Master coordinating, subordinating, and correlative conjunctions with free interactive exercises -- clear rules, example sentences, and targeted practice.
Conjunctions are the glue of English: they join words, phrases, and clauses to create logical, flowing sentences. Without conjunctions, every idea would stand alone as a short, choppy statement. With them, you can express contrast ("I wanted to go, but it was raining"), cause ("She passed because she studied hard"), condition ("Call me if you need help"), and sequence ("First wash your hands, then sit down").
English has three main families of conjunction -- coordinating, subordinating, and correlative -- each with its own grammar rules and punctuation patterns. Learners at A2--B2 level regularly confuse connectors with similar meanings (although vs. despite, because vs. because of, so vs. so that). The exercises below build accurate conjunction use through gap-fill, multiple-choice, and error-correction formats.
There are exactly seven coordinating conjunctions in English, remembered with the acronym FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So. They join two independent clauses of equal grammatical weight. When a coordinating conjunction joins two complete sentences, use a comma before it.
| Conjunction | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | Addition | She speaks French and she reads Spanish. |
| but | Contrast | He trained hard, but he didn't win. |
| or | Alternative / choice | You can call or you can email. |
| nor | Negative alternative | She didn't call, nor did she write. |
| for | Reason (formal) | He left early, for he was tired. |
| yet | Surprising contrast | It was cold, yet the children played outside. |
| so | Result / consequence | It rained, so we cancelled the picnic. |
Key grammar rule: coordinating conjunctions join grammatically equal elements. "I like tea and coffee" (noun + noun). "She is kind but strict" (adjective + adjective). "He ran and she walked" (clause + clause). Do not use a comma when joining single words or short phrases -- only when joining two independent clauses.
Subordinating conjunctions introduce a dependent (subordinate) clause and attach it to a main clause. The dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence. Subordinating conjunctions carry meaning: they signal the relationship between the two clauses -- time, cause, condition, concession, purpose, or contrast.
Punctuation rule: when the subordinate clause comes first, use a comma after it. When it comes second (after the main clause), no comma is usually needed.
Common confusion: although vs. despite / in spite of. "Although" is a conjunction (followed by subject + verb): "Although he was tired, he kept working." "Despite" and "in spite of" are prepositions (followed by a noun or -ing form): "Despite being tired, he kept working." Mixing them ("Despite he was tired") is a very common B1/B2 error.
Similarly: because vs. because of. "Because" (conjunction) + clause: "She stayed home because she was ill." "Because of" (preposition) + noun: "She stayed home because of her illness."
Correlative conjunctions work in pairs. Each part of the pair must appear in the correct position, and the grammatical structure after each part must be parallel (same word class or clause type).
| Pair | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| both...and | Two affirmative items | Both the teacher and the students enjoyed the activity. |
| either...or | One of two choices | You can either call or send a message. |
| neither...nor | Two negatives | Neither the manager nor the staff agreed. |
| not only...but also | Emphasis / addition | She is not only intelligent but also hardworking. |
| whether...or | Alternative conditions | I'll go whether it rains or not. |
| as...as | Equal comparison | She runs as fast as her brother. |
Parallelism rule: the grammatical structure after each element of the pair must match. Incorrect: "She is not only intelligent but also works hard." Correct: "She is not only intelligent but also hardworking" (adjective + adjective) OR "She not only studies hard but also works part-time" (verb phrase + verb phrase).
Subject-verb agreement with correlatives: with "either...or" and "neither...nor", the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. "Neither the students nor the teacher was ready." "Neither the teacher nor the students were ready."
Several conjunction errors appear so frequently in learner writing that they deserve specific attention.
Fill in the correct conjunction to link clauses and ideas naturally.
Choose the correct conjunction from a dropdown in authentic sentences.
Multiple-choice questions covering coordinating, subordinating, and correlative conjunctions.
Identify whether conjunctions are used correctly or incorrectly in context.
Reorder jumbled clauses using the correct conjunction to form a logical sentence.
Drag coordinating and subordinating conjunctions into the correct gap in sentences.
Practise conjunction meanings and functions -- contrast, cause, condition, concession.
Match conjunction types to their example sentences and functions.
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Browse All ExercisesEnglish conjunctions fall into three families. Coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) join two independent clauses or grammatically equal elements of the same rank. Subordinating conjunctions (because, although, when, if, unless, while, after, before, since, until, so that, as long as, provided that, even though) introduce a dependent clause and attach it to a main clause -- the dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence. Correlative conjunctions work in pairs (both...and, either...or, neither...nor, not only...but also, whether...or) to link parallel structures. Each type has its own punctuation rules and grammatical requirements.
"Although" is a subordinating conjunction -- it must be followed by a full clause with a subject and verb: "Although she was tired, she finished the report." "Despite" and "in spite of" are prepositions -- they must be followed by a noun or an -ing verb form: "Despite her tiredness, she finished the report" / "Despite being tired, she finished." Using "although" with a noun ("Although her tiredness") or using "despite" with a clause ("Despite she was tired") are both grammatical errors. This conjunction vs. preposition distinction also applies to: because (conjunction) + clause / because of (preposition) + noun. Mixing these forms is one of the most frequent errors at B1 and B2 level.
FANBOYS is a memory aid for the seven coordinating conjunctions: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So. Each joins two independent clauses (or two grammatically equal elements) of the same rank, showing a specific relationship: "for" = reason (formal); "and" = addition; "nor" = negative alternative; "but" = contrast; "or" = choice/alternative; "yet" = surprising contrast; "so" = result. When joining two complete sentences, put a comma before the conjunction: "She studied hard, but she failed the exam." When joining single words or short phrases, no comma is needed: "I like tea and coffee."
The comma rules depend on the conjunction type. Coordinating conjunctions: use a comma before them when joining two independent clauses ("She wanted to stay, but she had to leave"), but not when joining single words or short phrases ("bread and butter"). Subordinating conjunctions: use a comma when the dependent clause comes first ("Because it rained, we stayed inside"), but usually no comma when it comes second ("We stayed inside because it rained"). Exception: contrast clauses (although, even though, whereas) sometimes take a comma even in second position for emphasis. Correlative conjunctions follow the standard clause punctuation rules -- no additional comma rules apply.
Correlative conjunctions are pairs that work together to link two parallel elements: both...and, either...or, neither...nor, not only...but also, whether...or, as...as. The key rule is parallelism: the grammatical structure after each part of the pair must match. Correct: "She is not only kind but also patient" (adjective + adjective). Incorrect: "She is not only kind but also works hard" (adjective + verb phrase). A second rule applies to subject-verb agreement: with "either...or" and "neither...nor", the verb agrees with the nearer subject -- "Neither the teacher nor the students were ready." "Neither the students nor the teacher was ready."
"So" (coordinating conjunction) introduces a result or consequence -- the main clause comes first, then the result follows: "It was cold, so we put on our coats." The focus is on what happened as a result. "So that" (subordinating conjunction of purpose) introduces the reason or goal behind an action: "We left early so that we could get good seats." The main clause describes the action; "so that" introduces the intended outcome. Test: can you ask "Why did they do it?" If yes, use "so that" (purpose). If the action happened first and the result followed naturally, use "so" (result). "In order to" and "in order that" are more formal alternatives to "so that".
Yes -- starting a sentence with "because" is grammatically correct, provided the dependent clause is followed by a main clause: "Because the road was flooded, the race was cancelled." What is not acceptable as a complete sentence is a "because" clause standing alone: "Because the road was flooded." This is a sentence fragment -- a dependent clause without a main clause. In informal writing and speech, sentence-initial "because" is common and natural. In formal academic writing, some style guides prefer to place the "because" clause second ("The race was cancelled because..."), but starting with it is not a grammatical error. A standalone "because" fragment is an error in all registers.
Both "while" and "whereas" can express contrast between two clauses, but they have different nuances. Whereas is used exclusively for direct contrast -- it highlights a difference between two facts and is more formal: "Whereas British English uses 'colour', American English uses 'color'." While has two meanings: (1) simultaneous time -- "She sang while she cooked"; (2) contrast (slightly less formal than whereas) -- "While I enjoy cities, I prefer the countryside." Because "while" is ambiguous, use "whereas" when you want to make contrast unambiguous in formal writing. In academic IELTS and Cambridge writing tasks, "whereas" is a safer contrast signal when a time meaning is not intended.
Conjunctive adverbs (however, therefore, moreover, nevertheless, consequently, furthermore, thus, hence) look like conjunctions but are grammatically different. True conjunctions join clauses within one sentence. Conjunctive adverbs are adverbs that connect ideas between two separate sentences or independent clauses separated by a semicolon. Incorrect (comma splice): "It rained, however we went out." Correct: "It rained. However, we went out." or "It rained; however, we went out." Conjunctive adverbs are usually followed by a comma and can move within the sentence: "We went out, however, despite the rain." Conjunctions cannot move position: "We went out but it rained" -- "but" cannot move to the end.
Yes -- conjunctions are central to multiple parts of IELTS and Cambridge exams. In IELTS Writing, Coherence and Cohesion (25% of the Writing score) is directly assessed on how well candidates use linking words and conjunctions to connect ideas. Overusing simple connectors ("and", "but", "so") or using them inaccurately lowers the band score. In Cambridge Use of English (FCE/CAE), gap-fill tasks frequently test conjunction choice -- particularly between similar connectors (although/despite/in spite of, because/because of, so/so that, while/whereas). In IELTS Speaking, using a variety of complex conjunctions (not only...but also, even though, provided that) contributes to the Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy scores. Practising conjunctions directly improves exam performance.