Conjunctions

Conjunctions connect words,phrases and clauses. Conjunctions may be classified as 

(a) Co-ordinating conjunctions

 

 (b) Co-relative conjunctions and

 

 (c) Subordinating conjunctions.

 

(a)    Co -ordinating conjunctions

 

Sit and Leela are sisters ( Noun and Noun)

 

He works efficiently and intelligently (adverb and adverb)

 

The garland is made of white and red roses. ( adjective and adjective )

 

Those who can speak Tamil and belong to SC/ST will be considered. ( clause and clause )

 

Co-ordinating conjunctions are - and ,or,for,but,still,yet,so,otherwise,nor,neither,as well as

 

b) Correlative conjunctions

 

neither-nor,both….and, either…or, not only…but also,no sooner….than, so….as, so…

 

that,such…..that,though yet

 

The term means conjunctions which are related to each other. Correlative conjunctions occur in pairs. 

They are also called phrase conjunctions.

Eg. He is neither intelligent nor industrious.

c) Subordinating conjunctions

These join the subordinate clause and the main clause in sentences.

A subordinating conjunction may introduce

 

1. a noun clause

 

Eg.He told me that he had passed.

 

2. an adverbial clause.

 

I saw him when I went to Mumbai.

Subordinating conjunctions include

When,whenever,while,as,before,as,before,after,since,till,until,as soon 

 

as,wherever,if,unless,whether,though,that,so that,in order that,;est,so…that, such…that

1.Both and And

 

It is a correlative conjunction. It is used to introduce the first of the two alternatives followed by ‘and’

Eg:

Gandhiji is a politician.

 

Gandhiji is a writer.

 

In the above two sentences the the part  ‘Gandhiji is’  is a repetition . The use of conjunctions eliminate 

 

such repetitions. In this case the second repetition is removed and the conjunction ' Both...and ' is 

 

inserted in between the two different noun phrases ( 'a politician' and 'a writer' ) to get

Gandhiji is both a politician and a writer.

Ans - Gandhiji is both a politician and a writer.

 

 

2.Either….or

 

It is correlative conjunction. It is used to introduce the first of the two alternatives followed by ‘or’ 

 

Eg: 

 

 I will go to his house or I will remain here.

 

I will either go to his house or remain here.

 

1.You can use the ball pen. You can use the ink pen.

 

You can use either the ball pen or the ink pen.

2. You can go to the laboratory. You can go to the library.

You can go either to the laboratory or to the library.

 

3.Neither….nor

 

It is a correlative conjunction used to connect two negative statements.

 

1.I didn’t see Jose. I didn’t see Karim.

 

I saw neither Jose nor Karim.

 

2.The food in the hostel is not very good. It is not very bad.

 

 

The food in the hostel is neither very good nor very bad.

4. Not only….but also

Kalidasa was poet. He was also a dramatist.

 

Ans : - Kalidasa was not only a poet but also a dramatist.

 

 

5. As well as

Raju is hungry. He is thirsty too.

 

Raju is thirsty as well as hungry.

 

(Here thirsty is put first to give prominence)

 

 

6.As if ; as though

 

 

As if (as though) is used to say how someone or something looks/feels/sounds.

 

1.He speaks convincingly. It seems he knows everything.

 

 

He speaks as if (as though) he knows everything.

 

 

7.So…….that ( So…..that not)

 

1.He is very weak. He can’t walk.

 

He is so weak that he can’t walk.

 

2. He is very clever. He can understand everything.

 

He is so clever that he can understand everything.

 

8. As soon as

 

It is used to mean at once,quickly,suddenly,immediately etc…

 

1.I finished my work. Immediately I went out for walk.

 

As soon as I finished my work I went out for a walk.

 

2. The bus arrived. At once the passengers rushed to get into it.

 

As soon as the bus arrived the passengers rushed to get into it.

 

9.No sooner…….than

 

Hardly…when/before

 

Scarcely……when/before

These three expressions are used to suggest that one thing happened very soon after another.

 

1.The train arrived at the station. At once the passengers rushed to get into the compartment.

 

No sooner did the train arrive at the station than the passengers rushed to get into the compartment.

