What Are Conjunctions?

Without conjunctions, every English sentence would have to express exactly one idea. Aminata went to the market. She bought rice. She came home. Three short sentences for what is really one connected event. With conjunctions, you can join them into a flowing whole: Aminata went to the market, bought rice, and came home.

Conjunctions are the joining words of English. They link words, phrases, and clauses so that ideas can be combined, contrasted, sequenced, or made conditional. And, but, or, because, although, if, when, while — these are the workers of complex English writing.

This lesson opens the Conjunctions topic. We define what a conjunction is, name the four main types, and give the tests for spotting one.

What conjunctions do

Conjunctions link grammatical units. They can join:

Words

• Aminata and Mariama are sisters. (joins two nouns)
• Foday is tall but thin. (joins two adjectives)
• We will walk or drive. (joins two verbs)
• She spoke softly yet clearly. (joins two adverbs)

Phrases

• Aminata walked into the room and out the other door. (joins two prepositional phrases)
• Foday is good at football but bad at swimming. (joins two adjective phrases)
• We can travel by bus or by taxi.

Clauses

• Aminata cooked and Mariama cleaned. (joins two independent clauses)
• We left because it was raining. (joins a main clause to a subordinate clause)
• Foday studied hard, so he passed. (joins two independent clauses with a result)
• Aminata stayed although she was tired. (joins main and subordinate clauses)

The four types in brief

Type 1 — Coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS)

Seven words. They join items of equal grammatical importance.

For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So — the acronym FANBOYS.

• Aminata and Mariama — and joins two equal subjects
• I tried but failed — but joins two equal verbs
• Tea or coffee — or joins two equal options

These can join words, phrases, or clauses. Full coverage in Lesson 2.

Type 2 — Subordinating conjunctions

Many words. They introduce a dependent clause (a clause that cannot stand alone).

• because, although, since, while, when, before, after, if, unless, until, as, as if, so that, in order that, even though, whereas, whether

• Aminata stayed home because she was sick. (the because clause cannot stand alone)

• Although it was raining, we went out.

• I will call you when I arrive.

Full coverage in Lesson 3.

Type 3 — Correlative conjunctions

Fixed pairs. The two parts work together to link items.

• either ... or — Either Aminata or Mariama will come.
• neither ... nor — Neither the teacher nor the students were happy.
• both ... and — Both Aminata and Foday are studying.
• not only ... but also — Not only is she clever but also kind.
• whether ... or — Whether you agree or disagree, the decision stands.

Full coverage in Lesson 4.

Type 4 — Conjunctive adverbs

Words that link two complete sentences with a logical connection. They behave like adverbs but function like conjunctions for sentence-to-sentence linking.

• however, therefore, moreover, furthermore, nevertheless, consequently, otherwise, meanwhile, instead

• Aminata studied hard. However, she failed the test.

• Foday is tired. Therefore, he is going to bed.

• The weather is fine. Moreover, the road is clear.

Full coverage in Lesson 5.

How to identify a conjunction

Three tests work for most cases.

Test 1 — Connection test

Does the word join two grammatical units? If yes, it is a conjunction.

• Aminata and Mariama — joins two nouns → conjunction
• I called because I needed help — joins two clauses → conjunction

Test 2 — Function test

A conjunction does not modify (the way an adjective or adverb does). It only links.

• The tall student — tall modifies student → adjective
• Aminata and Mariama — and links two equals → conjunction

Test 3 — Removal test

Remove the conjunction. If the result is two separate units of meaning, the original was a conjunction.

• Aminata and Mariama → remove and → Aminata. Mariama. → two items → and was a conjunction
• I left because I was tired → remove because → I left. I was tired. → two clauses → because was a conjunction

What conjunctions are NOT

A few words look like conjunctions but are not.

That

That can be a conjunction (introducing a noun clause) or a relative pronoun or a demonstrative.

• I think that he is right. (conjunction — introduces a noun clause)
• The book that I read (relative pronoun)
• That book is mine. (demonstrative adjective)

WAEC tests the distinction.

Then

Then is an adverb of time, NOT a conjunction.

• ❌ I finished my work, then I went home. (run-on sentence — then is not a conjunction)
• ✓ I finished my work and then I went home. (with and — coordinating)
• ✓ I finished my work. Then I went home. (two sentences)

Also

Also is an adverb, not a conjunction.

• ❌ I went to Bo, also I went to Kenema. (wrong — also is not a conjunction)
• ✓ I went to Bo and also to Kenema. (with and)
• ✓ I went to Bo. Also, I went to Kenema. (two sentences)

These errors are tested in WAEC error identification.

Conjunctions and sentence types

The type of conjunction determines the sentence type it creates.

Simple sentence — no conjunction

• Aminata is reading.

Compound sentence — coordinating conjunction joins two independent clauses

• Aminata is reading, and Mariama is cooking.
• Foday tried, but he failed.

Two equal clauses, joined by a FANBOYS word, separated by a comma.

Complex sentence — subordinating conjunction joins a main and a dependent clause

• Aminata is reading because she has an exam.
• Although Foday tried, he failed.

One main clause + one dependent clause introduced by a subordinator.

Compound-complex sentence — at least one of each

• Aminata is reading because she has an exam, and Mariama is cooking.

We cover sentence types fully in the Sentence Types topic.

Punctuation with conjunctions

The punctuation around a conjunction depends on its type.

Coordinating conjunction joining two clauses → comma before

• Aminata cooked, and Mariama cleaned.
• Foday tried, but he failed.
• We can stay, or we can leave.

Coordinating conjunction joining two words/phrases → no comma

• Aminata and Mariama are sisters. (two nouns — no comma)
• I am tired but happy. (two adjectives — no comma)

Subordinating conjunction at the start of a sentence → comma after the dependent clause

• Because it was raining, we stayed home. (comma after dependent clause)
• Although Foday tried, he failed.
• When Aminata arrives, we will leave.

Subordinating conjunction in the middle → usually no comma

• We stayed home because it was raining. (no comma)
• Foday failed although he tried hard. (no comma)
• We will leave when Aminata arrives. (no comma)

Conjunctive adverb → semicolon before, comma after

• Aminata studied hard*;** however, she failed.*
• Foday is tired*;** therefore, he is resting.*

These rules are tested in WAEC punctuation questions. Full coverage in the Punctuation topic.

Quick self-check

Identify the conjunction(s) and the type. Answers below.

1. Aminata stayed at home because it was raining.
2. Foday is hard-working and intelligent.
3. Either Aminata or Mariama will come.
4. The exam was hard; however, Foday passed.
5. Although she was tired, Aminata kept studying.
6. We can take the bus or walk.

Answers

1. because — subordinating
2. and — coordinating
3. Either ... or — correlative pair
4. however — conjunctive adverb
5. Although — subordinating
6. or — coordinating

What's next

In the next lesson we cover coordinating conjunctions in detail — the FANBOYS group (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) — with their specific meanings, the punctuation rules, and the WAEC errors that come from misusing them.