4 Types of Conjunctions in English Grammar With Examples: The 4 types of conjunctions in English grammar are: coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions and adverbial conjunctions.
In this post, I will define the 4 types of conjunctions and I will give 10 examples of conjunctions in a sentence.
What is a Conjunction?
What is a conjunction? A conjunction is a part of speech that writers use to join words, phrases, clauses and sentences together.
To put it very simply, conjunctions join words and groups of words to show how ideas are related to each other.
- David likes apples and oranges for an afternoon snack.
- Rachel failed her exam, but she still passed her course.
- Rebekah had to finish work before she could have dinner.
- The coach had neither the time nor the patience to listen to the player’s request.
- There were several great players at the golf tournament; however, none of them were professional players.
4 Types of Conjunctions in English Grammar With Examples
The best way to understand conjunctions and how they work in sentences is to divide them into four types and give examples of those four types in sentences.
The four types of conjunctions are: coordinating, subordinating, correlative and adverbial.
1. Coordinating Conjunctions
The coordinating conjunction connects sentence elements with the same grammatical value; such as: words with words; phrases with phrases; clauses with clauses and sentences with sentences.
There are seven common coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, yet and so.
The following 10 EXAMPLES of coordinating conjunctions in a sentence will help you grasp how these conjunctions work by relating ideas to each other.
- Bradley and Jonathan kicked the football in the backyard during the Christmas holidays. (words with words).
- Before the Christmas holidays, Rachel and Rebekah put up the Christmas tree in the family room. (Words with Words).
- David likes designing cupboards and building cupboards during his spare time on the weekends. (phrases with phrases).
- Jenny cooked our favorite meal for dinner, but it turned out to be a disaster. (clauses with clauses)
- Brad will be late to work for he has a doctor’s appointment (clauses with clauses)
- Jenny suggested beef or chicken for dinner. (words with words)
- Jonathan felt he had no chance of kicking a goal in his last game of football. Yet he was able to win the game for his team. (sentences with sentences)
- David was willing to sacrifice for the team, so they could win the grand finals.(clauses with clauses)
- Rachel drove her new car to the library and to the hardware store. (phrases with phrases)
- Rebekah did not win the prize nor the trophy at the track meet.
2. Subordinating Conjunctions
The subordinating conjunction connects two clauses of unequal value; that is, they connect dependent clauses with independent clauses.
There are many subordinating conjunctions but the most common are: after, although, as, as if, as though, because, before, how, if, since, so that, than, though, til, until, unless, when where, whether and while.
The following 10 EXAMPLES of subordinating conjunctions in a sentence will help you grasp how these conjunctions work by relating ideas to each other.
- The farmer milked the cows before going to town.
- Since the new year, Jonathan’ building company has built several new houses in the new estate in town.
- Unless she runs faster, she will never make it to the finish line in time.
- Though the banks have lend the money, Jonathan will need to be wise in how he spends it renovating the old house on the farm.
- Dad cannot go to work today because of his injury to his arm.
- Until the money is available, Jonathan will not be able to finish the building work on the new shed at the rear of the house.
- After jumping the fence, Rachel was able to catch the baby lamb before it reached the waterways.
- Since the heavy rain, the garden has become a patch of weeds.
- The car will create a disaster for the oncoming traffic if it stops now.
- The shop-keeper will put the money in the bank when it opens on Monday.
3. Correlative Conjunctions
A correlative conjunction connects pairs to show comparative or contrasting relationship of words or ideas in English sentences.
There are several correlative conjunctions. These are the most common: either-or, neither-nor, both-and, not only-but also and whether-or.
The following 10 EXAMPLES of correlative conjunctions in a sentence will help you grasp how these conjunctions work by relating ideas to each other.
- David is both wise and innovative.
- Jonathan and Brad couldn’t decide whether to play football in the backyard or on the training ground near the park.
- The referee gave the player not only a warning but also a yellow card.
- The mechanic had neither the experience nor the skill to fix the gearbox in the muscle car.
- The salesperson is both shrewd and calculating when talking to perspective customers.
- You either give him the money back or you will be prosecuted for taking the money.
- Doctor Burns is not only a brilliant scientist but also a popular teacher.
- The Burn’s family had to decide whether to go on a beach holiday or to go on a traveling holiday during the Christmas break.
- The wild dogs not only destroyed the chicken coop but also killed the chickens.
- The plumber had neither the skill nor the tools to fix the water leak in the bathroom wall.
4. Conjunctive Adverbs
The function of a conjunctive adverb is much like a coordinating conjunction. Both conjunctive adverbs and coordinating conjunctions connect independent clauses.
The conjunctive adverb is usually preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma. You will see this sentence pattern in the examples below.
Here are the most common conjunctive adverbs: accordingly, also, besides, consequently, finally, however, indeed, instead, likewise, meanwhile, nevertheless, next, otherwise, still, on the other hand, in contrast, therefore and then.
The following 10 EXAMPLES of conjunctive adverbs in a sentence will help you grasp how these conjunctions work by relating ideas to each other.
- Rachel went shopping on Saturday afternoon; however, she was not able to find what she was wanting to buy for her birthday.
- The mechanic has a workshop manual for most vehicles; otherwise, he would not have the technical information to fix the cars.
- The wealthy businessman did not take the profits from the sale of his luxury yacht; instead, he gave it to a homeless shelter.
- We have been friends for many years; nevertheless, I feel at times you take me for granted.
- We rowed all morning to reach the other side of the lake; then, we took time to rest before we set on the journey back home.
- It would be great to take our holidays during the Christmas break; on the other hand, it would be less expensive to take our holidays during the off-peak periods.
- The concrete driveway has developed several large cracks; eventually, it will need to be replaced.
- David has always been good at saving his money; in contrast, his brother is always flat broke.
- The heavy rain flooded the local creeks; therefore, many people were not able to return home.
- The soldiers spotted the enemy troops moving toward the airport; however, they were not able to engage them in time to stop them reaching their target.
The 4 Types of Conjunctions in English Grammar With Examples should help you identify the different types of conjunctions and how they relate words, phrases, clauses and sentence to each other.
