Conjunctions and connecting words

Basic conjunctions

Conjunctions join two parts of a sentence and help to show the connection between the two parts of the sentence.

and tells you more

• We went home and went straight to bed.

but makes a contrast

• They are rich but they aren’t happy.

because answers the question why?

• We went home because we were tired.

so tells you the result

• We went home early, so we missed the end of the concert.

when answers the question when?

• We went home when Jane wanted to.

before, after answers the question what happened first?

• We went home before the concert ended.
• We went home after Max Jones had sung his first song.

although, though tells you something surprising

• We went home although / though we did not really want to.

if makes a condition

• We will go home if we are tired.

Coordinating Conjunctions

• for
• and
• nor
• but
• or
• yet

Subordinating Conjunctions

• A: after, although, as, as if, as long as, as much as, as soon as, as though
• B: because, before, by the time
• E: even if, even though
• I: if, in order that, in case
• L: lest
• O: once, only if
• P: provided that
• S: since, so that
• T: than, that, though, till
• U: unless, until
• W: when, whenever, where, wherever, while

TIME	CAUSE + EFFECT	OPPOSITION	CONDITION
after	because	although	if
before	since	though	unless
when	now that	even though	only if
while	as	whereas	whether or not
since	in order that	while	even if
until	so		in case (that)

Correlative Conjunctions

• both… and
• either… or
• neither… nor
• not only… but also
• whether… or