Coordinating Conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions join words, phrases or clauses of equal grammatical importance.
| Conjunction | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | addition / connecting similar ideas | She sang and danced. |
| but / yet | contrast / unexpected contrast | It was difficult, but she succeeded. He was tired, yet he continued working. |
| or | choice / alternative | Would you like tea or coffee? |
| so | result / consequence | It was late, so we left. |
| for | reason / explanation (rather formal) | She stayed home, for she was tired. |
| nor | adds another negative statement after a negative idea; when it connects two clauses, it is normally followed by inversion: auxiliary or modal verb + subject |
He doesn't smoke, nor does he drink. They cannot fly, nor can they swim. She had never been there, nor had she heard of the place. |
Commas: use a comma before the conjunction when it joins two complete clauses:
I was tired, so I went to bed.
No comma when it only joins words or parts of the same clause:
She sang and danced.
