Connectors
I-Subordinating conjunctions
II-Coordinating conjunctions
III-Transitions
Subordinating conjunctions:

Adjective clauses:
who, whom, which, that, whose,
when, where
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Adverb clauses:
time: before, after, as soon as, since, until, while, whenever
reason: as, because, since
condition: as if, even if, if, unless
contrast: although, even though, despite the fact that, whereas
purpose: in order that, so that
manner: as if, as though
A complex sentence adds a
subordinate clause to a simple
sentence. The subordinate clause
is called a dependent clause while
the simple sentence is called the
independent clause.
Use subordinating
conjunctions:
Robert wanted to study at Harvard.
His parents preferred Yale.
We ate a large lunch.
We had skipped breakfast.
Computers are an important part of many
people’s lives.
Some people in the world have never seen
one.
Coordinating conjunctions
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

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For: reason, means because
And: connects 2 sentences with similar ideas (positive/ negative)
Nor: connects 2 negative sentences with inverted word order
But: connects 2 sentences with contrasting or opposite ideas
Or: connects 2 sentences that express alternatives or choices
Yet:surprise
so: connects a reason and a result
Coordinating conjunctions
Join two main clauses. They
come between the clauses and
are preceded by a comma
A compound sentence is made up
of two or more simple sentences
joined by a comma and a
coordinating word or by a
semicolon.
Addition: My father loves kitchen gadgets, and he buys a new one
every week.
Contrast: A few of the gadgets are useful, but most of them just take
up space.
Result: We ran out of space for them in the kitchen, so he started to
store them in the living room.
Choice: My mother asked my father to please stop buying gadgets, or
she would throw them out.
Surprise: Of course, Dad came home the next week with three new
ones, yet Mom wasn’t upset.
Reason:Maybe she realized that buying little gadgets is harmless, for
none of them cost a lot of money.
Addition (negative): After all, he doesn’t buy sports cars, nor does he
bring home a new yacht every week.
Japanese food is delicious to eat,
and ___________________.
Do you prefer living alone, or
___________________________.
Paired coordinating
conjunctions
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Both … and -

Not only… but (also) -

Either … or –

Neither … nor –
addition
addition
positive choices
negative choices
Content connected by
coordinating conjunctions must
be parallel. They must belong
to the same grammatical
category. (e.g. adjective,
adverb, noun phrase, verb
phrase, infinitive or gerund
phrase).
The Italian film Life Is Beautiful
made me both laugh and cry. It
contained not only comic but also
tragic scenes.
Either my father or my mother will
meet me at the airport.
Neither my father nor my mother
will meet me at the airport.
I don’t like country western music,
nor …
Interest rates continued to rise,
yet…
The children were hungry, but…
We decided to go shopping, for…
The hurricane was approaching,
so…
Use appropriate conjunctions:
The skier broke his leg.
He couldn’t compete in the Olympics.
Butter is very expensive.
Most people buy margarine.
Taking the bus is cheaper than driving.
It conserves energy.
Robert is a lazy student.
He misses a lot of classes.
Use paired coordinating
conjunctions:
Say something constructive.
Don’t say anything at all (either …or)
Americans pay income tax.
They are charged high sales taxes in some
states. (not only…, but also)
He didn’t ask for permission.
He didn’t give me an explanation of his
action. (neither…,nor)
Using …Too or So
Subject + auxiliary + too
I can dance the Tango, and my
husband can too
So + auxiliary + subject
I can dance the Tango, and so can
my husband.
Using… Not either or Neither
Subject + modal + not + either
The teacher isn’t here, and the
students aren’t either.
Neither + modal + subject
The teacher isn’t here, and neither
are the students.
(not either) - I don’t have my book.
Claudia doesn’t have her book.
(too) - John has been to South America.
Karen has been to South America.
(so ) - My nephew lost his passport.
My sister lost her passport.
(Neither) - You haven’t done your
homework.
I haven’t done my homework.
Transitions
A transition word can be used with
a semicolon to make clearer the
relationship between the two
sentences.
Transitions

Result: as a result, consequently, therefore, thus

Contrast : however, on the other hand, nonetheless,
nevertheless

Time: before that, after that, meanwhile, afterward, first

Addition: moreover, furthermore, in addition
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Condition: otherwise
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Exemplification: for example, for instance
You must use a semicolon (;)before
and a comma (,) after the
transition word to join it and its
clause to another independent
clause.
His first class begins at 8 AM;
therefore, he leaves home at 7:30
AM to get there on time.
Use transitions
People should exercise regularly.
They will get out of shape.
I would like to take an English literature
course.
I haven’t had the prerequisites yet.
Working part time gives you more free time.
You don’t earn as much money as full time
workers do.
The end!