“Conjunction, junction, what’s your function?”

• Conjunctions come in 2 types:

  • (1) Coordinating conjunctions

  • (2) Subordinating conjunctions
     

• "COORDINATING":

  • co-worker, co-captain, co-habitate, co-sign

  • The prefix “co-” means EQUAL.

  • Thus, “coordinating conjunctions” join equal words, phrases, or clauses.

  • WORDS:

    • That shirt is repulsive and outdated.

    • (2 adjectives)

  • PHRASES:  

    • In the beginning of time and before the fall of mankind, the earth was a pretty cool place to live.

    • (2 prepositional phrase groups)

  • CLAUSES:

    • Geoffrey went to the grocery store nearest the dorms, and he bought macaroni and cheese, Ramon noodles, and Strohman’s bread.

    • (2 independent clauses)

EXCEPTION:  Coordinating conjunctions (especially "and" and "but") do NOT start sentences.  Instead, use proper transitional expressions, such as:  for "AND":   additionally, moreover, furthermore  for "BUT":   however, on the other hand, on the contrary

 

AND

BUT

YET

OR

NOR

FOR

SO

• HOW TO REMEMBER THESE 7:

  • (1) “FAN BOYS”

    • for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

  • (2)  the most common: and

    • the 2 that end in “t”: but, yet

    • the 3 that rhyme:  or, nor, for

    • and so

PLEASE NOTE:  "FOR"

MEANING: means "because" is an archaic use of the word is not frequently used in speech EXAMPLE: I failed the test, for I did not study. I failed the test because I did not study. PREPOSITION: The word “for” can also be a preposition, depending on its usage in a particular sentence EXAMPLES: I went to the store, for I was out of bread. coordinating conjunction:  joins 2 independent clauses I went to the store for bread.  preposition: followed by its object

 

• "SUBORDINATING":

  • submarine, subvert, submerge, substitute

• The prefix "sub-" means "under" or "secondary."

  • Thus, “subordinating conjunctions” join clauses to a sentence that are

  • secondary to the main meaning

  • “under” or “below” the main meaning

  • These clauses usually relate to TIME (when, why, condition).

  • Therefore, subordinate clauses are ADVERBIAL in nature (“when?”)

• Some subordinating conjunctions also appear on the list of PREPOSITIONS;

  • prepositions typically refer to place and

  • subordinating conjunctions to time.

• Subordinate clauses are always FRAGMENTS

  • (dependent clauses)

  • and must be joined to independent clauses

• Introductory subordinating clauses (appear at the start of sentences) always have COMMAS after them.

  • Because it was raining very hard, I brought my golf umbrella.

  • Here, the main clause and the main point is I brought my golf umbrella.

  • Why? Because it was raining very hard

  • This latter dependent clause is bonus information not necessarily required for the sentence to make sense, and it is secondary to ("under") the sentence's main point.

  • Also, rather than writing 2 separate sentences

    • (It was raining very hard. AND I brought my golf umbrella.)

    • which would create a choppy rhythm to your composition

    • you combined your ideas through SUBORDINATION

    • into a single complex sentence.

• While the occasional usage of a short sentence can prove effective when creating emphasis, the reliance upon short, unrelated sentences produces a choppiness that not only sounds childish but also disrupts the coherence of your essay.

  • Use COORDINATION and SUBORDINATION

    • to resolve a short, choppy writing style

    • more importantly, to show relationships between ideas and sentences

      • I was hungry.

      • I went to the grocery store.

      • I bought milk, bread, and cheese.

        • Here, we have short, disconnected sentences with a staccato rhythm.

  • Below, we can combine these 3 sentences through subordination and/or coordination, thereby showing relationships between ideas and creating a smooth pace for the essay.

    • Because I was hungry, I went to the store and bought milk, bread, and cheese.

      • OR

    • I was hungry, so I went to store and bought milk, bread, and cheese.

      • OR

    • Feeling hungry, I went to the store, and I bought milk, bread, and cheese.

      • (using a participial phrase and coordination)