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
but
so
or
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:
1. We went to the park, but we did not have time for the museum.
2. She has to work late tonight, so she cannot make it to party.
3. Let's meet at the beach or in front of the hotel.
4. 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.
2.
Subordinating Conjunctions
after / before
although / even though
because / as
if
as long as / provided that
till / until
unless
when / once / as soon as
while / whereas
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:
1. They went running, although / even though it was very hot.
2. We went to the beach despite / in spite of the rainy weather.
3. We decided to go to the cinema because / as it was too cold to go to the beach.
4. Monica lives in New York, while / whereas her brother lives in California.
5. He went to work after he (had) finished his breakfast.