Conjunction (grammar) - Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions, also called coordinators, are conjunctions that join two or more items of equal syntactic importance, such as words, main clauses, or sentences. In English the mnemonic acronym FANBOYS can be used to remember the coordinators for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. These are not the only coordinating conjunctions; various others are used, including "and nor" (British), "but nor" (British), "or nor" (British), "neither" ("They don't gamble; neither do they smoke"), "no more" ("They don't gamble; no more do they smoke"), and "only" ("I would go, only I don't have time").

Here are some examples of coordinating conjunctions in English and what they do:

• For presents a reason ("He is gambling with his health, for he has been smoking far too long.").
• And presents non-contrasting item(s) or idea(s) ("They gamble and they smoke.").
• Nor presents a non-contrasting negative idea ("They do not gamble nor do they smoke.").
• But presents a contrast or exception ("They gamble, but they don't smoke.").
• Or presents an alternative item or idea ("Every day they gamble or they smoke.").
• Yet presents a contrast or exception ("They gamble, yet they don't smoke.").
• So presents a consequence ("He gambled well last night so he smoked a cigar to celebrate.").