CONJUNCTIONS - Parts of Speech - Advanced Grammar - Types of Conjunctions with Examples

Summary

This instructional video script introduces the concept of conjunctions in English grammar, explaining their role in connecting sentence elements. It categorizes conjunctions into four types: coordinating, subordinating, correlative, and conjunctive adverbs. The script focuses on correct punctuation usage with conjunctions, especially in lists and when connecting clauses. It provides examples and a test to reinforce learning, emphasizing the importance of commas and semicolons in clear and correct sentence construction.

Takeaways

• 📚 A conjunction is a word that connects parts of a sentence, including words, phrases, or clauses.
• 🔍 There are four main types of conjunctions: coordinating, subordinating, correlative, and conjunctive adverbs.
• 📝 Coordinating conjunctions include 'and', 'or', 'but', 'so', 'yet', 'for', and 'nor', and are used to connect elements without a need for commas when only two items are connected.
• 📐 Subordinating conjunctions like 'because', 'if', and 'although' introduce dependent clauses and do not require a preceding comma when the independent clause comes first.
• 🔑 Correlative conjunctions are pairs such as 'either...or', 'neither...nor', and 'not only...but also', which always go together but have no special punctuation rules.
• 🎯 Conjunctive adverbs, such as 'however', 'therefore', and 'in addition', act like conjunctions to join parts of a sentence and are punctuated with a semicolon before and a comma after, or a period before and a comma after.
• 📖 When a coordinating conjunction connects two independent clauses, a comma is placed after the first clause before the conjunction.
• 📈 In lists with three or more items, commas are used to separate items, with the last comma preceding the conjunction.
• 🚫 No comma is used when a conjunction connects only two words or phrases, unless they are part of a list with three or more items.
• ✍️ Correct punctuation of conjunctions in writing is crucial to convey the intended meaning and structure of sentences.
• 📝 Practice is essential to master the punctuation rules associated with conjunctions, as they can be complex and vary based on the type of conjunction and sentence structure.

Q & A

What is a conjunction and what does it do in a sentence?

A conjunction is a word that connects parts of a sentence. It can connect words, phrases, or clauses, playing a crucial role in linking different elements to form coherent sentences.

What are the four main types of conjunctions discussed in the script?

The four main types of conjunctions are coordinating conjunctions (e.g., and, or, but, so, yet, for, nor), subordinating conjunctions (e.g., because, after, although, if, until), correlative conjunctions (e.g., either...or, neither...nor, not only...but also), and conjunctive adverbs (e.g., as a result, however, in addition, therefore).

How should conjunctions be punctuated when they connect two words or phrases?

When a conjunction connects only two words or phrases, no comma is used. For example, in the sentence 'I love both apples and oranges,' there is no comma before 'and' because it connects two words.

What is the punctuation rule for conjunctions used with lists of three or more items?

In lists of three or more items, a comma is used to separate each item except the last one. The last comma comes before the conjunction. For example, 'I bought milk, cheese, and eggs' has commas separating the items and one before 'and'.

When connecting two independent clauses with a conjunction, where should the comma be placed?

When connecting two independent clauses with a conjunction, a comma should be placed after the first clause before the conjunction. For example, 'I finished my homework, and then I went to the party' has a comma after 'homework'.

How does the punctuation differ when using conjunctive adverbs?

With conjunctive adverbs, a semicolon or a period is used before the adverb, and a comma is used after it. Alternatively, a period can be used before starting a new sentence with the conjunctive adverb.

What is the role of subordinating conjunctions in a sentence?

Subordinating conjunctions create dependent or subordinate clauses within a sentence. They connect these clauses to independent clauses, but the dependent clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.

Why is a comma used after a dependent clause when it comes first in a sentence?

A comma is used after a dependent clause when it comes first to signal the transition to the independent clause, which can stand alone as a complete sentence.

Can you give an example of a sentence with a correlative conjunction and explain its function?

