Today on the blog, we are going to examine a type of conjunction that operates a little differently from normal conjunctions. It’s always helpful to build our knowledge and deepen our understanding of ordinary concepts!
What does a normal conjunction do?
Your typical conjunction acts as a joiner. If you consider the words “and” and “but” then you can deduce that they offer writers a chance to add details to their sentences, whether they are added as extra information or a rebuttal.
Merriam-Webster states that one type of conjunction is the coordinating conjunction, which “are words that join together other words or groups of words.” You can remember these by remembering the acronym FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, and So.
Meanwhile, a subordinating conjunction introduces a “subordinate clause” which is added to an independent clause to add information.
“He stood until they finished clapping,” for example, uses the word “until” to join two ideas together.
Correlative conjunctions
A correlative conjunction operates in much the same way as a coordinating or subordinate conjunction, except that they offer a counter or comparative analysis.
“They always occur as a pair of phrases, joining various sentence elements that should be treated as grammatically equal and given parallel structure,” states Grossmont College.
Examples of correlatives include:
- both…and
- neither…nor
- as much…as
- whether…or
- not only…but also
- as…as
- no sooner…than
Some examples in context:
- “We have been both mad and sad at seeing the decline in modern cinema.”
- They neither wanted help nor did they require comfort in these times.
- Whether you eat the food or starve, we are still paying the bill.
- Either we all do this together or we don’t do it at all.
- It was not only a voracious animal, but also a excessively violent monster.
Additional examples can be found here.
Conclusion
Much like most grammar lessons, the reason to learn these particular types of definitions and examples is to enrich your own writing, which will help you become a better writer.
Works cited
“Conjunctions.” Merriam-Webster. 2023. Merriam-Webster, Inc. Web. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conjunction
“Correlatives.” Grossmont College. 2023.
