A conjunction is a part of speech that is used to connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences.
The underlined words in the following examples are all conjunctions:
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- Nila and Sheela went to New Market.
- He felt disheartened and left the place.
- The man is intelligent but aggressive.
- Sanjoy or Ram will attend the ceremony.
- Either you or your brother has done the work.
- Neither he nor you came yesterday.
- Both Prome and Pushon did the work.
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Conjunctions are classified into two types: the coordinating conjunction and the subordinating conjunction.
a) Coordinating Conjunctions, also known as coordinators, coordinate or join two or more sentences, main clauses, words, or other parts of speech that are of the same syntactic importance. They are classified into four types: the cumulative conjunction, the alternative conjunction, the adversative conjunction, and the illative conjunction.
i) Cumulative Conjunction: and, both—- and, as well as, etc.
ii) Alternative Conjunction: and, both—- and, as well as, etc.
iii) Adversative Conjunction: but, yet, still, etc.
iv) Illative Conjunction: as, therefore Learn More about Illative Conjunction!
b) Subordinating conjunctions, also known as subordinators, join dependent clauses to independent clauses. They are classified into the following types:
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- Cause/ reason: Since, as, because.
- Purpose: Lest, so that, that.
- Condition: if, as if, in case, unless, whether…. or
- Effect: So…. that, such… as
- Concession: though, as, whoever, whenever
- Comparison: As, than, so…as, as…as
- Manner: as if, as though
- Time: Till, until, after, before, since, when, while, as long as, etc.
- Apposition: They said that he would come.
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