Parts of Speech: Conjuctions

A conjunction is a word that directly connects two or more words or phrases. There are three main types of conjunctions: Coordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions, and subordinating conjunctions.

Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions connect words or phrases that are grammatically alike. There are seven coordinating conjunctions in English: and, for, or, so, yet, nor and but.

Nouns and pronouns can be connected with coordinating conjunctions. For example:

The dog and I walked to the park.

In this sentence, the conjunction and is connecting two similar parts of speech, a noun and pronoun.

Verbs can be connected with coordinating conjunctions. For example:

You slipped yet continued on the ice.

In this sentence, the conjunction yet is connecting two verbs.

Adverbs and adjectives can also be connected with coordinating conjunctions. For example:

I walked quickly yet carefully on the slick and wet ice.

In this sentence, the conjunction yet connects the adverbs quickly and carefully, and the conjunction and connects the adjectives slick and wet.

Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions are similar to coordinating conjunctions because they connect words that are grammatically alike, but they are always used in pairs. For example:

I eat both fruits and vegetables.

In this sentence, “both” and “and” are conjunctions. Because they’re used together, they’re coordinating conjunctions.

Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions connect two complete ideas. One idea is said to be dependent upon the other. For example:

She is a good writer because she has read many books.

In this sentence, because acts as a subordinating conjunction. It connects the main idea, she is a good writer, to the dependent idea, she has read many books. The conjunction does not always have to come in the middle of the sentence. It can also come at the beginning. For example:

Because she has read many books, she is a good writer.

Notice that the dependent clause is separated from the main clause with a comma.

A common grammatical error occurs when a subordinating conjunction is used without both a dependent and independent clause. For example

Because I am a good reader.

This is not a true sentence. There is no independent clause in this sentence which makes it a fragment.

Conjunctive Adverb

In some cases, an adverb can be both an adverb and a conjunction. For example:

I broke my arm; consequently, I could not play baseball.

In this sentence, consequently acts as not only an adverb, but a conjunction as well. It connects the beginning clause, I broke my arm, with the ending clause, I could not play baseball. A conjunctive adverb will always be proceeded by a period or semicolon, and be followed by a comma.