 

Note : No sooner is a negative adverb. All the negative adverbs should be followed by an 

 

auxiliary verb. So ‘arrived’ is split into two ( did + arrive)

 

2.The children saw the policeman. Soon they ran away.

 

Hardly did the children see the policeman before they ran away.

 

Or

 

Scarcely did the children see the policeman before they ran away.

 

 

10.However

It meant no matter how

 

1. He runs fast. But he never gets tired.

 

    However fast he runs he never gets tired.

 

 Note: Please note that ‘however’ is followed immediately by an adverb or adjective.

 

11. Although

1.He is intelligent. He does not work hard.

 

Although he is intelligent he does not work hard.

 

1.He is very healthy. He cannot walk fast.

 

Although he is very healthy he cannot walk fast.

 

12. Too….to

1.It is very hot. I can’t go out.

It is too hot to go out.

2.He is very fat. He cannot walk fast.

 

 He is too fat to walk fast.

13. Unless 

 

(Unless means  If not . Hence all the rules applicable to conditional clauses (If clauses) will apply to

 

Unless also)

1. Work hard. Otherwise you will fail.

 

    Unless you work hard, you will fail.

 

2. Go away otherwise, I will call the guard.

   Unless you go away, I will call the guard.

14.In spite of

1.His vision is poor. Still he reads books.

 

In spite of his poor vision, he reads books.

2. He is very rich. But he is not happy.

 

In spite of his richness, he is not happy.

15. So that

1.He borrowed some money. He wanted to buy a car.

 

   He borrowed some money so that he could buy a car.

 

2.Raju closed the door. He wanted to be alone.

 

   Raju closed the door so that he could be alone.

16. Had better       (Had better + Imperative verb )

 

1. It is better for you to take an umbrella.

 

Steps

 

 First turn the sentence into a command 

 

 Take an umbrella. (Imperative)

 

Then put  'Subject + had better ' in front of the imperative sentence

 

 

   You had better take an umbrella.

 

2. I would advise you to buy the ticket now.

 

Command - Buy the ticket now

 

   You had better buy the ticket now.

 

3. I think you should lock the door.

 

   You had better lock the door.

17. Enough

 

1. You are clever. You understand perfectly

 

You are clever enough to understand perfectly.

 

2. The fruit is ripe. We can pick it.

 

The fruit is ripe enough to pick it.

 

3. He is strong. He can bend this iron bar.

 

He is strong enough to bend this iron bar.

 

4. Mohan has money. He can buy a car.

 

Mohan has enough money to buy a car.

 

5. We have chairs. We can seat all the guests.

 

We have enough chairs to seat all the guests.

 

6. The Indian team played well. They could defeat the German team.

 

The Indian team played well enough to defeat the German team.

The rule is that Enough is put before nouns      eg He has enough money. (money is noun ) and  it is put after adjectives and adverbs      eg. He is rich enough  (rich is adjective)

Table list of Conjunctions

Coordinating Conjunctions

for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

Correlative Conjunctions

both/and, either/or, neither/nor, not only/but, whether/or

Some Subordinating Conjunctions

after, although, as, as if, as long as, as much as, as soon as, as though, because, before, by the time, even if, even though, if, in order that, in case, in the event that, lest , now that, once, only, only if, provided that, since, so, supposing, that, than, though, till, unless, until, when, whenever, where, whereas, wherever, whether or not, while.

Examples

 

Coordinating Conjunctions

List of Conjunctions
Coordinating Conjunction Words	Sentences – Conjunction Examples
For	He needs to find a job, for he is unemployed.
And	Maria loves both ice cream and pizza.
Nor	Neither Tuesday nor Wednesday is good for the party.
But	She scored good marks but she is not satisfied.
Or	Which fruit do you like: mango or apple?
Yet	She dances well yet she hesitates to take part in the competition.
So	He is unwell so he will not come with us to the movie.

