Conjunction for Class 4

What Do You Mean by Conjunctions?

Conjunctions are words that connect or join various sections of a phrase. They assist us in combining words, phrases, or clauses to form longer, more interesting sentences. Conjunctions serve as the adhesive that ties our sentences together. "FANBOYS" is a helpful acronym to remember the most common coordinating conjunctions in English which are: For, and, nor, but, or, yet and so.

For a better understanding, let’s look into some examples:

1. The Sun is shining and birds are singing.
2. Would he like pizza or pasta for dinner?
3. Susan was tired, although she finished her homework.
4. My father likes to read a book when it's raining outside.
5. What will happen if it rains tomorrow?
6. The Sun was setting, so it was time to return home.

Words like and, or, although, when, if and so are connecting words which are known as conjunctions and joining words.

Uses of Conjunctions

1. And

“And” is used to connect words within a sentence. For example: My mother is kind, smart, and funny.

2. Or

“Or” is used to present alternatives in the sentence. For example: She can have coffee or tea.

3. But

“But” is used to show the contrast between ideas. For example: I want to read a comic, but I don't have one.

4. When

“When” is used to identify the timing of the incident. For example: He called me when I was at the gym.

5. As

“As” is used to compare things. For example: He is as tall as her sister.

Types of Conjunctions

There are three types of conjunctions:

1. Coordinating Conjunctions

This type of conjunction is used to connect words, phrases, or clauses that have the same or comparable structure. The most common coordinating conjunctions are and, but, or, so, for, and nor.

Understand it briefly with some examples:

→ John likes to eat apples and bananas.
Here “and” connecting the two objects

→ She wanted to play outside, but it started raining.
Here “but” connects the two phrases.

2. Subordinating Conjunctions

This type of conjunction is used to connect an independent clause (a complete thought) to a dependent clause (an incomplete thought). They demonstrate a connection between two sentences, such as cause and effect, time, or condition. The most common coordinating conjunctions are because, if, although, when, while, since, and unless.

Let’s understand it briefly with some examples:

→ Kids will go to the park if it stops raining.
Here “if” demonstrates a condition .

→ Because it was cold, we stayed at home.
Here “because” demonstrates the reason.

3. Correlative Conjunctions

This type of conjunction appears in pairs and is used to connect related words, phrases, or clauses. The most common correlative conjunctions are either...or, neither...nor, both...and, not only...but also, and whether...or.

Understand it briefly with some examples:

→ She can either have a cupcake or a muffin for dessert.
Here “or” connects the related words.

→ Both my father and brother love to read fiction.
Here “and” connects the two persons.