Conjunctions

Conjunctions

What they are and how to use them

Conjunctions are linking words like and, or, but, then and because:

They knocked down all the houses and they built a car park.

Are there four or five people living in that house?

My shoes look great but are not very comfortable.

And, but, either … or, etc. (coordinating conjunctions)

Coordinating conjunctions connect items which are the same grammatical type, e.g. words, phrases, clauses. The most common coordinating conjunctions are and, or, but.

Multiple Choice

CONJUNCTIONS connect words and phrases.

• true

• false

One-word conjunctions

Connecting words:

Which do you prefer? Red or blue?

Connecting phrases:

The meal was very expensive and not very nice.

Multiple Choice

What words are being joined by the conjunction in the sentence below?

Travis and Justin are using the class atlas.

• Travis : Justin

• Travis : are using

• Justin : are

• Travis : atlas

Multiple Choice

What words are being joined by the conjunction in the sentence below?

The police officer whistled and signaled for the traffic to stop.

• police : officer

• whistled : signaled

• whistled : traffic

• traffic : stop

Multiple Choice

What words are being joined by the conjunction in the sentence below?

Is the Upper Nile in north or south Egypt?

• Upper Nile : Egypt

• Upper Nile : north

• north : south

• south : Egypt

Multiple Choice

What words are being joined by the conjunction in the sentence below?

Katrina wrote a report and drew a map of the Himalayas.

• Katrina : report

• wrote : drew

• report : map

• Katrina : Himalayas

One-word conjunctions

Connecting clauses:

There are seats outside but some people don’t like sitting outdoors.

Connecting sentences:

My grandmother’s name was Wall. But she became Jenkins when she got married to my grandfather.

Connecting prefixes:

Pro- and anti-government supporters waited outside the parliament.

Two-word conjunctions

Some coordinating conjunctions have two parts: either … or …, neither … nor …, both … and …

Two-word conjunctions

You can drink chocolate milk either hot in the winter or cold in the summer.

Neither Lisa nor Helena had been to Italy before. (Lisa hadn’t been to Italy before and Helena hadn’t been to Italy before.)

Both you and I know what really happened. (You know and I know what happened.)

Warning:

Apart from two-word conjunctions, we only use one conjunction to connect words or phrases:

Because my alarm didn’t go off, I was late for work.

Not: Because my alarm didn’t go off, so I was late for work.

Multiple Choice

Name the conjunction in the sentence below.

The Mississippi River flows southward and increases in width along the way.

• the

• and

• in

• along

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct conjunction to complete the sentence below.

I know the answer, ____ I can't tell you.

• or

• but

• through

• also

After, although, as soon as, etc. (subordinating conjunctions)

Common subordinating conjunctions are: after, (al)though, as, before, if, since, that, until, when, whereas, while, once, so, as soon as, provided that.

When a clause follows these conjunctions, it becomes a subordinate clause, which needs a main clause to make a complete sentence.

One-word conjunctions

After we had talked on the phone, I wrote down what we had decided.

Everyone enjoyed the fishing trip although no one caught any fish!

Before we left at four o’clock, we had something to eat.

Conjunctions with more than one word

Some subordinating conjunctions consist of more than one word: as long as, as soon as, except that, in order that, so as to, provided that:

As long as the waves are high enough, we can go surfing.

Provided that he pays a fine, he will not have to go to jail. (formal)

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct conjunction below to complete the sentence.

Should we go by train _____ take the bus?

• also

• and

• or

• but

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct conjunction to complete the sentence below.

She did not study, _____ she failed the test.

• so

• but

• nor

• yet

Multiple Choice

Name the conjunction in the sentence below.

Did Mr. Zold study wildlife in South Africa or in Zimbabwe?

• did

• in

• or

• Mr.

Multiple Choice

Name the conjunction in the sentence below.

Monkeys have long tails, but apes have none.

• have

• long

• but

• none

Multiple Choice

Name the conjunction in the sentence below.

Do you know some of the differences between apes and monkeys?

• do

• of

• the

• and

Multiple Choice

Which word below is NOT a CONJUNCTION?

• and

• but

• or

• an