Coordination and Subordination
Joining two sentences with related ideas can make your writing less choppy.
In coordination, two sentences can be joined with a comma and a coordinating conjunction, a semicolon alone, or a semicolon and a conjunctive adverb.
| TWO SENTENCES |
|
| JOINED WITH A COMMA AND COORDINATING CONJUNCTION |
|
| COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS |
| for |
and |
nor |
but |
| or |
yet |
so |
|
| JOINED WITH A SEMICOLON ALONE |
|
| JOINED WITH A SEMICOLON AND A CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS |
|
| CONJUNCTIVE ADVERB |
|
|
| also |
however |
moreover |
| as a result |
in addition |
still |
| besides |
in fact |
then |
| furthermore |
instead |
therefore |
With subordination, you put a dependent word (such as after, although, because, or when) in front of one of the sentences, which then becomes a dependent clause and is no longer a complete sentence.
| TWO SENTENCES |
|
| JOINED THROUGH SUBORDINATION |
|
| JOINED THROUGH SUBORDINATION |
|
| SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS (DEPENDENT WORDS) |
| after |
if |
unless |
| although |
if only |
until |
| as |
now that |
when |
| as if |
once |
whenever |
| because |
since |
where |
| before |
so that |
while |
| even if/though |
