What Are Conjunctions?  

Conjunctions are words that link other words, phrases, or clauses together. Conjunctions allow you to form complex, elegant sentences and avoid the choppiness of multiple short sentences. Make sure that the phrases joined by conjunctions are parallel (share the same structure). 

Example: I work quickly and careful.I work quickly and carefully.

Without conjunctions, you’d be forced to express every complex idea in a series of short, simplistic sentences. 

Example: I like cooking. I like eating. I don’t like washing dishes afterward.

I like cooking and eating, but I don’t like washing dishes afterward.

Types of Conjunctions: 

Coordinating Conjunctions:

Coordinating conjunctions allow you to join words, phrases, and independent clauses. 

Example: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

We needed a place to concentrate, so we packed up our things and went to the library.

Correlative Conjunctions:

Correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions that work together. 

Example: either/or, neither/nor, and not only/but also.

Not only is he good at academics, but also in sports and debating. 

Subordinating Conjunctions: 

Subordinating conjunctions join independent and dependent clauses. A subordinating conjunction can signal a cause-and-effect relationship, a contrast, or some other kind of relationship between the clauses.

Examples: because, since, as, although, though, while, and whereas.                 

He left because he was unwell.

Sometimes an adverb, such as until, after, or before can function as a conjunction. 

Example: I can stay out until the clock strikes twelve.                                                 

Here, the adverb until functions as a subordinating conjunction to connect two ideas: I can stay out (the independent clause) and the clock strikes twelve (the dependent clause). The independent clause could stand alone as a sentence; the dependent clause depends on the independent clause to make sense. Some more coordinating conjunctions: after, although, as, as if, as long as, as much as, as soon as, as though, because, before, by the time, even if, even though, 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, wherever, whether or not, while.