Coordinating and Subordinating Conjunctions: The Glue of Sentences
Conjunctions are words that connect words, phrases, or clauses. They act as the glue that holds our sentences together, creating complex and interesting structures.
1. Coordinating Conjunctions:
* Think of them as equal partners. They connect words, phrases, or clauses that have equal grammatical weight.
* Remember the acronym FANBOYS:
* For
* And
* Nor
* But
* Or
* Yet
* So
Examples:
* Words: "I like apples and oranges."
* Phrases: "She was tired but determined to finish her work."
* Clauses: "I went to the store, and I bought some groceries."
2. Subordinating Conjunctions:
* Think of them as the junior partner. They connect a dependent clause (one that cannot stand alone) to an independent clause (one that can stand alone).
* Common subordinating conjunctions include:
* Time: after, before, since, until, when, while
* Cause/Effect: because, since, so that
* Contrast: although, though, even though
* Condition: if, unless
* Comparison: as, than
Examples:
* Time: "After I finished my homework, I watched a movie."
* Cause/Effect: "I stayed inside because it was raining."
* Contrast: "Although he was tired, he still went to the party."
* Condition: "I will go to the park if the weather is nice."
* Comparison: "This pizza is better than that one."
Key Differences:
* Coordinating conjunctions connect elements of equal grammatical weight. They don't change the structure of the sentence.
* Subordinating conjunctions connect a dependent clause to an independent clause. They create a complex sentence structure.
Understanding the difference between coordinating and subordinating conjunctions is key to writing clear and grammatically correct sentences.