An example of a sentence with a correlative conjunction is 'Either you go to the store, or I will.' Here, 'either...or' is a pair of correlative conjunctions that present two alternatives.

How can you avoid common mistakes when punctuating conjunctions in writing?

To avoid common mistakes, remember to use commas with lists of three or more items, place a comma after the first independent clause when connected by a conjunction, and use semicolons or periods with conjunctive adverbs as described in the script.

What is the significance of the comma before the conjunction in a list of items?

The comma before the conjunction in a list of items, often referred to as the 'Oxford comma,' helps to clarify the last item in a list, especially when the items themselves are compound or complex.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Conjunctions

This paragraph introduces the topic of conjunctions in the English language. It defines conjunctions as words that connect parts of a sentence, which can be words, phrases, or clauses. The paragraph provides examples of conjunctions in use and outlines the four main types: coordinating, subordinating, correlative, and conjunctive adverbs. It emphasizes the importance of correct punctuation with conjunctions and invites viewers to engage with any questions in the comments section.

05:03

📝 Punctuation Rules for Conjunctions

The second paragraph delves into the specifics of punctuating conjunctions in writing. It explains the rules for using commas with coordinating conjunctions, highlighting the difference between connecting two items versus connecting independent clauses. The paragraph provides examples and a challenge for viewers to practice punctuating sentences correctly, reinforcing the importance of understanding these rules for clear and effective communication.

10:04

🔍 Subordinating Conjunctions and Their Punctuation

This paragraph focuses on subordinating conjunctions, which create dependent clauses. It clarifies the difference between dependent and independent clauses and explains the punctuation rules associated with them. The paragraph illustrates how to use commas when a dependent clause precedes an independent clause, and when to omit them when the order is reversed. It also poses a challenge for viewers to identify the correct punctuation in given examples.

15:05

✍️ Conjunctive Adverbs and Their Usage

The final paragraph discusses conjunctive adverbs, which function similarly to conjunctions by connecting clauses. It explains the special punctuation rules for conjunctive adverbs, including the use of semicolons and commas. The paragraph provides examples of sentences with conjunctive adverbs and offers different punctuation styles, such as using a period to start a new sentence. It also includes a recap of the lesson's rules and a test for viewers to apply their understanding of conjunction punctuation.

Keywords

💡Conjunction

A conjunction is a part of speech that serves to connect words, phrases, or clauses. In the video, conjunctions are the central theme, with the script explaining how they function to link different sentence elements. For example, 'and' is used to connect 'fish and chips' in the sentence 'When you go to London, you must try fish and chips.'

💡Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions are used to join together elements of equal grammatical status, such as words, phrases, or independent clauses. The script lists common coordinating conjunctions like 'and', 'or', 'but', 'so', 'yet', 'for', and 'nor'. The video emphasizes the correct punctuation with these, such as not using a comma with 'and beautiful and spacious' but using one before 'and' in a list like 'sugar, butter, flour, and vanilla extract'.

💡Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions introduce dependent or subordinate clauses, making them unable to stand alone as complete sentences. The script mentions conjunctions like 'because', 'after', 'although', 'if', and 'until'. An example from the script is 'After Luisa gets home from work,' which cannot stand alone and thus requires a following independent clause.

💡Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions are pairs of words that work together to connect parts of a sentence. The script provides examples such as 'either...or', 'neither...nor', and 'not only...but also'. Although the video does not go into detail about their punctuation, it notes that they always appear in pairs and are an essential type of conjunction.

💡Conjunctive Adverbs

Conjunctive adverbs are adverbs that act like conjunctions by connecting clauses, often providing a transition between ideas. The script lists 'however', 'therefore', 'in addition', and 'as a result' as examples. The video explains that they are punctuated with a semicolon before and a comma after, or with a period before and a comma after, to indicate the connection between independent clauses.

