Coordinating Conjunctions

For Intermediate learners

Coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses of equal importance. Examples include "and," "but," "or," "nor," "for," "so," and "yet."

"Coordinating Conjunctions" in English Grammar

What Are Coordinating Conjunctions?

Coordinating conjunctions link two parts of a sentence that are equal in terms of importance and structure. For example, both parts might be nouns, adjectives, or independent clauses.

Main Coordinating Conjunctions

The following is a list of the most commonly used coordinating conjunctions of English:

And
Or
But
So
Yet

Coordinating Conjunctions: Function

These coordinating conjunctions can be used to link clauses, words, and phrases together. Look at some examples:

I had a bottle of water and a can of soda.

Is it a cat or a dog?

And

And is used to add a word, phrase, or clause to another. For example:

My best friend and her friend came to our house.

I have to shower and change.

Or

Or is used to name two or more choices. It shows two or more possibilities or options. Check these examples out:

I don’t like tea or coffee.

I want to buy some shirts or some shoes.

Tip!

After the negative form of a verb, we use 'or' instead of and. Compare the examples:

I want books and pens.

I don't want books or pens.

But

We use but to connect two ideas that contrast. For example:

She'd nervous but confident.

So

We use 'so' to express a result. For example:

She didn’t come, so I went alone.

He didn’t have any money, so he didn’t buy a car.

Tip!

We can only use 'so' to join two independent clauses not phrases. For example:

They had an exam, so they didn’t go to the party.

Yet

We use the conjunction 'yet' to express contrast and indicate a change in expectation or result. It can be used to mean 'but' or 'nevertheless'. It shows contrast. For example:

They got into a lot of fights, yet they stayed married.

He is a rich, yet stingy person.

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What Are Coordinating Conjunctions?
Main Coordinating Conjunctions
Coordinating Conjunctions: Function
And
Or
But
So
Yet

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