Subordinating Conjunctions

 

Subordinating Conjunction Words	Sentences – Conjunction Examples
After	She went to the parlour after lunch.
Although	Although the sun was shining it wasn’t warm.
As	She can do her hairstyle as she wants.
As if	He behaved as if he has lost it.
As long as	The dog would be cooperative as long as you fed him.
As much as	He likes football as much as he likes cricket.
As soon as	As soon as I get the details I will send the mail.
As though	The virus is spreading as though it will end the world.
Because	He did the task because he felt it was his duty.
Before	The baby sleeps before the massage.
Even	He has never even heard the name of the city Ohio.
Even if	Even if you perform your best, you won’t be appreciated.
Even though	She doesn’t want to give up even though she knows it won’t better the relation.
If	They will party in the garden if the weather is good.
If only	She will feel better, if only she sees her son for a moment.
If then	If it rains then we will be stuck in traffic.
In order that	She will leave the party early in order that I get a cab.
Just as	It began to rain just as we got home.
Lest	He spent whole days in his room, wearing headphones lest he disturbs anyone.
Now	Boston is now a big city while earlier it was a small town.
Now since	Let’s discuss the issue now since the manager is right here.
Now that	Now that everything is under control, the lock down can be lifted.
Once	Once I pick you up from school we can go to the restaurant.
Provided	He will behave properly provided you be polite to him.
Provided that	I will go to the party provided that she comes.
Rather than	Better, ignore her questions rather than lie.
Since	its a long time since they met.
So that	He joined foreign language classes so that he could learn French.
Supposing	He was bluffed into believing his competitors were not prepared.
Than	The old man lived more than a 100 years.
That	The yellow building you are seeing there, that is my house.
Though	Though they were whispering, their voices echoed in the hall.
Till	She waited at the coffee shop till 11 pm.
Unless	He will not buy you a scooter unless you score good marks.
Until	You will not get a driving license until you turn 18.
When	When is your mother coming from Canada?
Whenever	Please share the details of your friend, whenever you get time.
Where	Where is the bakery store?
Where is	If Ram is with this girl, where is his wife?
Whereas	The north has a hot climate whereas the south is cold.
Wherever	Eat healthy meals wherever possible.
Whether	She seemed undecided about whether to stay or go.
Which	Which is your favourite colour?
While	He did my task while I was away from the office.
Who	Do you know the person who is standing near the bookstore?
Whoever	Whoever wins will get a cash prize.
Why	Why do people throw garbage on the street

 

Correlative Conjunctions

 

Correlative Conjunction Words	Sentences – Conjunction Examples
As / As	His scorecard was not as bad as I thought.
Both / and	Both the teams and their coaches worked hard.
Either/or	Either eat the cake right now or it will be finished.
Hardly / when	Hardly had he reached the stop when the bus started.
Neither / nor	Neither the children nor their parents attended the function.
No sooner / than	No sooner had the teacher entered the classroom than the students kept quiet.
Not only / but also	Not only should you mug up for exams but also understand the basic concepts.
Whether / or	She was confused about whether to wear pink or yellow for her engagement.
The More / The more	The more he flattered his boss the more incentives he got.
So/ as	Her poetry wasn’t so boring as he had thought.
Such / that	She is such a beautiful actress that everyone is her fan.
Rather / than	He would rather cook at home than go out for dinner.

 

 

Conjunctive Adverbs

These are also called transition words. They join sentences or words or phrases just like words on the standard conjunction list can. A few examples of such type include; in addition, as a result, however, hence, etc. 

Go through the list to understand the adverbial conjunctions:

Conjunctive Adverbs	Sentences – Conjunction Examples
After all	After all the efforts we put in the result was not appreciable.
As a result	As a result of the new job, he relocated to a new city.
Consequently	She worked hard and consequently got a good appraisal.
Finally	They quarreled for hours and then finally there was all silence.
For example	Take, for example, you are the CEO of Google. How will you help the nation?
Furthermore	She was tired and cold, and furthermore she was hungry.
Hence	Schools are closed due to lock down. Hence, teachers are taking online classes.
However	He will buy that car, however, he will have to use all his savings.
In addition	In addition, all his planning is paying off.
In fact	She is taking advanced classes; in fact, she is an expert now.
Indeed	A soldier’s life is indeed a difficult life.
Instead	We cooked at home instead of going out.
Likewise	Grateful to him, she was likewise excited to go on a tour of Europe.
Meanwhile	He spent his time studying for Engineering and in the meanwhile, joined work at the bank.
Incidentally	Incidentally, have you seen the new shopping mall they are putting up?

Back Home