Coordinating and

·5 · correlative conjunctions

Conjunctions are used to combine words, phrases, or clauses. The two major types
of conjunctions are coordinating conjunctions and correlative conjunctions.
word  conjunction  word
phrase  conjunction  phrase
clause  conjunction  clause

Coordinating conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions are some of the most commonly used conjunctions.
They include and, but, or, nor, for, so, and yet. The conjunctions and and or can
be used to connect words, phrases, and clauses. For example:
John and Mary became engaged last night.
Working in a factory and working in a mine are both hard work.
Uncle Jake is snoozing on the couch, and Aunt Sue is working in the
kitchen.
Do you want a hot dog or a hamburger?
Did they go fishing or hiking out in the forest?
We could take a trip to Canada, or we could save more money and go to
Europe.
The other coordinating conjunctions are used primarily to combine clauses,
and those clauses are separated by a comma. Let’s look at some examples:
You say you love me, but you never hold me anymore.
She doesn’t believe in me, nor does she understand my goals for myself.
Yes, I committed the crime, for there was no other way out for me.
We’re out of money, so we’ve come to you for a loan.
I want you to go on this trip, yet I worry that you’re really not old enough.
In some cases, it is possible to make the second clause “elliptical”—that is,
omit a portion of the clause that is understood. This can occur if the subjects of
the two clauses are identical. For example:
We could take a trip to Canada or save more money and go to Europe.
You say you love me but never hold me anymore.
She doesn’t believe in me nor understand my goals for myself.
I want you to go on the trip yet worry that you’re really not old enough.
When the second clause is elliptical, the comma separating the two clauses is
usually omitted. In certain cases, a comma can be used to avoid confusion.

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 Exercise

5·1
With the conjunction provided in parentheses, use the set of cue words to form two clauses
of a sentence. Use the same subject in the two clauses. Then rewrite the sentence with the
second clause in its elliptical form.

EXAMPLE: (and) look for / treasure / hidden / cabin / hope / become / rich
We were looking for a treasure hidden in the old cabin, and we were hoping to
become rich from the discovery.
We were looking for a treasure hidden in the old cabin and hoping to become
rich from the discovery.

1. (and) during vacation / spend / seashore / snorkeling / beautiful fish

a.
b.
2. (but) attend / reception / candidate / become ill / stay home
a.
b.
3. (or) stay / city / travel / Mexico / visit / relatives
a.
b.
4. (nor) care for / ideas / about / trust / judgment / about
a.
b.
5. (and) tell lies / about / ruin / friendship / with
a.
b.
6. (yet) give / opportunity / work / concern / lack skill / maturity
a.
b.

Coordinating and correlative conjunctions 41

 Exercise

5·2
Write an appropriate completion for each of the following sentences.

1. The lawyers met for hours behind closed doors, but

2. Can you spend the weekend with us in Miami, or

3. The soldiers were sweating from the intense heat, for

4. You’ve really bungled this project, so

5. The dean has authorized a scholarship for her, yet

6. , but we continued on our journey as though nothing were wrong.

7. , or we might have to sell our house.
8. , for an honest man doesn’t have to explain himself.
9. , so the investors decided to rely on his judgment.
10. , yet there still is room for doubt.

Exercise

5·3
Write original sentences with the conjunctions provided.

1. or
2. nor
3. for
4. so
5. yet

42 Practice Makes Perfect English Sentence Builder

Correlative conjunctions
Correlative conjunctions are pairs of words that function together to combine other words or
phrases in a sentence. The words in the pairs of conjunctions cannot be separated and used alone;
to have the intended meaning, they must be used together. The following pairs are used as cor-
relative conjunctions: as/as, both/and, either/or, hardly/when, if/then, neither/nor, no sooner/
than, not only/but also, rather/than, scarcely/when, and whether/or.

Standard forms
The correlative conjunctions can combine two subjects to form a compound subject. They can
link two direct objects or two verb phrases. They can even combine two complete clauses. The
following sentences illustrate combined subjects:
Both Frank and his brother worked in their father’s shop.
Either the weather or the bad road caused the accident.
These example sentences illustrate combined clauses:
I had hardly begun to speak when the power went out.
If you are going to argue with me, (then) I’m going to leave.
He is as good an athlete as he is a (good) student.
In the following sentence, neither/nor combines two objects:
You have neither a driver’s license nor the skill to drive a car.
The following example illustrates combined verb phrases:
We would rather play soccer than go for a run.
The conjunction pair whether/or combines two phrases or clauses.
Has she decided whether to take one suitcase or two?
His interest in music was dependent upon whether he was listening to a favorite song or was
being forced to practice the violin.

It is common to omit then from the correlative pair if/then, because its meaning is
understood.
If it rains, then we’ll stay home. or If it rains, we’ll stay home.

When using whether/or, you can combine two clauses or phrases. The clause following
or can be elliptical because its meaning is understood.
I don’t know whether to go on a diet or not (to go on a diet).

Exercise

5·4
Complete each sentence that follows with any appropriate phrase.

1. The little girl is as sweet as .

2. Both Laura and Jane .

Coordinating and correlative conjunctions 43

 3. No sooner had she left my apartment .
4. You should either get up early or .
5. If what you say is true, .
6. No sooner had Tom said, “I love you,” than .
7. Have you decided whether to ?
8. Scarcely had I opened my eyes, when .
9. No sooner than Joe showed up.
10. nor any interest in this project.

Singular or plural verb

When certain correlative conjunctions combine two subjects, it is the subject closer to the verb
that determines whether the verb will have a singular or a plural ending. For example:
Neither John nor his brother has a girlfriend right now. singular
Neither John nor his sisters have ever gone abroad. plural
It is either Bill or his friend who speaks German. singular
It is either Bill or his friends who speak German. plural
In the case of the correlative conjunction both/and, the conjunction and tells you that a
compound subject is formed, and therefore the verb will always be a plural.
Both Mary and her sister are taking ballet.
Both Mary and her three sisters are taking ballet.

Exercise

5·5
Write original sentences with the correlative conjunctions provided. Include the cue word in
parentheses in each of your sentences.

EXAMPLE: both/and (wolf)

Both a wolf and a coyote prey on smaller animals.

1. either/or (diplomat)

2. neither/nor (famous)

3. if/then (war)

4. not only/but also (careless)

44 Practice Makes Perfect English Sentence Builder

 5. hardly/when (roof )

6. as/as (playful)

7. whether/or (to study)

8. scarcely/when (snake)

9. rather/than (run away)

10. no sooner/than (bear)

Exercise

5·6
Using the cues provided, write complete sentences. If part of a correlative conjunction is
provided, include the missing part in your sentence.

EXAMPLE: both Both Tom and Laura speak fluent French.

1. and
2. but
3. for
4. so
5. either
6. not only
7. no sooner
8. rather
9. scarcely
10. if

Coordinating and correlative conjunctions 45