💡Punctuation

Punctuation in the context of the video refers to the use of commas, semicolons, and periods to structure sentences correctly when using conjunctions. The script provides several examples and rules, such as using a comma before the conjunction 'and' in a list or a comma after the first independent clause when connected by a conjunction like 'but'.

💡Clauses

A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate. The script distinguishes between independent clauses, which can stand alone as sentences, and dependent clauses, which cannot. The use of conjunctions to connect these clauses is a key focus of the video, with examples like 'Yazmin went to see her manager but he wasn’t in his office.'

💡Dependent Clause

A dependent clause, as mentioned in the script, is a type of clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because it contains a subordinating conjunction. The script uses 'After Luisa gets home from work' as an example of a dependent clause that requires an independent clause to form a complete thought.

💡Independent Clause

An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a complete sentence. The script explains that when an independent clause is connected to another by a conjunction, a comma is used after the first clause, as seen in 'Abdul gifted his mother an iPad for her birthday, and she loved it.'

💡Punctuating

The term 'punctuating' refers to the process of inserting punctuation marks to clarify the meaning of writing. The script focuses on the correct punctuation of conjunctions, teaching viewers when to use commas, semicolons, and periods in relation to different types of conjunctions and clauses.

💡Comma

A comma is a punctuation mark used in the script to illustrate the separation of items in a list or to indicate a pause in a sentence. The video provides rules for using commas with conjunctions, such as not using a comma when connecting only two items, but using one before 'and' in a list of three or more items.

Highlights

Conjunctions are words that connect parts of a sentence, including words, phrases, or clauses.

There are four main types of conjunctions: coordinating, subordinating, correlative, and conjunctive adverbs.

Coordinating conjunctions include 'and', 'or', 'but', 'so', 'yet', 'for', and 'nor'.

Subordinating conjunctions like 'because', 'after', and 'if' introduce dependent clauses.

Correlative conjunctions are pairs such as 'either...or', 'neither...nor', and 'not only...but also'.

Conjunctive adverbs, such as 'however' and 'therefore', act like conjunctions to join sentence parts.

When a conjunction connects only two words or phrases, no comma is needed.

In lists of three or more items, commas are used to separate items, with the last comma before the conjunction.

A comma is placed after the first independent clause when connected by a conjunction.

No comma is used when a conjunction connects only one clause with two verb phrases.

Subordinating conjunctions do not require a comma when the independent clause comes first.

A comma is used after a dependent clause when it precedes an independent clause.

Conjunctive adverbs are punctuated with a semicolon before and a comma after, or a period before and a comma after.

The position of 'however' in a sentence affects punctuation, with commas before and after when in the middle.

Practice is essential for mastering the punctuation of conjunctions and conjunctive adverbs.

A test at the end of the lesson helps learners apply the rules for punctuating conjunctions correctly.

The lesson provides a recap of the rules for punctuation with conjunctions to reinforce learning.

The importance of understanding conjunctions and their correct punctuation is emphasized for clear writing.

Transcripts

Hi there, and welcome back to our parts of speech series.

In this lesson, you’re going to learn about conjunctions.

We’ll first discuss what a conjunction is, and then we’ll look

at the four main types of conjunctions, and how

to avoid the most common mistake that people

with them – that is, how to punctuate conjunctions

correctly in writing.

Alright, let’s begin.

As always, if you have any questions, just let

me know in the comments section below and I will

talk to you there.

OK, so first, what is a conjunction?

A conjunction is a word that connects parts of a sentence – it can connect

words or it can connect phrases or even clauses.

Look at these examples.

In number one, “When you go to London, you must try fish and chips.”

Fish and chips is a popular food in the UK.

So here, the conjunction ‘and’ connects two

words – fish and chips.

In the next sentence, “My cell phone is either on the table or

in the drawer.”

The conjunction is the combination of ‘either .. or’ and it connects two phrases

‘on the table’ and ‘in the drawer’.

And in number three, can you find the conjunction?

The conjunction is ‘but ’ and it connects two

clauses (clauses are just like sentences) –

“Yazmin went to see her manager” is the first

clause and the second clause is “he wasn’t in his office.”

