A conjunction is a part of speech that connects words, phrases, or clauses within a sentence, allowing ideas to be linked and expressed more clearly and fluently. Common examples of conjunctions include "and," "but," "or," and "because"
. There are three main types of conjunctions:
- Coordinating conjunctions join elements of equal grammatical importance, such as words or independent clauses. The common coordinating conjunctions are often remembered by the acronym FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
- Correlative conjunctions work in pairs to connect equivalent elements, such as "either/or" and "neither/nor"
- Subordinating conjunctions connect dependent clauses to independent clauses, showing a relationship such as cause, time, or condition. Examples include "because," "although," "if," and "while"
Conjunctions can join:
- Two or more words (e.g., "apples and oranges")
- Phrases (e.g., "down the street and up the hill")
- Clauses (e.g., "They went out for dinner, but they didn't order dessert")
They are essential for creating complex and coherent sentences by linking related parts smoothly
. In summary, a conjunction is a connecting word that helps combine parts of a sentence to express relationships between ideas effectively
