Conjunctions

What are Conjunctions? 

• They are words which we use to join together words, phrases, or parts of sentences. 
• Top 3 popular conjunctions are: and, or, but 
• There are many more. 

Conjunctions are used: 

• To join words  

I want a pen and a notebook. 

• To join phrases together  

Do you want to go for the movies or  for the circus? 

•  To join parts of sentences together  

I called Julie on her phone, but she wasn’t answering.   

Some Common Conjunctions 

Conjunctions vs Prepositions 

Some words can be both conjunctions and prepositions.  

• Until, before, since, after, etc. 

Then how do we tell the difference? 

1. If the word is followed by a dependent or subordinating clause, then it is a conjunction.  
2. If the following words are objects, nouns or pronouns then it will be a preposition. Let us look at some examples. 

• Violet has been attending this school since January. 

Here ‘since’ is followed by a noun. Thus, it is a preposition in this case. 

• Violet has been having these nightmares since the accident. 

Here ‘since’ joins the independent and the dependent clauses of the sentence. So, it is a conjunction. 

• Lisa decided to stay until sunrise to go to the beach 

Here ‘until’ is followed by the noun ‘sunrise’. So, is a preposition. 

• Lisa will wait here until we complete the work. 

Here ‘until’ connects the subject of the sentence to its dependent clause. So, it is a conjunction.