Conjunctions

Question 1

What is a conjunction?

Answer 1

A conjunction is a joiner, a word that connects (conjoins) parts of a sentence.

Question 2

The simple, little conjunctions are called what?

Answer 2

Coordinating conjunctions.

Question 3

What are the coordinating conjunctions?

Answer 3

For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So
FANBOYS, memorize this acronym and you will never forget them. Then and Now are not coordinating conjunctions.

Question 4

When a coordinating conjunction connects two independent clauses, it is often (but not always) accompanied by what?

Answer 4

A comma. “Ulysses wants to play for UConn, but he has had trouble meeting the academic requirements.”

Question 5

When two independent clauses connected by a coordinating conjunction are nicely balanced or brief, many writers will do what?

Answer 5

Omit the comma: “Ulysses has a great jump shot but he isn’t quick on his feet.”

Question 6

The comma is always correct when used to separate two independent clauses connected by what?

Answer 6

A coordinating conjunction.

Question 7

When a coordinating conjunction is used to connect all elements in a series, is a comma used?

Answer 7

No. “Presbyterians and Methodists and Baptists are the prevalent Protestant congregations in Oklahoma.”

Question 8

Is a comma used with but when expressing a contrast?

Answer 8

Yes. “This is a useful rule, but difficult to remember.”

Question 9

In most of their other roles as joiners (other than joining independent clauses, that is) can coordinating conjunctions join two sentence elements without the help of a comma?

Answer 9

Yes. “Hemingway and Fitzgerald are among the American expatriates of the between-the-wars era.”

Question 10

What are the two questions a writer should ask himself before using but or and at the beginning of a sentence?

Answer 10

1. Would the sentence and paragraph function just as well without the initial conjunction?
2. Should the sentence in question be connected to the previous sentence?
   If the initial conjunction still seems appropriate, use it.

Question 11

What are the three most common coordinating conjunctions?

Answer 11

And, but, and or.

Question 12

What is the most common use for the coordinating conjunction nor?

Answer 12

Being the little brother in the correlative pair, neither-nor
“He is neither sane nor brilliant.”

Question 13

The coordinating conjunction yet can also be used as a what?

Answer 13

An adverb, and can have several meanings.

Question 14

What are the 5 meanings yet can have as an adverb?

Answer 14

1. In addition: “yet another cause of trouble”
2. Even: “yet more expensive”
3. Still: “he is yet a novice”
4. Eventually: “They may yet win”
5. So soon as now: “he’s not here yet”

Question 15

What does yet mean as a conjunction?

Answer 15

“But” or “Nevertheless”

Question 16

“The visitors complained loudly about the heat, yet they continued to play golf everyday.” In sentences such as this, the pronoun subject of the second clause (“they”, in this case) is often left out. When that happens, what may you do with the sentence?

Answer 16

You may remove the comma preceding the conjunction. “The visitors complained loudly yet continued to play golf everyday.”

Question 17

What are some of the meanings
and can have? Part 1. (First 3 out of six)

Answer 17

1. To suggest that one idea is chronologically sequential to another: “Tashonda sent in her applications and waited by the phone for a response.”
2. To suggest that one idea is the result of another: “Willie heard the weather report and promptly boarded up his house.”
3. To suggest that one idea is in contrast to another: (Frequently replaced by but in this usage) “Juanita is brilliant and Shalimar has a pleasant personality.”

Question 18

What are some of the meanings
and can have? Part 2. (Last 3 out of 6)

Answer 18

4. To suggest an element of surprise: (sometimes replaced by yet in this usage) : “Hartford is a rich city and suffers from many symptoms of urban blight.”
5. To suggest that one clause is dependent upon another, conditionally (usually the first clause is an imperative): “Use your credit cards frequently and you’ll soon find yourself deep in debt.”
6. To suggest a kind of “comment” on the first clause: “Charlie became addicted to gambling - and that surprised no one who knew him.”

Question 19

What are 3 meanings but can have?

Answer 19

1. To suggest a contrast that is unexpected in light of the first clause: “Joey lost a fortune in the stock market, but he still seems able to live quite comfortably.’
2. To suggest in an affirmative sense what the first part of the sentence implied in a negative way (sometimes replaced by “on the contrary”): “The club never invested foolishly, but used the services of a sage investment counselor.”
3. To connect two ideas with the meaning of “with the exception of” (and then the second word takes over as subject): “Everybody but Goldenbreath is trying out for the team.”

Question 20

What are some of the meanings
or can have? Part 1. (first 3 out of 6)

Answer 20

1. To suggest that only one possibility can be realized, excluding one or the other: “You can study hard for this exam or you can fail.”
2. To suggest the inclusive combination of alternatives: “We can broil chicken on the grill tonight, or we can just eat leftovers.”
3. To suggest a refinement of the first clause: “Smith College is the premier all-women’s college in the country, or so it seems to most Smith College alumnae.”

