What is a Conjunction: A Beginner’s Guide

Ready to explore conjunctions? Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of them before – we’ll start with the basics.

So, what is a conjunction? Simply put, it’s a word that joins together parts of a sentence. Think of it like a glue that helps stick words, phrases, or clauses together to create a complete thought.

For example, “I woke up late” can become “I woke up late because my alarm didn’t go off” with the conjunction “because”. By using conjunction, we can make our sentences longer, more complex, and more interesting. But there’s more to it than just “because.” There are different types of conjunctions that we’ll explore later in this post.

Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, and clauses that are of equal importance. These conjunctions are easy to remember because their first letters spell FANBOYS, which stands for For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, and So.

Here are some examples of how to use them in a sentence:

I love to read books, and I also enjoy watching movies.
I don’t like pizza, nor do I enjoy pasta.
I want to go to the party, but I have to study for my exams.
Would you like tea or coffee?
He didn’t study for the exam, yet he still got an A.
She loves to sing, so she joined the choir.

Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions connect a dependent clause to an independent clause. These conjunctions help to show the relationship between the two clauses.

Here are some examples of subordinating conjunctions:

Although he is tired, he will finish his homework.
If you study hard, you will pass the exam.
Because it was raining, we stayed indoors.

Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions work in pairs to connect words or groups of words of equal importance. They show a relationship between the words and help to clarify the meaning of the sentence.

Here are some examples of correlative conjunctions:

Either you come with me, or I will go alone.
Not only did she finish her project, but she also did extra research.
Whether you like it or not, we have to go to the dentist.
Both my brother and I love to play video games.
Neither the teacher nor the students knew the answer.

Glossary:

Clause: a group of words that contain a subject and a verb
Stick: to be unable to move from a particular position or place

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