Conjunctions might not seem as important as other parts of speech like nouns, adjectives, or prepositions, but the wrong one can turn a clear sentence into a confusing mess. If you’re not sure which type to use, you’re in the right place — this article breaks down the different types of conjunctions and shows you exactly how to use them!
Related:
- Is “Was” a Conjunction?
- What Are Subordinating Conjunctions and How to Use Them?
- The No-Nonsense Guide to Grammar Rules (Capitalization, Nouns, Verbs & More!)
Subordinating Conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions are what connect dependent clauses to independent clauses. They set up a relationship between two ideas, and that relationship provides layers to your sentences and lets you describe things differently. Here’s a handy list of subordinating conjunctions for your reference:
- Although
- Because
- Since
- Unless
- While
- After
- Before
Subordinating conjunction examples:
- We decided to grab chocolate ice cream after dinner.
- Before you go, can you finish the pizza?
- Unless you have something else to add, we’ll continue with this method.
Tip: There are different types of subordinating conjunctions.
How to Use a Subordinating Conjunction
Subordinating conjunctions can definitely get tricky to understand if you are not using them correctly.
If you start with a subordinating conjunction, make sure to add a comma before the independent clause. Let’s look at a correct and an incorrect example to put this into context:
Correct: Because it was late, we went home.
Incorrect: Because it was late we went home.The lack of a comma makes the second sentence harder to read. Granted, you could always move things around by writing it:
“We went home because it was late.”
But the first version is still grammatically correct as long as you use the comma correctly.
Coordinating Conjunctions
These are the types of conjunctions that act as glue to stick two independent clauses together. They’re different from subordinating conjunctions because the two clauses are equal to each other. There’s even an easy and fun acronym to help you remember them — the acronym FANBOYS:
F: For
A: And
N: Nor
B: But
O: Or
Y: Yet
S: So
Coordinating conjunction examples:
- We’ve been out here waiting for him for hours, and I’m getting sick of him being late.
- Did you want to go out tonight, or should we head to bed early?
- I thought about calling him, but then I remembered he’s busy all week.
How to Use a Coordinating Conjunction
Let’s take a look at this example:
“I wanted to go for a run, but it started to rain.”
“I wanted to go for a run” and “It started to rain” are independent clauses but are opposite ideas. However, the coordinating conjunction ‘but’ (and the comma being in the right spot) links them together.
So, can you use a coordinating conjunction at the start of a sentence? Technically, you can (it is still grammatically correct), but for the sake of clarity, reposition the conjunction.
Correlative Conjunctions
Correlative conjunctions come in pairs and are more specific in that they imply a relationship. For example, “Either you study hard or you fail the exam.”
The most commonly used correlative conjunctions are:
- Either/Or
- Neither/Nor
- Not only/But also
- Both/And
Correlative conjunction examples:
- She has both street smarts and book smarts!
- They neither confirmed nor denied the rumors you heard.
- I want to be not only a talented musician but also teach others how to play.
How to Use a Correlative Conjunction?
You want to keep something called “parallel structure” when using a correlative conjunction. This means keeping the same grammatical form between each pair. Let’s break that down with another example:
Not parallel: He likes to play football and running.
Parallel: He likes to play football and run.You can probably still understand the intent in casual conversation. But when you write it down, it’s clear that the parallel version makes more sense.
Tip: If you have a singular subject, you should use a singular verb. The only time that you should use a plural verb is when you have plural subjects.
What About Conjunctive Adverbs?
Conjunctive adverbs are not conjunctions per se, but they certainly do act like them. Think of them like transitions between two related but different ideas.
These words (however, therefore, moreover) also help you clarify the relationship between the ideas. You might say, “I was going to buy that; however, they ran out of stock.”
Punctuation is key to using all types of conjunctions, and these special adverbs are no different. You want to use a semicolon before the adverb and a comma after. Here’s what that looks like:
Correct: I studied hard for the exam; therefore, I passed.
Incorrect: I studied hard for the exam, therefore I passed.The second version is technically a run-on sentence. The correct sentence flows better and makes each part of the thought crystal clear.
Conjunctive adverbs examples:
- We all wanted to see that movie; however, no one could get the tickets.
- The teacher knew the answer was wrong; still, she gave him a chance to correct himself.
- I was extremely tired; nonetheless, I still made it to the library to study for the upcoming exam.
Final Thoughts
The proper use of conjunctions is often the key to effective communication. Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of the types of conjunctions so that you can connect ideas like a pro!