Question 21

What are some of the meanings
or can have? Part 2. (last 3 out of 6)

Answer 21

4. To suggest a restatement or “correction” of the first part of the sentence: “There are no rattlesnakes in this canyon, or so our guide tells us.”
5. To suggest a negative condition: “The New Hampshire state motto is rather grim “Live free or die.”
6. To suggest a negative alternative without the use of an imperative: “They must approve his political style or they wouldn’t keep electing him mayor.”

Question 22

For is used on rare occasions as a coordinating conjunction, so what is it’s most common form?

Answer 22

It’s most common form is as a preposition

Question 23

What is the function of “for” as a coordinating conjunction

Answer 23

It’s function is to introduce the reason for the preceding clause: “John thought he had a good chance to get the job, for his father was on the company’s board of trustees.”

Question 24

The coordinating conjunction “so” cannot connect two independent clauses with a comma when it means what?

Answer 24

“As well” or “in addition”
It would need a semicolon between the two independent clauses.

Question 25

The coordinating conjunction “so” can connect two independent clauses with a comma when it means what?

Answer 25

“Therefore”
“Soto has always been nervous in large gatherings, so/therefore it is no surprise that he avoids crowds of his adoring fans.”

Question 26

When so is at the beginning of a sentence, what does it do?

Answer 26

It acts as a kind of summing up device or transition, and when it does, it is often set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma:
“So, the sheriff peremptorily removed the child from the custody of his parents.”

Question 27

What is “than” used for?

Answer 27

Than is used to make comparisons: I would rather die than stay in here with you.”
(“Other than” is an implied comparison)

Question 28

What are the three meanings of then?

Answer 28

1. In addition: “Hiring a car is an extra expense on holiday and then there’s the cost of insurance.”
2. Next: “He opened the door, then the lights came on and everybody shouted, ‘Happy Birthday’.”
3. At that time (in this case, it is usually at the end of the clause): “This time next week, I’ll be on a plane to Kiev. Where will you be then?”

Question 29

What is a Subordinating Conjunction?

Answer 29

A subordinating conjunction is a conjunction that comes at the beginning of a subordinate/dependent clause and establishes the relationship between the dependent clause and the rest of the sentence. It also turns the clause into something that depends on the rest of the sentence for its meaning.
“Unless we act now, all is lost.”

Question 30

While like can be used to introduce prepositional phrases, it cannot be used to introduce clauses. What are 3 words we should use instead?

Answer 30

As, As Though, and As If.
“As I told you earlier, the lecture has been postponed.”
“It looks as if it’s going to snow this afternoon.”
“Johnson kept looking out the window as though he had someone waiting for him.”

Question 31

In formal, academic text, it’s a good idea to reserve the use of like for what?

Answer 31

Situations in which similarities are being pointed out: “This community college is like a two-year liberal arts college.” However, when you are listing things that have similarities, such as is probably more suitable.

Question 32

The word that is used as a conjunction to connect a subordinate clause to a preceding verb. It can often be removed to good effect, yet sometimes it causes a break in a sentence, so how can this be fixed?

Answer 32

With a comma.
“The problem is, production in her department has dropped.”
> “The problem is that production in her department has dropped.”
The general rule is, if the sentence feels just as good without the that, if no ambiguity results from its omission, if the sentence is more efficient or elegant without it, then we can safely omit the that.

Question 33

What are the three conditions in which we should maintain the conjunction that?

Answer 33

1. When a time element intervenes between the verb and the clause: “The boss said yesterday that production in this department was down fifty percent.”
2. When the verb of the clause is long delayed: “Our annual report revealed that some losses sustained by this department in the third quarter of last year were worse than previously thought.”(Notice the difference between the subject “losses” and its verb, “were”.
3. When a second that can clear up who said or did what: “The CEO said that Isabel’s department was slacking off and that production dropped precipitously in the fourth quarter.” (Did the CEO say that the production dropped or was the drop a result of what he said about Isabel’s department? The second that makes it clear.”)

Question 34

In order to prevent a sentence starting with because becoming a sentence fragment, what should you do?

Answer 34

Properly subordinate it to another clause; “Because e-mail now plays such a huge role in our communications industry, the postal service would very much like to see it taxed in some manner.”

Question 35

Some conjunctions combine with other words to form pairs, what are they called?

Answer 35

Correlative Conjunctions

Question 36

What do correlative conjunctions do?

Answer 36

They travel in pairs, joining various sentence elements together that should be treated as grammatically equal.
“Polonius said, “Neither a borrower nor a lender be.”“a

Question 37

What are conjunctive adverbs used for?

Answer 37

To create complex relationships between ideas.

Question 38

What are some conjunctive adverbs?

Answer 38

However, moreover, nevertheless, consequently, as a result.