Conjunctions are words that are used to connect things.  They are used to connect 2 or more nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs as well as independent clauses, adjective clauses,  adverb clauses, noun clauses, prepositional phrases,  infinitive phrases, and gerund phrases.  

The most common conjunctions are and, but, or and so.  We’ll look at these four first.  The more advanced conjunctions are  for, yet and nor, which we’ll look at later.

Let’s start with and, the most common conjunction, to see how it connects things.  Sometimes both can be used with and but only with 2 single words such as nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.

And connects:

2 independent clauses:

She likes living in her own apartment, and she enjoys the freedom.
Note:  There’s a comma between the 2 clauses when there’s a subject (she) after and.
However, if there’s no subject after and, then there’s no comma.
She likes living in her own apartment and enjoys the freedom.

2 or more nouns:

John and his sister both have red hair.
He plays basketball, soccer, hockey and tennis.
(Note:  There’s a comma ( , ) after each noun, but there’s no comma before and.)

2 or more verbs:

She eats and talks at the same time.
All he does is watch TV, play video games and sleep.

2 or more adjectives:

She is both hardworking and creative.
He’s tall, thin and fast.

2 or more adverbs:

She works quickly and efficiently.
He went into battle boldly, swiftly and forcefully.

2 or more adjective clauses:

She is a girl whose parents are rich and whose trust fund is large.
He only buys things that are unique and have value.

2 adverb clauses:

They brush their teeth after they eat breakfast and before they go to bed.
When I’m lonely and thinking about home, I phone my parents.

2 noun clauses:

What she said and what I heard were two different things.
He planned where they were going and what they would do.

2 or more prepositional phrases:

They’re giving away free samples in the mall and on the street.
He looked under the bed, in the closet and on top of the dresser.

2 infinitive phrases:

To understand the lecture and to take good notes, she had to concentrate.
To stay up all night and study for the test, he had to drink several energy drinks.

2 gerund phrases:

Two of my favorite activities are staying up late and watching old movies.
Playing in all the games and scoring the most points was the highlight of her year.

You can even connect 2 things that aren’t alike:

He did the job discretely and with finesse.
The man was strong and in a bad mood.

But connects things that are opposite or that don’t usually go together.  When the second thing is negative, put but not.

But connects:

2 independent clauses:

I’m going to Chicago, but I don’t know anybody there.
She likes acting but also wants to direct.
(Note:  no comma before but because the subject she has been dropped in the second independent clause.)

2 nouns:

They like the beach but not the water.
She knows a lot about literature but not poetry.

2 verbs:

I swim but don’t dive.
She‘s here but doesn’t want to talk to you.

2 adjectives:

He’s strong but not athletic.
The food was cold but delicious.

2 adverbs:

They did the job quickly but well.
She worked slowly but surely.

2 adjective clauses:

He’s a man who has lots of acquaintances but who has no real friends.
She’s a person whose salary is high but whose work is easy.

2 adverb clauses:

Robert stayed home not because he felt a little sick but because he had a test.
She came down to the kitchen before she brushed her teeth but not before she put on her makeup.

2 noun clauses:

She told him what she had planned but not how she was going to do it.
He told me why he was leaving but not where he was going.

2 prepositional phrases:

We checked in all the classrooms but not in the library.
We work from Monday to Thursday but not on Friday or the weekend.

2 infinitive phrases:

He went outside not to get some fresh air, but to have a cigarette.
I’m studying English not primarily to get into university but to be able to speak to my friends.

2 gerund phrases:

Going to bed early but not falling asleep has been his problem for years.
We like having parties but not cleaning up afterwards.

2 different things:

I write but not very well.
I swim but only in swimming pools.

Or connects choices or possibilities.  It is often used with either, whether, or if, which are put before the first choice or possibility.

Or connects:

2 independent clauses:

I want ice cream for dessert, or maybe I’ll have some pie.
She is either going to tell the truth, or she’ll continue to lie.

2 nouns:

His friend is either a teacher or a social worker.  I forget.
Roses or carnations would be an appropriate gift.

2 verbs:

Whether she passes or fails is her choice.
I couldn’t tell if he was joking or being serious.

2 adjectives:

She can’t decide whether she’s angry or amused.
They’re either stupid or naive.

2 adverbs:

He picked the numbers skillfully or, as my brother says, luckily.
She writes beautifully or terribly, depending on how she feels.

2 adjective clauses:

That’s the city either where he was born or where he went to school.  I forget.
That’s the sort of news that either makes you very hopeful or that makes you sad.

2 adverb clauses:

I lost my wallet either when I was in his office or when I was in the cab coming home.
He got the job either because he was the best qualified or because he was related to the boss.

2 noun clauses:

What he said or what he meant to say is that he’s sorry.
Where she lives or who she sees is none of your business.

2 prepositional phrases:

I left the keys either on the mantle or on the hall table.
We can drive on the road or off the road in this truck.

2 infinitive phrases:

Did you take this job to get rich or to help other people?
To be patient or to be proactive is the choice you now have.

