What is a Conjunction? Definitions, Examples, and Comprehensive List

3 minute read

Author: Trivium Writing Team

Jul 15, 2022

A conjunction is a part of speech (POS), and parts of speech are incredibly important in writing. Each part of speech fulfills a purpose in a sentence, and not all parts of speech are created equal. Some parts of speech make our writing stronger while others make it weaker. So we must be careful using them.

In this blog post, we will discuss the definition of a conjunction, provide examples, and list them so that you can start using them in your own writing.

So, what exactly is a conjunction? Let's find out!

Conjunction Definition

A conjunction is a function word that connects other words, phrases, or clauses together. Conjunctions are used to create complex, compound, and compound-complex sentences—which create variety in your writing, making it more engaging.

There are three main types of conjunctions: coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, and correlative conjunctions. All of them have different roles and purposes. The bottom line is that conjunctions show the relationship between different parts of your sentence.

Sentences are stories; they include characters and actions. Sometimes, they include more than one character and action, which constitute information blocks, so these blocks need to be connected with conjunctions.

Why Are Conjunctions Important to Understand?

Conjunctions are important to understand because they connect different parts of speech, and without them, the relationship between words and parts of our sentences would be unclear. In other words, conjunctions clarify the different parts of our content.

Conjunctions are also important because they vary our sentences. If we didn't use conjunctions, our sentences would be plain and monotonous. The flow and style of or our text would suffer, and our writing would not be engaging.

Take the following paragraph, for example:

Léandre had breakfast. Léandre went to the store. He bought a cup of coffee and a newspaper. He looked at the morning sky with wonder. He asked himself what he was going to do that day. It was a Saturday. He had no plans. He was keen on spending the day in a meaningful way in the beautiful city of New York. He had moved to the Big Apple 6 months prior. However, he still wasn't quite familiar with all the city had to offer. Busy launching his new book and a new business venture, he had not had a lot of free time. However, he longed to get to know the city more intimately.

Using conjunctions, as in the following paragraph, makes the paragraph more engaging.

Before having breakfast, Léandre went to the store and he bought a cup of coffee and a newspaper. He looked at the morning sky with wonder and asked himself what he was going to do that day. It was a Saturday. He had no plans, but he was keen on spending the day in a meaningful way in the beautiful city of New York. Although he had moved to the Big Apple 6 months prior, he still wasn't quite familiar with all the city had to offer. Busy launching his new book and a new business venture, he had not had a lot of free time. Yet he longed to get to know the city more intimately.

What Are Coordinating Conjunctions?

Coordinating conjunctions connect two equal elements, such as two nouns, two verbs, or two adjectives. There are seven coordinating conjunctions, and we often refer to them collectively as the FANBOYS. The most common coordinating conjunction is "and."

For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
Since

What Are Subordinating Conjunctions?

Subordinating conjunctions connect subordinate clauses to independent clauses. The most common subordinating conjunction is "because."

after
although
as
as if
as long as
as much as
as soon as
as though
assuming that
because
before
by the time
even
even if
even though
how
if
if only
if then
if when
in case that
in order that
inasmuch
just as
lest
no matter how/what/when/where/why
now
now since
now that
now when
once
only if
provided
provided that
rather than
since
so that
supposing
than
that
though
till
unless
until
whatever
when
whenever
where
where if
whereas
wherever
whether
whether or not
which
whichever
while
who
whoever
whomever
whose
why

What Are Correlative Conjunctions?

Correlative conjunctions always come in pairs and are used to connect two equal elements just like coordinating conjunctions do. Some examples of correlative conjunction pairs include "both/and," "either/or," and "neither/nor."

Correlative Conjunctions List

Here is a list of correlative conjunctions:

as … as
both … and
either … or
neither … nor
not only … but also
such … that
rather … than
no sooner … than
if … then
scarcely … when

Conjunctions List (100+)

Here is a list of over 100 conjunctions you can use in your writing.

As an exercise, find which type of conjunction each are:

after
although
And
as
as … as
as if
as long as
as much as
as soon as
as though
assuming that
because
before
both … and
But
by the time
either … or
even
even if
even though
For
how
if
if … then
if only
if then
if when
in case that
in order that
inasmuch
just as
lest
neither … nor
no matter how/what/when/where/why
no sooner … than
Nor
not only … but also
now
now since
now that
now when
once
only if
Or
provided
provided that
rather … than
rather than
scarcely … when
since
Since
so that
such … that
supposing
than
that
though
till
unless
until
whatever
when
whenever
where
where if
whereas
wherever
whether
whether or not
which
whichever
while
who
whoever
whomever
whose
why
Yet

grammar

What is a Conjunction? Definitions, Examples, and Comprehensive List

Conjunction Definition