Grammar: Conjunctions connect

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The singing hippo twittered and twilled for his jubilant fans.

A conjunction connects words, groups of words, or propositions.

Conjunctions connect

From A New English Grammar for Schools, by Thomas Harvey:


1.
Conjunctions may connect words.

 

The singing hippo twittered and twilled.

In this sentence “and” joins, or connects, the two verbs “twittered” and “twilled”.

 

2. Conjunctions may connect groups of words called phrases.


The hippo lilted up the scale and down the scale.

In this sentence “and” connects the two prepositional phrases “up the scale” and “down the scale”.

3. Conjunctions may connect propositions called clauses. 


The hippo sang off-tune, yet the crowd roared its approval.

In this sentence “yet” connects two clauses: “The hippo sang off tune” and “the crowd roared its approval”.

 4. Words used as conjunctions in one sentence may be used as a different part of speech in another.

a.  For” and but” may be used as conjunctions.

The singing hippo twittered and twilled, for his heart was buoyant.
In this sentence “for” is a conjunction connecting the clauses “the singing hippo twittered and twilled” and “his heart was buoyant”.

b.  For” and but” may be used as prepositions.

The singing hippo twittered and twilled for his jubilant fans.
In this sentence “for” is a preposition beginning the phrase “for his jubilant fans.


4. The list of connecting conjunctions creates the acronym FANBOYS:
For   And   Nor   But   Or   Yet   So
Connecting conjunctions are also called coordinating conjunctions.

5. When diagramming, a conjunction is placed with the elements it connects.
In the diagrams below, the conjunction are printed in italics. They can be underlined in written diagrams.

a. Diagramming conjunctions connecting subjective nouns

b. Diagramming conjunctions connecting adjectives:


c. Diagramming conjunctions connecting direct objects:

 

d. Diagramming conjunctions connecting adverbs:




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