Parts of Speech: 4. Conjunctions, the Joiners-Together

Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here today to join together . . . two words or clauses. . . . 

The word conjunction comes from two Latin words meaning “to join” and “with.” Conjunctions—words like and, or, but, and because—are connectors, and Ms. Picky has referred to them peripherally before, in her post “The Proper Splicing Tools.”

There are three categories of conjunctions: coordinate, subordinate, and correlative. . . .

Coordinate Conjunctions

Coordinate conjunctions join together either two words or two independent clauses. Some coordinate conjunctions are and, or, but, and yet.

Joining two words:

He bought a limited partnership and a business development company.

Joining two independent clauses:

She sold one telecom stock, but she bought another one.

A Warning about “So”: 
Although many people consider so to be a coordinate conjunction, it is not a conjunction at all. “So” really means “thus,” or “for this reason,” or “in this way,” and is usually an adverb.  It is perfectly legitimate to use so between two independent clauses, but, since it is not itself a conjunction, such use still requires a conjunction:

Incorrect:

The hurricane was raging, so we spent the day catching up on our reading.

Correct:

The hurricane was raging, and so we spent the day catching up on our reading.

Subordinate Conjunctions

Subordinate conjunctions join together a main, or independent, clause and a dependent, or subordinate, clause. Some coordinate conjunctions are after, although, because, before, if, lest, since, unless, until, when, whenever, where, wherever, and while.

Example:

He would not consider buying that stock, because it had no growth potential.

The clause “because it had no growth potential” is a subordinate clause; it cannot stand on its own. A subordinate conjunction [because] is required to join together two such unequal clauses.

Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions that work together to correlate two items or concepts, either single words or clauses. Some correlative conjunctions are either/or, neither/nor, and not only/but also. (Yes, “or” was referred to above as a “coordinate conjunction,” and so it is when used without “either.” Used with “either,” it is correlative.)

Example of Correlative Conjunction Joining Two words:

Celeste wanted neither the flan nor the tarte tatin.

Example of Correlative Conjunctions Joining Two Clauses:

Witherspoon decided either he would reach K2, or he would die trying.

It was not only that he stood to make money on the deal, but also that the project appealed to him on a personal level. 

(If you now know everything you always wanted to know about conjunctions, just say, “I do.”* You may kiss anyone you like.)

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*But if you still have questions, please email Ms. Picky, and she will be glad to explain further.

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Bulletin Board

To E.P.: 

One does not pour over a book. One might pour a cup of tea, but, if one is concentrating on a book, one pores over it.

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Journalism Wall of Shame

The Journalism Wall of Shame displays errors in grammar, punctuation, or language that have appeared recently in the press. Submissions are welcome. Please include the publication's name and date, the story title, and the reporter's name. The publication of these errors in no way places blame for them on a particular person. Sometimes it is the reporter, sometimes the editor, sometimes the headline writer, but—somewhere in the system—somebody should have known better.

“In particular, Professor Sylla said that the ratings agencies could be forced to stop making their money off the entities they rate and instead charge investors who use the ratings.”

—“US Inquiry Eyes S&P Ratings of Mortgages,” by Louise Story, New York Times, Wednesday, August 17, 2011

This might be a new low for the Times. One doesn’t “make money off” something; one makes money from something.

* * * *

“The last thing they want to do right now is make it appear as if their [sic] changing their stripes with Steve resigning as CEO,” he said in an e-mail. “Steve is still chairman.”

— “Apple Without CEO Jobs Gives Cook $28 Billion to Deal: Real M&A,” reported by Danielle Kucera and Rita Nazareth; edited by Daniel Hauck and Katherine Snyder, Bloomberg.com, August 26, 2011

Ms. Picky can only imagine that using the possessive pronoun “their” for the contraction “they’re” was a typo of the brain. It happens. That said, there were four of you on this project—were you all asleep at the switch?

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