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Jon Tyson  |  Unsplash

A round of applause for conjunctions!

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While I spend a lot of time shortening clients’ sentences as well as my own, I also often combine two into one. Varying shorter sentences with longer ones introduces variety into our writing and tells readers about the relationships between different things. Of all the nine primary parts of speech, conjunctions are incredibly useful! They’re function words – they live to serve: to join, coordinate and contrast. Complete control of these beauties will totally transform our writing.

Coordinating conjunctions bring together words, phrases, clauses or sentences of equal standing without our having to change the original wordings. The seven most common ones are forandnorbutoryetso. Grammarly has grouped these into the handy acronym FANBOYS. In contrast, subordinating conjunctions join words, phrases, clauses or sentences of unequal standing.

Commas precede coordinating conjunctions when they join two independent clauses into a compound sentence, or when they join more than two elements in a series. While conjunctive adverbs are also transition words, they aren’t strong enough for just a comma; they’re used between a semicolon and a comma. For instance: There are many ways to compost at home; however, some are more time-consuming than others. (Grammarly). Alternatively, we could write: While there are many ways to compost at home, some are more time-consuming than others.

I often use yet instead of but. While consequently and therefore are often used without there being strong enough cause, I tend to use thus and to avoid henceFurther and also are similar to and, but with a stronger relationship to part one of the sentence or to the preceding sentence. I avoid furthermore and in addition, and I only use moreover when I’m out of options. I avoid indeed and in factNonetheless is similar to but. I avoid nevertheless, but I do like then.

Sources

Cambridge Dictionary: But.
The On-Campus Writing Lab (OWL), Purdue University: Conjunctions and coordination.
Grammarly: FANBOYS: Coordinating conjunctions. Updated 7 September 2023.