Conjunction and its Types in English Grammar

Conjunction and its Types!

Definition of Conjunction

A conjunction is a word that joins words, phrases, clauses, and sentences.

There are three major types of conjunctions:

Coordinate Conjunction
Subordinate Conjunction
Correlative Conjunction

Coordinate Conjunction

Coordinate conjunctions usually link elements of the same grammatical class. For example, it connects nouns with nouns, adverbs with adverbs, phrases with phrases, and clauses with clauses.

Some important coordinate conjunctions are:

And, but, for, or, nor, also, either…or, neither…nor.

Examples:

John and Jolly are friends. (Join two nouns)
He walks slowly and lazily. (Connects two adverbs)

Kinds of Coordinate Conjunction

Coordinate conjunction is further divided into four types:

Cumulative or copulative conjunctions
Adversative conjunction
Disjunctive or alternative conjunctions
Illative conjunction

1. Cumulative Conjunction

Cumulative conjunction merely adds one element to other.

Some cumulative conjunctions are:

And, both….and, as well as, not only….but also.

Examples:

John writes books and CJ prints them.

Jacky got up and went to the bath room.

2. Adversative Conjunction

Adversative Conjunction link opposite statements.

Some adversative conjunctions are:

But, still, yet, whereas, while, nevertheless etc.

Examples:

The string is thin but it is strong.

The story is strange yet true.

3. Disjunctive or Alternative Conjunctions

Conjunctions which present two alternatives are called disjunctive or alternative conjunction.

Some disjunctive conjunctions are:

Or, either…or, neither…nor, neither, nor, otherwise, else etc.

Examples:

Grapes are either green or red.
We will go to the river or stay at home.
Neither he nor his wife enjoyed the picnic.

4. Illative Conjunction

Illative conjunction shows result or logical judgment.

Some illative conjunctions are:

So, there, hence, thus, because, as, for, etc.

Examples:

Somebody has come, for I have heard a knock at the door.

He was ill, so he did not go to college.

Subordinate Conjunction

A subordinate conjunction introduces a subordinate clause. It links the subordinate’s clause to the independent clause.

Here is a simple list of subordinating conjunction:

After	although	as	as if
as long as	as much as	as soon as	as through
because	before	by the time	even if
even trough	if	in order that	in case
in the event that	lest	now that	once
only	only if	provided that	since
so	supposing	that	than
though	till	unless	until
when	whenever	where	whereas
whenever	whether or not	while.

Correlative Conjunction

A correlative Conjunction consists in a pair of conjunctions that work together. This pair of conjunctions functions as a single conjunction. It relates one sentence element to the other. Coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions are single words, while correlatives conjunctions work in pairs.

Some of the correlative conjunctions are given below:

Both…and, either…or, neither…nor, hardly…when, not only…but also, no sooner…than, rather…than, as…as.

Compound Conjunction

The phrases that are used as conjunctions are called compound conjunctions.

Some of the compound conjunctions are given below:

So that, provided that, as well as, as soon as, as long as, such as, in order that, as if, as though, etc.