A Closer Look at Conjunctions, Part 1

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A Closer Look at Conjunctions, Part 1

Parts of Speech: The Conjunction

Some words are satisfied spending evenings at home completely alone, watching old re-runs on the television and eating ice cream out of the tub. Loners! But some words aren't happy unless they are gleefully out on the town, mixing it up with other words - they're joiners and they can't help themselves.

A conjunction is a joiner - a word that connects (conjoins) parts of a sentence together.

Let's take a look at one type of conjunction - the coordinating conjunction. These are simple and the most common type of conjunctions around.

Coordinating Conjunctions
and	but	or	yet	for	nor	so

These conjunctions are short and easy to remember. One way to remember them is through the acronym FANBOYS - For, and, nor, but, or, yet and so.

When do I use a comma?

Anytime you connect two independent clauses together with a conjunction, you use a comma. For example:

May wants to go to the basketball game after work, but she is feeling quite tired.

The rule of thumb is that you should always use a comma when connecting two clauses. When the two clauses are balance or brief, writers have the option to omit the comma. For example:

Carsten is thirsty and wants some Earl Grey tea.

A comma is also correct when listing items, although many writer opt to omit the final comma preceding the conjunction (especially in newspapers):

I love cooking, sewing, and reading.
I love cooking, sewing and reading.

When you're expressing a contrast, you should use a comma.

Titanic was a great movie, but it was so long!

When can I omit a comma?

Apart from using commas when joining independent clauses - for the most part, these joiners don't need commas.

If the parts of the sentence are dependent on one another (in other words, they can't stand alone as sentences by themselves, you don't need a comma.

Libin and Carsten are best friends.

Carsten is known for his love of peanut butter sandwiches and Earl Grey tea.

It is hard to say whether Wes or Carsten likes sandwiches more.

Can I begin a sentence with and or but?

Many teachers or traditional grammar lessons will tell you that you shouldn't begin a sentence with a conjunction - it is bad form. But many writers do this (like I just did right now!) It can add emphasis. If you're unsure about how strict your teacher will be on this, you can perhaps try to avoid it.

"There is a persistent belief that it is improper to begin a sentence with And, but this prohibition has been cheerfully ignored by standard authors from Anglo-Saxon times onwards. An initial And is a useful aid to writers as the narrative continues."

from The New Fowler's Modern English Usage
edited by R.W. Burchfield. Clarendon Press: Oxford, England. 1996.
Used with the permission of Oxford University Press.

Let's take a look at the different types of coordinating conjunctions. These explanations are by no means the definitive guide to their meanings. I'm sure there are plenty more ways in which you can use these words, but hopefully this will give you a good idea of which word you should use in a given circumstance.

AND

1. To suggest one idea is chronologically sequential to another:

"Carsten toasted his bread and spread some peanut butter on it."

2. To suggest that one idea is the result of another:

"Wes dropped his cellphone and had to buy a new one.

BUT
1. Used for contrast:

"Carrie is a very pretty girl, but she always has a scowl on her face."

2. Used to identify an exception: "Everyone but Lucy wants to go to this restaurant."

1. To suggest that only one possible idea can be realized:

"You can study hard for this exam or you can fail."

2. To suggest alternatives:

"You can have the soup with chicken, pork or beef."

3. To suggest a restatement or "correction" of the first part of the sentence:

"This car should be in good condition, or so the used car salesman tells us."

NOR

The conjunction "nor" is not often used, so it might feel a bit odd when using this in writing or speaking. It is usually associated with more formal writing. It's often used with its partner neither:

He is neither book smart nor street smart.

YET
The word "yet" can also serve as an adverb:

"He has yet to win the cricket tournament."

You will notice that "yet" is used to modify the verb "to win". However, when using "yet" as a conjunction, it carries a function similar to "nevertheless" or "but" :

"Justin hates his math class, yet he goes to class everyday and is in the top of his class."

Yet is also sometimes combined with "but" or "and" - "Justin hates his math class, but yet he goes to class everyday and is in the top of his class." This usage is also acceptable.

"So" is a really tricky conjunction. Sometimes you can use it to connect two clauses together, but sometimes you cannot. Usually in that instance, you will have to resort to a semicolon rather than a comma.

1. When you intend the word so to mean therefore, a comma will do:
"Amy wants to do well on her essay, so she is going to do some research first."

2. When you intend so to mean something like as well or in addition, a semicolon is necessary:

"Amy is not the only spoiled kid in her family; so are her brothers and sisters, Tom, Michael and Becky."

3. It can also be used as a device to transition from a previous sentence or to sum up thing. You should use a comma here.

"So, after much debate, I've decided to go to the concert tonight."

Thanks for learning about coordinating conjunctions. To learn about subordinate conjunctions, visit A Closer Look at Conjunctions, Part 2.