So you see here that conjunctions can connect any two parts of a sentence.

Alright so now let’s talk about the different types of

conjunctions in English.

Conjunctions come in four major types: coordinating conjunctions (these are the words

and, or, but, so, yet, for and nor), subordinating conjunctions (like because,

after, although, if, until etc.), correlative conjunctions (these are pairs

of conjunctions such as either .. or,

neither .. nor, not only .. but also etc.) –

so in each one, you see two words that always go together.

And finally, conjunctive adverbs.

These are words like as a result, however, in addition and therefore.

They are adverbs but they act like conjunctions (that is, they

help to join parts of a sentence).

Now don’t be scared by all these names – the names

are not important, what is important is knowing

how to use the conjunctions correctly.

Of course, conjunctions are a huge topic and there are many grammar rules relating to them.

So today, we will focus on avoiding the most common type of mistake with conjunctions,

and that is, punctuating them correctly in writing.

We won’t be discussing correlative conjunctions because there aren’t any special punctuation

rules with them – but we will be discussing the

other three.

So let’s start with coordinating conjunctions first.

Coordinating conjunctions are probably the most commonly used type of conjunction in

English.

These are the words: and, or, but, so, yet, for and nor.

Now, the words for and nor can be used as conjunctions but they’re

not used a lot (the word for is used much more

as a preposition not a conjunction).

But the other five are very common.

Alright, let’s talk about how to punctuate them correctly.

On the screen, there are four sentences.

You will notice that there are no commas in these.

So in all four sentences, I want you to put commas wherever necessary.

Pause the video and think about your answers, then play the video

again and check.

OK, let’s look at the answers: in the first two sentences, did you put a comma anywhere?

Actually, you don’t need any commas in these two sentences.

That is because when a conjunction only connects two words or two

phrases, we don’t use commas.

In number one, the conjunction is ‘and ’ and it connects

the adjectives ‘beautiful’ and ‘spacious’.

Only two items – so no comma.

In number two, the conjunction is ‘or’ and it connects two noun phrases:

‘a library’ and ‘a restaurant’.

So again, only two items, so we don’t use a comma.

In sentences three and four, commas are required.

When we have lists of three or more items, we

use commas to separate them.

In number three, “We need to buy sugar (comma) butter (comma)

flour (comma) and vanilla extract for the cake.”

Notice that there is a conjunction ‘and’ before

the last item, and the comma goes before this conjunction.

Similarly, in number four, there is a list of three items – guitar, piano,

violin.

This time, the conjunction is ‘or’.

And just like in the previous example, we use commas

to separate the items, and the last comma goes

before the conjunction.

Now there’s another very important rule regarding coordinating conjunctions.

And that is that when a conjunction connects two

independent clauses, you should always put a

comma after the first clause.

Take a look at these examples.

Look at sentence number one: you see here that

it has two parts.

The first part is “Abdul gifted his mother an iPad for her birthday.”

If you read this carefully, you will realize that this can be a complete sentence by itself.

So it’s called an independent clause.

The same is true for the second part – “she loved

it.”

This is also a complete sentence, so it’s an

independent clause as well.

So the conjunction ‘and’ connects two independent clauses

here, so we put a comma after the first clause and

before ‘and’.

That is the rule.

In all of these examples, there are two independent clauses connected by a conjunction.

In number two, “Kim wanted to work in Paris” is the first clause, and the second clause

is “she couldn’t find a job there.”

The conjunction ‘but’ connects these clauses

and shows contrast, i.e. it shows that the two

clauses are opposites.

In number three, the conjunction ‘or’ shows

that there are two options: “we can go to the movies” (that’s the

first option – it’s also the first clause),

and the second option is “we can clean the house.”

(that’s the second clause).

For number four, imagine that we’re at a restaurant.

And you ask me, “what do you want to eat?”

