What is a coordinating conjunction?
Coordinating conjunctions
coordinate or join two or more sentences, main clauses, words, or other
parts of speech which are of the same syntactic importance. Also known
as coordinators, coordinating conjunctions are used to give equal
emphasis to a pair of main clauses.
Coordinating Conjunction Rules
As there are only seven of these words, there are just a few rules for using coordinating conjunctions correctly:
- It’s a good idea to use the mnemonic “FANBOYS” to memorize coordinating conjunctions so you’ll never forget them. They are:
- F = for
- A = and
- N = nor
- B = but
- O = or
- Y = yet
- S = so
- Coordinating conjunctions always connect phrases, words, and clauses. For example: This batch of mushroom stew is savory and delicious.
- Some instructors warn that starting a sentence with a coordinating
conjunction is incorrect. Mostly, this is because they are attempting to
help prevent you from writing fragments rather than complete sentences;
sometimes though, it’s just a personal preference. The fact is, you can
begin sentences with coordinating conjunctions as long as you follow
these three rules for doing so:
- Ensure that the coordinating conjunction is immediately followed by a main clause
- Don’t use coordinating conjunctions to begin all of your sentences. Do so only when it makes your writing more effective.
- Although commas
typically follow coordinating conjunctions used in areas other than the
beginning of a sentence, they should not be used after coordinating
conjunctions used to open sentences unless an interrupter immediately
follows.
Examples of Coordinating Conjunctions
In the following examples, the coordinating conjunctions have been italicized for easy identification.
- You can eat your cake with a spoon or fork.
- My dog enjoys being bathed but hates getting his nails trimmed.
- Bill refuses to eat peas, nor will he touch carrots.
- I hate to waste a drop of gas, for it is very expensive these days.
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