Coordinating Conjunctions
By: Erry Yulia Siahaan
1. Parallel Structure
Conjunctions can be used to connect words or phrases that have the same grammatical function in a sentence. In this case, the use of the conjunctions is called as "parallel structure" and the conjunctions for this pattern are "and", "but", "or", and "nor" that are usually called as "coordinating conjunctions".
Examples:
a. Sarah and her mother are going to their home country. (noun + and + noun)
b. Susan went to her office last Sunday and finished her duty. (verb + and + verb)
c. My friend is cooking Italian food and (is) watching the tutorial on television. (verb + and + verb). In this case, the second auxiliary ("is") can be omitted as it is the same with the first one).
d. This book is interesting but very thick. (addjective + but + adjective).
e. I like to go fishing or (to) swim during holidays. (infinitive + or + infinitive). In this case, the second "to" is usually omitted.
The parallel structure may contain more than two pairs. In a series, commas are used to separaate each unit. The last comma that precedes the conjunction is optional, so it is also correct to rewrite the sentence like this:
f. I, my mother, and Susy are going abroad.
g. My father fought in the war towards Indonesia Independence, got medals, and was burried in National Heroes Memorial Park in Kalibata, Jakarta.
h. My father was kind, smart, humble, and generous.
The last comma that precedes the conjunction is optional, so it is also correct to rewrite the sentence like this:
f. I, my mother and Susy are going abroad.
g. My father fought in the war towards Indonesia Independence, got medals and was burried in National Heroes Memorial Park in Kalibata, Jakarta.
h. My father was kind, smart, humble and generous.
If there are only two words combined, there is no need to use comma. This is incorrect example:
My mother, and I are happy receiving the invitation.
2. Paired Conjunctions
Paired conjunctions consist of two words or phrases that help make a point or establish alternatives. Although paired conjunctions can be helpful in structuring a sentence, they can also make sentences wordier than necessary, so use these conjunctions sparingly.
a. both…and
- The project will require significant investments of both time and money.
- Both the students and the teachers were satisfied with the pilot program.
Note: When two subjects are connected by "both…and," use a plural verb (such as "are" or "were").
b. not only…but also
- Students who did not complete the assignment received not only a poor grade but also a warning from the teacher.
- Not only did the student include full sentences from the source without using quotation marks, but he also failed to properly cite paraphrased material.
c. either…or
- Either the students were unprepared or the assessment was poorly written.
- Participants in the survey could either choose from a list of possible answers or write in their own responses.
d. neither…nor
- Students who did not complete the project received neither praise nor rewards.
- The staff neither followed the new policy nor asked for clarification.
3. Combining Independent Clauses
The use of Coordinating Conjunctions is possible whether to combine two complete sentences or not.
The use of the conjunctions in combining two independent clauses that are complete sentences can be seen as example below:
a. I am very happy. I am shouting "hooray" and clapping hands.
The punctuation that used here (to separate the two clauses) is a period, not a comma. This will be incorrect if written like this:
a. I am very happy, I am shouting "hooray" and clapping hands.
This incorrect sentence is also called as "a run-on sentence".
A conjunction may be used to connect two independent clauses like these:
b. I am very happy, and I am shouting "hooray" and clapping hands.
c. I am very happy, shouting "hooray", and clapping hands.
d. I am very happy. And I am shouting "hooray" and clapping hands.
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