And I say, “Oh, I’m not very hungry” (now that’s the reason), so the result is

“I’ll just have a milkshake.”

Both of these are independent clauses.

Finally, in number five, you see the conjunction ‘yet’.

The meaning of this sentence is that Revati is very good at

programming but still she teaches economics.

So the word ‘yet’ is like saying but still.

Here, the first clause is “Revati is an expert

at computer programming” and the second clause

is “she teaches economics.”

So in all of these sentences, we put a comma after the first clause and before the conjunction.

But you have to be careful here.

Now have a look at these next two sentences.

You see that there is no comma.

And this is correct.

But can you tell me why there’s no comma?

It’s because in both of these sentences, there’s

only one clause.

In number six, “Mr. Burns” is the subject, followed by two verb phrases – “made

a bad investment” is one verb phrase; “lost all

his savings” is another verb phrase.

Remember the rule?

If a conjunction connects only two words or phrases, no comma.

It’s the same in number seven – the subject is “I”, then

there are two verb phrases – “ordered a T-shirt

online two weeks ago” is the first phrase, and

“still haven’t received it” is the second phrase.

So no comma.

Alright, let’s now move on to our next topic and talk about punctuation rules with

subordinating conjunctions.

Subordinating conjunctions are words like because, unless, before, after, if etc.

But why are these called subordinating?

Well, look at this example:

“After Luisa gets home from work,” Is this a

complete sentence?

It is not.

Because it has the word ‘after’ in it.

If we remove it, the sentence can stand alone -

“Luisa gets home from work” – it’s fine.

But if I say “After Luisa gets home from work”

you will ask OK then what?

What does she do?

So you see the sentence isn’t complete.

Thus, this is a dependent clause (which also called

a subordinate clause).

The conjunction ‘after’ makes it a subordinate clause or dependent,

so ‘after’ is called a subordinating conjunction.

To complete this sentence, we can add an independent clause – so

“After Luisa gets home from work, she likes to watch TV for an hour.”

Alright now look at these examples.

You see three pairs of sentences.

In each pair, sentence (a) and sentence (b) mean the same

thing.

But notice that sentences (a) have a comma, but sentences (b) don’t have a comma.

And this is correct.

I want you look at these examples carefully, and then say why there

is a comma in (a) but no comma in (b).

Stop the video if you want, think about it and then

play the video again and check.

OK, here’s the rule: when you connect a dependent clause and an independent clause,

if you put the dependent clause first, you put

a comma after it.

If the independent clause goes first, no comma.

That symbol means no comma.

So in all of these, in sentences (a), what comes first is a dependent or subordinate

clause, meaning it is not a full sentence, so

we put a comma after it.

In sentences (b), the first clause is independent.

The dependent clause comes second.

So no comma.

This is an important rule, so don’t forget it.

OK, now finally, let’s turn to punctuation rules with conjunctive adverbs.

Now you might be thinking, why are we talking about adverbs in a conjunctions lesson?

Well the reason is that some adverbs act like

conjunctions, so we call them conjunctive adverbs.

These are words like however, therefore, as a result, otherwise, moreover

and so on.

Here are some examples.

You see that there is no punctuation inside the sentences.

That’s because I wanted to ask you: how should I punctuate these sentences?

Should I put commas?

Where should I put them?

If you want, stop the video, think about it, then play the video again and check.

Alright, here’s the correct punctuation.

What do you see?

Well, you see that there are both commas and semicolons.

This is a special rule of using conjunctive adverbs.

Take the first sentence: there are two clauses – the first

is “Zach loves living in San Francisco”,

the second is “his wife hates the traffic and the pollution.”

Notice that both of these are independent clauses, that is they are full sentences.

Conjunctive adverbs are generally used to connect independent clauses.

The word ‘however’ has almost the same meaning

as ‘but’.

You can actually say “Zach loves living in San Francisco,

but his wife hates the traffic and the pollution.”

The meaning is the same.

The difference is that ‘however’ is more formal, and the punctuation

rules are different.

