Grammar Workshop

Coordinating and Correlative Conjunctions

What You’ll Learn:

• How to identify Coordinating and Correlating

Conjunctions in a sentence.

Why It’s Important:

• To further your understanding of Grammar and

Sentence Structure.

• So you will know how to identify Conjunctions and

Interjections.

Coordinating Conjunctions:

A Coordinating Conjunction connects words or phrases

in a sentence.

The words and, but, or, for, and nor are Coordinating

Conjunctions.

These Conjunctions can be used in several ways.For Example:

Rain or snow is expected tomorrow. (compound subject)

Floodwaters reached the levee and flowed over it.

(compound predicate)

Angel called to Carlos and Olivia. (compound object of the

preposition)

I can’t run fast, but I can run long distances. (compound sentence)

Correlative Conjunctions:

Correlative Conjunction are pairs of Conjunctions that

work together.

They include: both/and, either/or, neither/nor, and not

only/but also.

For Example:

Madeline not only plays hockey, but also teaches it to younger

students. (compound predicate)

Both you and your mother must go to the doctor on Tuesday.

(compound subject)

Frank had to either retake his driving test or let his brother

drive. (compound predicate)

The businessman gave the money to neither the bank nor the company. (compound object of the preposition)

Compound Subjects and Verb Agreement:

When a Compound Subject is combined with the Conjunction and it takes on a plural verb.

When a Compound Subject is combined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the nearest part of the subject.

Example: Wilma and Helga are class officers.

Example: Neither the boys nor Mr. Ferguson is afraid of the rapids.

Either the farmer or the cows were responsible for the

terrible smell.