Why Conjunctions are Important for Better Sentences

michael0585
May 9
4 min read

A man holding hands with a woman in a lavender field — Him and Her

What Are Conjunctions?

In English, conjunctions are words that join other words, phrases, or sentences together.

Why Are Conjunctions Important?

Conjunctions are essential for writing or speaking better sentences. They help us:

Combine ideas
Avoid repetition
Make writing smoother
Show relationships (cause, contrast, time, etc.)

Imagine how boring writing would be without them! Everything would feel stiff and robotic.

Here are two sentences without conjunctions:

I woke up. I ate. I left.

With conjunctions:

I woke up, ate breakfast, and left for work.

Much more natural and smoother, right?

Let’s break it down further by looking at three types of conjunctions.

Types of Conjunctions - for Better Sentences

There are three main types of conjunctions in English:

Coordinating Conjunctions
Subordinating Conjunctions
Correlative Conjunctions

Let's look at each one in turn.

1. Coordinating Conjunctions

These conjunctions join words, phrases, or independent clauses that are equal or similar.

The most common ones are:

For, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

TIP: You can remember them with the acronym FANBOYS.

Examples:

For – I stayed home, for I was feeling sick.

And – She bought apples and oranges.

Nor – He doesn’t eat meat, nor does he drink milk.

But – I wanted to go, but I was too tired.

Or – Do you want coffee or tea?

Yet – He is rich, yet he lives a simple life.

So – It was raining, so we stayed inside.

These conjunctions usually connect two equal parts of a sentence.

2. Subordinating Conjunctions

These conjunctions connect a dependent clause to an independent clause. That means they show a relationship between two parts of a sentence, such as cause, time, or condition.

Some common subordinating conjunctions include:

After, although, as, because, before, even though, if, since, though, unless, until, when, whenever, where/wherever, while.

Here are some examples:

After We can play after you finish eating.

Although Although he is young, he is very wise.

As She smiled as she opened the gift.

Because I left early because I had a meeting.

Before Wash your hands before you eat.

Even though Even though it was cold, he wore shorts.

If If you hurry, you can catch the train.

Since Since you're here, help me move this heavy table.

Though Though she tried hard, she couldn’t solve the puzzle.

Unless Don’t leave unless you tell me first.

Until Wait until I finish speaking.

When Call me when you get there.

Whenever I smile whenever I see you.

Where/wherever Sit where/wherever you like.

While Don’t interrupt while I’m talking.

These conjunctions make one part of the sentence depend on the other for complete meaning.

3. Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions work in pairs to join equal sentence elements. If you use one, you must use the other.

Common correlative pairs:

Both / and

Either / or

Neither / nor

Not only / but also

Whether / or

Here are some examples:

Both / and Both my mother and my father are teachers.

Either / or You can have either cake or ice cream.

Neither / nor Neither the kids nor the adults were ready.

Not only / but also She is not only smart but also creative.

Whether / or I can’t decide whether to go or stay.

Tips for Using Conjunctions

Don’t overuse the same ones. Try different types to make writing more interesting.
Use commas when needed, especially with coordinating conjunctions joining two full sentences.

Example: I was tired, but I kept going.

Be careful with subject-verb agreement in correlative conjunctions.

Example: Neither she nor they are going.

Match the verb with the subject closest to it.
In the sentence above, 'are' is used with they, not 'she' because 'they' is closest to the verb.
She is not going. They are not going. Joined together, using 'neither/nor', the rule of matching verb and the closest subject applies.

Practice Time

Try making your own sentences using these conjunctions. Here are a few practice starters:

I wanted to go to the park, but…

You can come with us if…

Not only did she win, but also…

Conclusion

To sum up, conjunctions are small but powerful words that help us connect ideas.

The three types of conjunctions make our communication much smoother and more expressive.

Whether you’re writing stories, emails, or having a conversation, try to use conjunctions well. It will make your English much clearer and more natural.

Keep practicing with different types, and soon you’ll use them without even thinking about it!

Learn more English from these articles

Meanwhile, to help you improve other aspects of English, I urge you to read this article.

Finally, to learn punctuation and its importance go here to read the article.

Read this article to learn why having good grammar is very important.

Man wearing long-sleeved green striped shirt talks on mobile phone.

About Me

Hello and welcome!

My name is Michael Finemore and I am the owner-operator of Apex English Tutoring.

As an experienced English Teacher, I'm passionate about helping people turn their 'poor' English into great English, with easy and effective ways to practice.