• Words: Mary and Jerry.
• Phrases: over the fence and through the bush.
• Clauses: I planted a tree and watched it grow.
The definition of conjunction also broadens to idiomatic phrases that act as a component with similar purpose e.g. “as well as.” Even though conjunctions are usually referred to as joining or rather gluing words, readers should take note that a joining word may not necessarily come between the words or phrases they are connecting.
There are three different types of conjunctions namely;
• Coordinating conjunctions
• Subordinating conjunctions
• Correlative conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions:
Also known as coordinators, of all the three types of conjunctions, this the most ordinary one and frequently used the type of conjunction. The principal purpose of coordinating conjunctions is to link phrases, words and clauses together.
The words clauses and phrases joined by coordinating conjunctions should be grammatically equal. This type of conjunction is usually placed between the words or group of words they link.
There is a common misconception that if a conjunction appears on the begging or the end of a sentence, it is probably not a coordinating conjunction.
For, and, nor, but, or, yet and so are the major coordinating conjunctions. It is important to know on which context these coordinating conjunctions should be used. The following illustrations will explain in detail the usage of these conjunctions.
For- it portrays an underlying principle or basis. E.g. they don’t pray or worship for they are atheists.
And- it presents items or ideas which are non-contrasting. E.g. they worship and pray.
Nor- it shows similar negative initiatives. E.g. she does not hate nor does she insult.
But- it portrays an exception. E.g. He likes drinking but not alcohol.
Or- it presents an optional item or idea. E.g. you can choose to sleep or watch television.
Yet- it illustrates an exception. E.g. she is good, yet she was left out of the team.
So- it presents a result or consequence. E.g. he scored a spectacular goal, so he celebrated it with his teammates.
It is important for readers to take note that contrary to the common belief, in a certain context, conjunction “and” and “but” can be used at the beginning of a sentence. However, it is vital to ask yourself the following two questions before using these conjunctions at the beginning of a sentence.
I. Would the sentence or even paragraph have the same purpose without the preceding conjunction?
II. Should the sentence begin with either of the two conjunctions be linked to the initial sentence?
If the opening conjunction still appears suitable, then it is safe to use it.
Subordinating conjunctions:
They are also known as subordinators. This type of conjunctions usually links a clause which is independent with a dependent clause.
Subordinating conjunctions are also used to introduce adverb clauses. Clauses are often converted into a block of words that rely on the other part of the sentence for its meaning when the subordinating conjunction is used.
In English language, the main subordinating clauses include; while whereas, whenever, wherever, where, when, unless, than, until, though, so that, since, in order that, every time, after, as far as, as if, as soon as, before, even if, even though, how, once, because and as if.
The following sentences illustrate how these subordinating conjunctions can be used in sentences.
• Because of you, I knew how to make my money.
• If you leave her now, she will go to sleep
• When I am ready, I will let you know
• You will need a jacket since it is cold outside
• You can never get rich until you know how to save money.
Subordinating conjunctions unlike coordinating conjunctions can be placed either at be beginning or in the middle of the sentence depending on the context being used.
Readers should consider the following special circumstances concerning the use of a subordinating conjunction.
1) The case of “like” and “as.”
“Like” is not and should not be used as a conjunction since it is a preposition. It is grammatically incorrect to introduce a clause with the word “like.” e.g.
• Like I said before, the teacher is absent.
• It looks like it’s going to rain this morning.
The above sentences are not grammatically correct because the word like is being used to introduce a clause. To correct the sentences, words such as “as”, “as though” and “as if” should be used to introduce the clauses. The above sentences are correct when to put this way:
• As I said before, the teacher is absent.
• It looks as if it is going to rain this morning.
Like is best utilized in situations which show similarities;
• This course is like the one I did last year.
Nevertheless, when outlining items that have similarities, it is suitable to use “such as” rather than “like” e.g.; it is not grammatically correct to say;
• Travelers have several options like swimming, hiking, surfing and boat riding while touring the island.
The sentence should be put as;
• Travelers have several options such as swimming, hiking, surfing and boat riding while touring the island.
2) Omitting “That.”
Conjunction “that” is often used as a subordinate conjunction to link a subordinate clause to a verb that comes before it. When used in this manner, “that” is at times known as “expletive that.”
Sometimes, it is important to leave out this word but in some cases, the sentence may lose its meaning and sound grammatically wrong if the conjunction “that” is left out. e.g., the following sentence is correct whether conjunction “that” is included or not.
• Mary knew [that] she will be late.
However, in the sentence below, omitting conjunction” that” destroys the flow of the sentence.
• The problem is [that] he will not be available tomorrow.
The flow of the sentence, in this case, can be recovered by introduction of a comma in the place of conjunction “that,” e.g.
• The problem is, he will not be available tomorrow.
According to Theodore Bernstein, conjunction “that” should only be retained if the following three conditions apply.
I. When an element of time intercedes between the doing word and the clause: “she said last week that production will be increased.”
II. When the doing word of the clause is long adjourned: “our weekly report showed that the profits registered in the last two days were higher than expected.”
III. If a second that can clearly state who did or said what: “the teacher said that Tom was active and that his performance will improve.”
3) Commencing a sentence with “because.”
It is grammatically correct to begin a sentence with subordinate conjunction “because.” However, readers should be careful when using this conjunction at the beginning of a sentence since the sentence can end up as a fragment if the clause containing the conjunction is not being followed by an independent clause.
E.g. it will be wrong to say;
• Because he came home late.
The clause should be followed by an independent clause for it to make sense. e.g.
• Because he came home late, he found the doors locked.
Correlative conjunctions:
This type of conjunctions usually comes in pairs and is used to link together sentence elements which are similar.
Standard correlative conjunctions in the English language include; so… as, both… and, neither… nor, either…or, whether… or, as…as and not only… but also. Examples of correlative conjunction in sentences are illustrated below.
• A tiger is as fast as a cheetah
• Both my cousin and my sister are dancers.
• It is hard to decide whether to take a motorbike or a bus to school.
“Both/and” is used to link two nouns or subjects.
Example;
· Mary liked both the shoe and the dress (objects)
· Both Mary and tom are good students (subjects)
“As/as” contracts nouns using an adverb or an adjective
Example;
· My mother is as tall as my father
“Not only/but also” links naming words or the entire clauses.
Example;
· Not only will I come to your birthday, but I’ll also bring you presents.
Readers should be careful when using correlative expressions so as to avoid faulty parallelism.
Correlative expressions such a: not only, but also; both, and; either, or; not, but; and others like first, second and third should be tagged along by similar grammatical construction. Faulty parallelism resulting from violation of this rule can always be corrected by reorganizing the sentence.
Example; it is grammatically incorrect to say; “it was both a fun sermon and very educative.” The correct version of the sentence should be; “the sermon was both fun and educative.”
When showing comparisons, the terms to be compared should be phrased in parallel form whenever that is suitable and possible. Example; instead of saying “my car is faster than my brother.” It is grammatically correct to put it as; “my car is faster than my brother’s.”