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Coordinating Conjunctions
WHAT IS A COORDINATING CONJUNCTION?
A coordinating conjunction, also called a coordinate conjunction, is a conjunction that is used to connect words, phrases, clauses, and sentences together. Coordinating conjunctions are very commonly used in all kinds of writing and speech. Here are just some of the parts of speech we can connect using coordinating conjunctions:
- Nouns: Eagles and falcons are birds.
- Verbs: She didn’t know if she should stay or
- Adjectives: The pepper is spicy yet
- Adverbs: He snuck quickly and
- Prepositional phrases: You can get there by air or by sea.
- Noun phrases: Reading books and playing guitar are two of my hobbies.
- Clauses: My sister likes the winter, but I prefer the summer.
LIST OF COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS AND WHAT THEY MEAN
Some of the mostly commonly used words are coordinating conjunctions. Most grammar resources agree that English has seven coordinating conjunctions. A popular pneumonic device used to remember them is FANBOYS:
F A N B O Y S
For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So
- For: We sometimes use for as a conjunction meaning ‘because’. We use it in very formal, and often literary, contexts:
She remained silent, for her heart was heavy and her spirits low.
- And: We use and to join two words, phrases, parts of sentences, or related statements together:
I’ll have bacon and eggs for breakfast.
- Nor: We use nor after a negative statement in order to introduce another negative statement containing a similar kind of information:
I don’t expect children to be rude, nor do I expect to be disobeyed.
- But: We use but to introduce an added statement, usually something that is different from what you have said before:
She’s very hard-working but not very imaginative.
This is not caused by evil, but by simple ignorance.
- Or: We use or to connect two or more possibilities or alternatives. It connects words, phrases and clauses which are the same grammatical type:
Which do you prefer? Leather or suede?
You can have some freshly baked scones or some chocolate cake or both.
- Yet: We use yet to add something that seems surprising because of what you have just said:
Melissa was not doing well in her physics course, yet overall she had a B average.
- So: We sometimes use so as a conjunction meaning ‘for that reason’; ‘therefore’:
My knee started hurting, so I stopped running.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A COORDINATING CONJUNCTION?
1. Coordinating conjunctions, like other conjunctions, are used to connect words, phrases, clauses, and sentences. However, coordinating conjunctions have some important roles that only they can fill.
2. By using coordinating conjunctions, we can form compound sentences. A compound sentence is a sentence formed from two or more independent clauses.
- Gary’s favorite color is red, and Eric’s favorite color is blue.
3. Coordinating conjunctions are often used to form a list or series that has more than two members:
- Jeff, Kelly, and Leo are my friends.
- Should I go left, right, or straight?
PROPER COMMA USAGE WHEN COMBINING CLAUSES
1. If a coordinating conjunction is used to connect two things that aren’t independent clauses, you don’t need a comma. For example,
No commas:
- We love to dance and sing.
- Hand me a purple or blue crayon.
- The soup was hot but delicious.
2. If a coordinating conjunction is used to connect independent clauses, it must follow a comma:
- My dad lives in Texas, and my mom lives in California.
- We could go play outside, or we could play board games in my room.
3. In general, a coordinating conjunction that appears at the end of a list or series with more than three members is preceded by a comma:
- I bought two shirts, two hats, and three pairs of socks.
- Matt couldn’t remember if Nicole’s hair was brown, black, or red.
Sources:
- Cambridge Advanced Dictionary
- Dictionary of Thesaurus
Selected and Edited by: Nasibeh Nouri
Javidan Language Centre
www.rashtielts.ir