the second predicate. Since a subject and predicate
appears before and after the conjunction, a comma is required.

 

In the second example, there is a
subject (Jeffrey) and predicate (has a dog) before the conjunction. There is a
noun (cat) after the conjunction, but there is no verb. Therefore, there is no
subject performing an action, and so there is no need for a comma before the
conjunction.

 

Subordinating Conjunctions

 

Subordinating conjunctions connect
dependent clauses with independent clauses. There are dozens of subordinating
conjunctions, including because, if, and once.

 

Examples:

 

·        
The chocolate will melt if you leave it in the car.

·        
Chris will return his video games as soon as he sees he’s passing all his
classes.

·        
I didn’t like asparagus until I was an adult.

 

Correlative Conjunctions

 

Correlative conjunctions are
similar to coordinating conjunctions in that they join two equal parts of a
sentence. However, the difference is that correlative conjunctions always
involve a pair of words that work in tandem. This pair is always separated by
the other words in the sentence.

 

Examples:

 

·        
Tomas can either
have ice cream or cupcakes for
dessert.

·        
Miranda is both
extroverted and shy.

·        
Brock not
only ran the fastest but also
walked the fastest.

 

Compound Conjunctions

 

Compound conjunctions are similar
to correlative conjunctions in that they involve more than one word. However,
the difference is that compound conjunctions do not involve a pair of words
separated by other words. Instead, they involve two or more together that connect to the rest of the
sentence.

 

Examples:

 

·        
Ivan plays disc golf as well as tennis.

·        
Irma will refund his money as soon as he returns the package.

·        
Chelsea said her friends could stay for as long as they wanted.

 

List of Common Conjunctions

 

The following is a list of some of
the most common conjunctions. Keep in mind that some words can belong to more
than one part of speech, depending on they are used in a sentence.

 

Afterwards Actually Also And Another As soon as Because But Finally

First Further However In addition to In conclusion In spite of Meanwhile Moreover Nevertheless

Nor Second So Soon Still To begin with Too While Yet