Conjunctions

1.What are conjunctions?

Conjunctions are words that join two separate ideas, or clauses, into one sentence

Clause	Conjunction	Clause
I cooked some food	because	I was hungry

Conjunctions not only join two clauses together but they also tell us how the two clauses are related. Here are some examples:

Clause	Conjunction	Clause	Purpose
I bought wine	and	she bought cheese	addition
I was tired	but	happy to have arrived	contrast
Would you like tea	or	coffee?	alternative
We stopped	because	we were tired	cause
I’ll phone you	when	it arrives	time

and, but and or join two separate ideas and must go between them, other conjunctions can change position:

Conjunction	Sentence
although	Although he’s very poor he is still generous.
and	I like tea and coffee.
as	As I arrived it started to rain.
as	As you couldn’t make the meeting, I’ll tell you what happened.
because	He goes to the gym because he wants to keep fit.
but	I read books, but I don’t read fiction books.
either	I’m afraid Susan is busy and I can’t come either.
either	We can either go shopping or visit the museum.
even	She gossips about everyone, even her best friend.
even if	Take extra money on holiday even if you think you won’t need it.
even though	This film is very popular; even though, I don’t like it.
how	Do you know how to play chess?
however	They played very well, however, they lost the match.
if	If the sun shines, we can go to the beach.
in case	Take your phone with you just in case you get lost.
in spite of	He didn’t stop smoking in spite of the doctor’s advice.
neither	They didn’t enjoy themselves, and neither did I.
neither	Neither drinks nor food are permitted in this shop.
or	Do you like tea or coffee?
otherwise	Study hard for the test otherwise you’ll fail.
since	Since he’s lost his money, he’s lost his friends.
unless	You cannot stop smoking unless you really want to.
what	I don’t know what to say.
when	When you’re in town, give me a call.
whether	I’m going for a walk whether it rains or not.