Conjunction facts for kids

Conjunctions are words which join phrases, clauses and sentences.

Conjunctions have three basic forms which are shown in the table below.

Form	Words	Sentences
Single Word	and, but, because, although, or, etc.	Do you want chips or cake?
Compound	provided that, as long as, in order that/to, etc.	You need to exercise in order to lose weight.
Correlative	both/and, either/or, neither/nor, not/but, not only/but also	Either Monday or Tuesday is fine. Not only should you eat fruit, but also vegetables.

Conjunctions also have two functions, as shown below.

Type	Function	Position	Example Sentences
Coordinating conjunctions	Join equal (independent) parts of a sentence.	Always come between the words/clauses that they join.	Jack and Jill went up the hill. The water was warm, but I didn't go swimming.
Subordinating conjunctions	Join subordinate clauses to main clauses.	Usually come at the beginning of subordinate clauses.	I went swimming although it was cold.

Although some people say it's not correct to use conjunctions at the beginning of a sentences, many famous writers do so.

See also