Conjunctions are words that join sentences, clauses, or other singular words together. A conjunction is a type of connective (a term for any word that connects bits of text). In this case, conjunctions are used in order to link two parts of a sentence together, so you might like to think of conjunctions as a bridge.
Conjunctions are different in every language, with English varying from conjunctions that you'll come across in other languages.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about different types of connectives, their definitions, their place in sentences, and how to teach your students to confidently use connectives in their sentences.
This is just one of our many English grammar Twinkl Teaching Wikis available to you here. Why not also check out our handy guide to connectives?
Without conjunction words, you’d be forced to express every complex idea in a series of short, simple sentences:
- I like cooking.
- I like eating.
- I don’t like washing dishes afterwards.
Instead, conjunction words allow us to create longer, more complex sentences that better express our intent. It can also help our speech and writing flow more smoothly, which will make it more interesting to listen to and read.
This is why it's important to teach lessons on conjunctions for kids in primary school. Not only will they be able to grasp more about the building blocks of language, but they'll be able to enjoy writing more.
What are the different types of conjunctions?
They may often be small words, but conjunctions are highly functional and very important for constructing sentences. For example, did you notice that the coordinating conjunctions just now were used to link different parts of that first sentence?
Now that we know what a conjunction is, it's time to learn more about the different types of conjunctions that young learners will come across in the classroom.
Since they serve such an important role, it may not come as a surprise that there are distinct types of conjunctions used in sentences. There are four primary forms of conjunctions, including:
- coordinating conjunctions
- correlative conjunctions
- subordinate conjunctions
- conjunctive adverbs
Each of these four types of conjunctions serves a different purpose in English grammar.
Coordinating Conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions are used to link together two parts of a sentence that are both of equal importance. Coordinating conjunctions serve a very large function. They connect sweeping ideas together, forming cohesive, comprehensive ideas.
There are seven different coordinating conjunctions that are particularly common. These are:
- for
- and
- nor
- but
- or
- yet
- so
When using this type of conjunction, you should place the coordinating conjunction is placed between words, phrases, clauses, or sentences of equal rank.
Here are some examples of coordinating conjunctions being used in sentences:
- "I had a shower and brushed my teeth."
- "He is not very sporty, nor is he very bright."
- "Would you prefer cereal or toast?"
- "I went to bed very late, so I am very tired today."
Children are often taught to remember these seven conjunction words by using the mnemonic device FANBOYS
