20 Conjunctions used in English

List of Conjunctions used in English

 

Conjunctions join words, phrases and clauses together. This article provides a brief

overview of the different types of conjunctions and their function in sentences.

1. Coordinating Conjunctions

a.    but

b.    so

c.    or

d.    and

Coordinating conjunctions join words, phrases, or independent clauses of a sentence together.

They often link similar grammatical parts of a sentence together ( parts of speech + parts of

speech / phrase + phrase / clause + clause ). Here are some example sentences:

·         We went to the park, but we did not have time for the museum.

·         She has to work late tonight, so she cannot make it to party.

·         Let's meet at the beach or in front of the hotel.

·         On Friday night we watched TV and a movie.

In a sentence, Coordinating conjunctions come in between the individual words, phrases, and independent clauses they are joining.

 

 

BACA JUGA:TELLING TIME IN ENGLISH

2. Subordinating Conjunctions

a.    after / before

b.    although / even though

c.    because / as

d.    if

e.    as long as / provided that

f.     till / until

g.    unless

h.    when / once / as soon as

i.      while / whereas

j.      in spite of / despite

Subordinating conjunctions join an independent clause (which contains both a subject and a verb and can act as a complete sentence) and a dependent clause (which also contains a subject and a verb, but is not a complete sentence). Here are some example sentences:

·         They went running, although / even though it was very hot.

·         We went to the beach despite / in spite of the rainy weather.

·         We decided to go to the cinema because / as it was too cold to go to the beach.

·         Monica lives in New York, while / whereas her brother lives in California.

·         He went to work after he (had) finished his breakfast.

·         He finished breakfast before he went to work.

·         I will go there if / provided that / as long as you go too.

·         I won’t go there unless you go too

·         We can leave when / once you are ready.

·         You can’t drive until / till you get your licence.

Subordinating conjunctions always come at the beginning of a dependent clause. However, dependent clauses can sometimes come before an independent clause (separated by a comma). So, we could write the above sentences this way:

a.    Although / Even though it was very hot, they went running.

b.    Despite / In spite of the rainy weather, we went to the beach.

c.    Because / as it was too cold to go to the beach, we decided to go to the cinema.

d.    While / Whereas her brother lives in California, Monica lives in New York.

e.    After he (had) finished his breakfast, he went to work.

f.     Before he went to work, he finished his breakfast.

g.    If / Provided that / As long as you go too, I will go there.

h.    Unless you go too, I won’t go there.

i.      When / Once you are ready, we can leave.

j.      Until / Till you get your licence, you can’t drive.

Coordinating conjunctions join parts of sentence that are similar whereas subordinating conjunctions often shows a contrasting or unequal relationship.

 

 

BACA JUGA : PENGERTIAN LEKSIKOGRAMATICA

3. Linking words across sentences

Linking words across sentences always link a second sentence to an idea in the previous

sentence. That means they come at the beginning of the second sentence.

·         In addition, / Furthermore,

·         However, / On the other hand,

·         Therefore, / Consequently,

·         First(ly), / Second(ly), / Third(ly), / Finally,

Linking words across sentences are used either for contrast with the previous sentence or for continuing the same idea. Here are some examples:

Perth is a nice place to live for many reasons including the fantastic summer weather

and the beaches and parks. In addition, / Furthermore, there are a lot of pubs, clubs,

restaurants and cafes to enjoy. However, / On the other hand, there is not much to

do in winter when it is cold and rainy and not much fun to do outdoor activities.

Therefore, / Consequently, if you are planning to visit Perth, it is best to come

between November and April which is the hottest time.

Before you travel you need to think about a number of things. First(ly), make sure

your passport is up-to-date. Second(ly), get some travel insurance in case something

goes wrong on your trip. Third(ly), make sure you pack a hat, a pair of sunglasses

and some strong sunscreen for the beach. Finally, change some money into Aussie

dollars before you leave your country.