2 gerund phrases:

Their options were doing nothing or trying to solve the problem.
Going out for dinner or making dinner at home are our choices.

2 different things:

She is lying either for a good reason or because she’s afraid.
He doesn’t read for the information or to be entertained.

So connects a reason and a result. 

So only connects:

2 independent clauses:

The weather report is for rain, so we’ll have to cancel the picnic.
Everyone arrived before 8:00, so the meeting started on time.

(The first clause is the reason and the second clause is the result.  You can also join these clauses with because.)

We’ll have to cancel the picnic because the weather report is for rain.
The meeting started on time because everyone arrived before 8:00.

Here is an exercise for these 4 conjunctions:

Now, let’s look at the last 3 conjunctions:  for, yet and nor.  They are more advanced connectors and not as often used as the first 4.

For connects results and reasons.  It is used just like ‘because’, but it always has a comma before it.  It is always used in the middle of the sentence, not at the beginning.

For only connects:

2 independent clauses:

I stayed away, for I was told that I wasn’t welcome.
He brought her flowers, for it was their anniversary that day.
[The first clause is the result; the second clause is the reason.]

You can also say:

He brought her flowers because it was their anniversary that day.
Because it was their anniversary that day, he brought her flowers.

BUT never start a sentence with for.

Yet connects things that are opposite or that don’t usually go together.  It is used just like ‘but‘, and can connect many things.  Just like but, yet is sometimes used with not (yet not, yet he didn’t…)  However, don’t confuse yet not with not yet, which means not at this time but later. 

Yet connects:

2 independent clauses:

We’ve been working all morning, yet we’re no closer to being done. 
She comes to class everyday yet doesn’t do well on the tests.
[Note:  no comma before yet because the subject she has been dropped in the second independent clause.]

2 verbs:

He studies yet continues to get poor marks.
They went to bed, yet they didn’t fall asleep for yours.

2 adjectives:

We’re tired yet anxious to finish this project.
The sofa was modern yet comfortable.

2 adverbs:

He works quickly yet carefully.
They seem excited yet afraid to get started.

2 adjective clauses:

It’s the kind of present that looks expensive yet that doesn’t cost too much.
That’s the city where I lived, yet not where I went to school.

2 adverb clauses:

He kissed her when he got home yet not when she left in the morning.
He could watch TV after he came home yet not until he had finished his homework.

2 noun clauses:

What she said yet not what she meant was the topic of conversation.
He could eat what he wanted yet not when he wanted to.

2 prepositional phrases:

There was fire damage on the ceiling yet not on the walls.
He put the date on the calendar yet not in his smart phone where he usually puts such things.

2 infinitive phrases:

To work all day yet to accomplish very little was frustrating.
They were allowed to speak to him yet not to look directly at him.

2 gerund phrases: 

Studying for hours yet not passing the mid-term made him frustrated.
She prefers going to bed late yet getting up early the next day.

2 different things:

He likes drinking his coffee black yet with plenty of sugar.
She was in a good mood yet not ready to listen to him.

Nor connects things that are negative.  It is often used with neither.  With two independent clauses nor requires the following verb to be inverted, just like a question.  Also, nor is not followed by other negative words like not or never.  With single words, nouns, verbs, etc., nor must be used with neither, which goes before the first of the two things connected.

Nor connects:

2 independent clauses:

I don’t like spaghetti, nor do I like lasagna.
[I don’t like spaghetti, and I don’t like lasagna.]
Note: do I like is the inverted and positive form of I (don’t) like.

She doesn’t waste her money, nor does she waste her time.
[She doesn’t waste money, and she doesn’t waste time.]
Note: does she waste is the inverted and positive form of she (doesn’t) wait.

2 nouns:

Neither John nor his brother knew about the wedding.
He chose neither the Toyota nor the Nissan.

2 verbs:

She neither smokes nor drinks alcohol.
We neither need nor want your assistance.

2 adjectives:

They’re neither rich nor poor.
I’m neither angry nor disappointed that you dropped out of school.

2  adverbs:

He fixed the sink neither quickly nor correctly.
She studied neither hard nor long for the final exam.

Note:  2 adjective clauses cannot be connected with nor.

2 adverb clauses:

She doesn’t hug him when he leaves nor when he gets home.
He doesn’t brush his teeth after he eats nor before he goes to bed.

2 noun clauses:

He wouldn’t tell us what she said nor where she went.
She didn’t know where she was nor what time it was.

2 prepositional phrases:

His backpack wasn’t by the front door nor on the front porch.
She didn’t play sports in the fall nor in the winter.

2 infinitive phrases:

We didn’t want to get you too excited nor to frighten you.
Management didn’t want a gym for their own use nor for the use of the staff.

2 gerund phrases: 

She doesn’t like writing letters nor sending emails.
Neither apologizing to her nor sending her flowers had any effect.

2 different things:

She wouldn’t tell me her phone number nor where she lived.
His essay was neither well written nor in the correct format.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot