19 | Coordination and Subordination
19|Coordination and Subordination
A conjunction is a linking word that connects words or groups of words through coordination or subordination (see 1g).
Coordination and subordination can use conjunctions to specify relationships between ideas. Coordination connects thoughts of equal importance; subordination shows how one thought affects another.
19aUse coordination to join clauses or sentences that are related in theme and equal in importance.
A clause is a group of related words that includes both a subject and a verb (see 4a).
The car skidded for a hundred yards. It crashed into a brick wall.
These two clauses make equally significant statements about the same subject, a car accident. Because the writer has not linked the sentences, we can only guess that the crash followed from the skid.
Coordinating conjunctions join elements with equal or near-equal importance.
The car skidded for a hundred yards, and it crashed into a brick wall.
Now the sequence is clear: first the car skidded; then it crashed. That’s coordination. There are three main ways to join clauses using coordination.
For a list of common conjunctive adverbs, see 19c.
For more on semicolons and colons, see 30 and 31.
Join two main clauses with a comma and a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
Join two main clauses with a semicolon and a conjunctive adverb. Conjunctive adverbs show relationships such as addition, comparison, contrast, emphasis, cause and effect, or time.
Join two main clauses with a semicolon or a colon.
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19bCoordinate clauses only if they are clearly and logically related.
Whenever you hitch together two sentences, make sure they get along. Will the relationship between them be evident to your readers?
| FAULTY | The sportscasters were surprised by Easy Goer’s failure to win the Kentucky Derby, but it rained on derby day. |
Readers need enough information to see why two clauses are connected.
| COORDINATED | The sportscasters were surprised by Easy Goer’s failure to win the Kentucky Derby; however, he runs poorly on a muddy track, and it rained on derby day. |
Choose a coordinating conjunction, conjunctive adverb, or punctuation mark that accurately reflects this relationship.
19cCoordinate clauses only if they work together to make a coherent point.
When a writer strings together several clauses in a row, often the result is excessive coordination. Packing too much information into a single sentence can make readers dizzy, unable to pick out which points really matter. Each key idea deserves its own sentence so readers see its importance.
Coordinating Words at a Glance
Coordinating Conjunctions
and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet
Common Conjunctive Adverbs
| accordingly | finally | likewise | otherwise |
| also | furthermore | meanwhile | similarly |
| anyway | hence | moreover | still |
| as | however | nevertheless | then |
| besides | incidentally | next | therefore |
| certainly | indeed | nonetheless | thus |
| consequently | instead | now | undoubtedly |
| EXCESSIVE | Easy Goer was the Kentucky Derby favorite, and all the sportscasters expected him to win, but he runs poorly on a muddy track, and it rained on derby day, so Sunday Silence beat him. |
| REVISED | Easy Goer was the Kentucky Derby favorite, and all the sportscasters expected him to win. However, he runs poorly on a muddy track, and it rained on derby day. Therefore, Sunday Silence beat him. |
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Excessive coordination may result from repeating the same conjunction.
| EXCESSIVE | Phil was out of the house all day, so he didn’t know about the rain, so he went ahead and bet on Easy Goer, so he lost twenty bucks, so now he wants to borrow money from me. |
| REVISED | Phil was out of the house all day, so he didn’t know about the rain. He went ahead and bet on Easy Goer, and he lost twenty bucks. Now he wants to borrow money from me. |
EXERCISE 19-1 Using Coordination
Revise the following sentences, adding coordination where appropriate and removing faulty or excessive coordination. Example:
Professional poker players try to win money and prizes in high-stakes tournaments. They may lose thousands of dollars.
Poker is not an easy way to make a living. Playing professional poker is not a good way to relax.
A good “poker face” reveals no emotions. Communicating too much information puts a player at a disadvantage.
Hidden feelings may come out in unconscious movements. An expert poker player watches other players carefully.
Poker is different from most other casino gambling games, for it requires skill and it forces players to compete against each other, and other casino gambling pits players against the house, so they may win out of sheer luck, but skill has little to do with winning those games.
The rebels may take the capital in a week. They may not be able to hold it.
If you want to take Spanish this semester, you have only one choice. You must sign up for the 8 a.m. course.
Peterson’s Market has raised its prices. Last week tuna fish cost $1.29 a can. Now it’s up to $1.59.
Joe starts the morning with a cup of coffee, which wakes him up, and then at lunch he eats a chocolate bar, so that the sugar and caffeine will bring up his energy level.
The Hindenburg drifted peacefully over New York City. It exploded just before landing.
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19dSubordinate less important ideas.
For a list of subordinating words, see 19e.
Subordination is extremely useful because it shows your readers the relative importance of ideas, how one follows from another or affects another. You stress what counts, thereby encouraging your readers to share your viewpoint. You can subordinate one sentence to another in either of the following ways.
Turn the less important idea into a subordinate clause by introducing it with a subordinating conjunction such as because, if, or when.
Jason has a keen sense of humor. He has an obnoxious, braying laugh.
A main clause is a group of words that has both a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a complete sentence (see 4a).
From those sentences, readers don’t know what to feel about Jason. Is he likable or repellent? The writer needs to show which trait matters more.
Although Jason has a keen sense of humor, he has an obnoxious, braying laugh.
A relative pronoun is a pronoun that opens a subordinate clause and modifies a noun or pronoun in another clause (see 1b).
This revision makes Jason’s sense of humor less important than his annoying hee-haw. The less important idea is stated as a subordinate clause opening with Although; the more important idea is stated as the main clause.
The writer could reverse the meaning by combining the other way:
Although Jason has an obnoxious, braying laugh, he has a keen sense of humor.
That version makes Jason sound fun to be with, despite his mannerism.
Which of Jason’s traits to emphasize is up to the writer. What matters is that, in both combined versions, the writer takes a clear stand by making one sentence a main clause and the other a subordinate clause.
Turn the less important idea into a subordinate clause by introducing it with a relative pronoun such as who, which, or that.
Jason, who has an obnoxious, braying laugh, has a keen sense of humor.
Jason, whose sense of humor is keen, has an obnoxious, braying laugh.
19eExpress the more important idea in the main clause.
Sometimes a writer accidentally subordinates a more important idea to a less important one and turns the sentence’s meaning upside down.
| FAULTY SUBORDINATION | Although the heroism of the Allied troops on D-Day lives on in spirit, many of the World War II soldiers who invaded Normandy are dead now. |
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Subordinating Words at a Glance
Common Subordinating Conjunctions
| after | before | since | until |
| although | even though | so | when |
| as | how | so that | whenever |
| as if | if | than | where |
| as soon as | in order that | that | wherever |
| as though | once | though | while |
| because | rather than | unless | why |
Relative Pronouns
| that, which | what | who | whom |
| whose | whatever | whoever | whomever |
Guidelines for Multilingual Writers
What’s the Difference between Prepositions and Conjunctions?
Prepositions and conjunctions may seem similar, but they have different functions in a sentence. To make things even more confusing, some words, such as but, for, after, and until, can work as either a conjunction or a preposition. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Coordinating conjunctions join words, phrases, or clauses.
WORDS: Jacob excels at English, history, and French.
PHRASES: Cats enjoy sleeping in the daytime but creeping around at night.
CLAUSES: Alicia is taking many science classes, for she wants to become a doctor.
Subordinating conjunctions come at the beginning of a clause, giving that clause less emphasis than the main clause in the sentence. Remember that all clauses have a subject and a verb.
After she finished the book, Deanne began writing a summary.
The bus driver stayed with the student until the ambulance arrived.
Prepositions introduce short phrases that consist of the preposition, a noun (the object of the preposition), and any articles or adjectives. Note that prepositional phrases do not contain subjects or verbs.
After Thanksgiving dinner, Carla always takes a long walk around the neighborhood.
On New Year’s Eve, everyone but Isadora stayed awake until midnight.
We waited for the package, but it never came.
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This sentence is accurate. Does the writer, however, want to stress death over life? This is the effect of putting are dead now in the main clause and lives on in the subordinate clause. Instead, the writer can reverse the two.
| REVISED | Although many of the World War II soldiers who invaded Normandy are dead now, the heroism of the Allied troops on D-Day lives on in spirit. |
19fLimit the number of subordinate clauses in a sentence.
A subordinate clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone because it depends on a main clause to help it make sense (see 4a and 19d).
Excessive subordination strings too many ideas together without helping readers pick out what matters.
EXERCISE 19-2 Using Subordination
Revise the following sentences, adding subordination where appropriate and removing faulty or excessive subordination where appropriate. Example:
The average cost of a single-family home in the United States is over $275,000. It costs less than one-tenth of that to build a tiny house.
American homes average about 2,500 square feet. They have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a garage for two or more cars.
A tiny house is between 100 and 400 square feet. It enables simpler living in a smaller, more efficient space.
Tiny houses come in all shapes, sizes, and forms. They are much more customizable than traditional mobile homes.
The tiny house movement, which people are joining for many reasons, is popular because people who want to be environmentally conscious can build a tiny house so that they will have fewer financial concerns once they build the house, which will give them more time and freedom.
We may not realize it. Dozens of books are banned every year in schools, classrooms, and libraries.
Some communities feel that books contain dangerous themes and inappropriate language. They want to prevent children and teens from gaining access to them.
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Young adult books such as the Twilight and Harry Potter series focus on what some people consider to be satanic or occult themes. These are often targeted by censorship groups.
Books could be made available only to the appropriate age group. They would not need to be banned.
If people who want to ban classics such as The Grapes of Wrath and To Kill a Mockingbird had actually read those books, they would realize that, although they may contain strong themes and language, their overall message is positive.