Can you see the difference?

With ‘but’ we only use a single comma before it.

With however , or any conjunctive adverb, the

most common way to punctuate them is with a

semicolon before, and a comma after.

You can see this in all of sentences.

There’s another way to write them - you can also write them

with a period (or full-stop) in front.

If you do this, you end the first sentence, and then

start a new sentence with the conjunctive adverb: that’s also correct.

And you can write it this way with all of the conjunctive adverbs

– therefore, moreover etc.

Sometimes, you will see the conjunctive adverb in the middle or

end position like you see on the screen now.

All of these mean the same thing.

Notice that when ‘however’ is in the middle, it is

interrupting the sentence, so we put a comma before and

after to make it easy to read.

If these rules are a little confusing, don’t worry – you will get them will practice

but with conjunctive adverbs, make sure to remember

the most important rule: semicolon or period before (the period is also called a full-stop

in British English) and the comma after.

Alright, now let’s do a quick recap of all the rules that we learned in this lesson.

And then I will give you a test to see if you

can punctuate conjunctions correctly.

Rule number one – if a conjunction only connects

two words or phrases, no comma.

Rule number two – in lists of three or more items, put a comma after each item (except

the last).

Put the last comma before the conjunction.

Rule number three – when connecting two independent clauses with a conjunction,

always put a comma after the first clause.

Rule number four – when connecting a dependent clause to an independent clause, if the

dependent clause comes first, put a comma after

it.

If the independent clause comes first, no comma.

And finally rule number five – when using conjunctive adverbs, either put a

semicolon before and a comma after the adverb.

Or a period before and a comma after.

Alright, now it’s time for the test.

On the screen, there are eight sentences, and

I want you to punctuate them with commas (,) and semicolons (;) where necessary.

Stop the video if you want, think about your answers,

then play the video again and check.

Alright, let’s look at the answers: in sentence number one, commas have to go after

English and Spanish.

This is a list with three items, so we put commas after each item (except

the last).

Remember that the last comma goes before the conjunction (and).

But in sentence number two, you don’t need any

commas.

This is because ‘and’ only connects two items: Tuesday and Wednesday.

In number three, there are two clauses.

The first is “We didn’t know it was going to rain”.

Then there’s the conjunction ‘so’ and then

the second clause “we didn’t bring our umbrellas.”

Both of these clauses are independent meaning that

they can stand alone as sentences.

For this reason, we put a comma after the first clause.

What about number four?

In this sentence, you need no commas.

Notice that the conjunction is ‘but’.

You might think that it’s connecting two clauses here, but that’s not the case.

There’s only one subject (Lamar) with two verb

phrases - “got job offers from four different companies”

and “didn’t accept any of them”.

So the conjunction is just connecting two phrases

– that’s why no comma.

In number five, we have two clauses.

The first clause “When you see Shelly” is a dependent

clause because it’s not a full sentence.

The second clause – “can you tell her to come

and see me?” is independent.

Yes, it’s a question, but it’s still a complete, meaningful sentence.

What comes first is the dependent clause with the conjunction ‘when.’

For this reason, we put a comma after it.

What about number six?

Comma or no comma?

Well, how many clauses do you see?

There are two: one is independent and the other is dependent.

The first clause – “I can’t log in” – which is

that?

It’s the independent clause because it’s complete.

But the second clause, “because I can’t remember my password” is dependent

because it’s not complete.

Which comes first?

The independent clause, so no comma.

Remember, only if the dependent clause comes first,

we put a comma after it.

In sentences seven and eight, notice that we

have conjunctive adverbs – ‘however’ in seven,

and ‘therefore’ in eight.

So what’s the rule with conjunctive adverbs?

The rule is: semicolon before, comma after.

You see this is number seven.

Another way to punctuate conjunctive adverbs is with a period before

and comma after.

You can see this now with number eight.

Both forms are correct.

Alright, how many did you get right?

Let me know in the comments.

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