Conjunction Rules

Conjunctions can be described as a term or a group of terms that are used to join a plural number of words, phrases, sentences, or clauses. Conjunctions are often known as joining words. To avoid generic grammatical mistakes while writing a paper or an exam,it is essential to learn about the proper use of conjunctions.

Uses of Conjunction

Now we will learn and go through the uses of conjunctions. The use of conjunctions is explained below with the help of a few easy and practical examples.

Maya will visit her parents, and then she will go to her grandparents’ house.

While reading the sentence, we get to know the presence of the word “and” in the sentence that creates a better flow and makes the sentence easier to comprehend. The presence of conjunction has joined two sentences together and prevented repetition. Instead of writing “Maya will visit her parents. She will go to her grandparents’ house.”, the use of “and” to join both these sentences has made the sentence easier to comprehend.

You can either be tense or relaxed, but you can’t be both at the same time.

In this sentence, the use “either, or, but” has made the sentence easier to read. Just like the use of “and”, in the sentence mentioned above, facilitated a better flow of words and made comprehension easier, the use of “either, or, but” has made it easier for the readers to understand the sentence better. Therefore, instead of splitting information into many sentences, the use of conjunctions makes it easier for the sentence to make sense.

Types of Conjunctions

Let us now read about the types of conjunctions in grammar.

1. Correlative conjunctions words.
2. Subordinating conjunction words.
3. Coordinating conjunction words.
4. Conjunctive adverbs.

Correlative conjunctions words

• The correlative conjunction words are used in pairs in a sentence to join two similar or dissimilar grammatical units
• The examples of correlative conjunctions are ‘either, or’, ‘neither, nor’, ‘whether, or’, etc

Subordinating conjunction words

• Subordinating conjunction words are used in connecting an independent clause to a dependent clause
• The examples of subordinating conjunction words are after, when, which, who, while, though, or before, etc

Coordinating conjunction words

• The coordinating conjunctions are used to join two words or two or more independent clauses
• Sometimes, we use a comma to join two independent clauses using a coordinating conjunction
• The examples of coordinating conjunctions are nor, for, but, yet, or, etc

Compound conjunction words

• The compound conjunction words include the phrases that are utilised as conjunctions
• The examples of compound conjunctions include provided that, as soon as, as well as, in order that, so that, such that, etc

Conjunction rules and examples:

Let us now go through some conjunction rules and examples:

1. The words ‘though’ and ‘although’ have a comma or yet after it.
2. The word ‘lest’ is used in negative contexts; it should not be used with never or not.
3. The subordinating conjunctions should be used to indicate a relative clause.
4. In a sentence, ‘none’ is used to refer to something more than two. ‘Neither’ is used to refer to any of the two. ‘Either’ is used in case of one of the two.
5. The usage of the connectors ‘not only… but also’ depend on the subject.
6. The word ‘between’ is used to indicate two people, thing or objects, whereas ‘among’ indicates more than two people, thing or object.
7. The words ‘so, as’ and ‘as, as’ are used to denote a comparison between peoples, things, or objects.
8. The words “and, as well as” are used to highlight the link between two distinct things.

Conclusion

Conjunctions are connecting words that are used to link two or more words together in a sentence. The types of conjunctions are – correlative conjunctions words, subordinating conjunction words, coordinating conjunction words. One should be careful in using proper conjunction to make a sentence concise.