Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions are used to connect words, phrases, and clauses that are similar in structure and equal in importance.

What now? Okay. We've got this.

For example, you can use the coordinating conjunction and to connect a noun to another noun, but you can't use it to connect a noun to a clause. The two things you're connecting have to be equal. Conjunctions are brutally fair like that.

You have seven coordinating conjunctions at your disposal. Fortunately, we have a handy acronym that you can use to remember all seven: FANBOYS.
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So

Examples

"Trying to improve his passing game, Teddy studied game films of Dan Marino and John Elway."

In this leatherheaded example, and is a coordinating conjunction used to connect two equal nouns, Dan Marino and John Elway. They're equal as nouns, but not as actors. Dan Marino's commercials for Isotoner gloves are an acting tour de force.

"Rob tripped and fell over the ottoman."

Here, the conjunction and is used to connect two equal past tense verbs, tripped and fell. In the classic opening sequence of The Dick Van Dyke Show, Van Dyke famously tripped and fell over the living room's ottoman every week… except for when he didn't. Three versions of the show opener were filmed—including one where he doesn't stumble at all—and were randomly used throughout the show's last four seasons. Viewers at home would place bets about whether or not Van Dyke would wipe out.

"Greg got stuck in a traffic jam on his way to pick up Lisa from the hospital after her knee surgery, so she decided to just roll herself home in her wheelchair."

In this sentence, the coordinating conjunction so is used to connect two independent clauses. When you use a coordinating conjunction to connect two independent clauses like this, a comma always precedes the coordinating conjunction. This—hey presto!—creates a compound sentence.

Common mistakes

 

Short answer: yes.

(Sorry, English teachers—welcome to the 21st century.)

You most certainly can start a sentence with a coordinating conjunction—it's simply a matter of style and formality.

Let's take a few steps back.

Coordinating conjunctions join together other words, phrases, or clauses that have similar constructions. You can remember them using the acronym FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

These FANBOYS should look totally familiar to you, but starting a sentence with them? Maybe not so much.

However, if you are writing in an informal tone, starting a sentence with a coordinating conjunction is a useful means of drawing attention to a sentence and giving it a little more oomph. You don't want to overdo it, though, because it might sound like you're trying to deliver a punchline. But feel free to place one at the beginning of a sentence every now and again. See what we did there?

P.S. If your teacher disagrees with us, do whatever they tell you to do. And then send them to Shmoop for a life lesson in "common usage."

Short answer: no.

"Then why do I see a comma after but so much?" you ask.

"Because people are wrong," we answer. "And also because there's an exception."

Parenthetical elements are set off from the rest of the sentence with commas, like this:

"We baked a cake in the shape of a spider for the Halloween party. But, regardless of our time and dedication, the arachnid looked more like a misshapen black blob."

That side comment (regardless of our time and dedication) isn't an essential piece of the sentence puzzle, so there are commas around it. Because it comes right after but, the comma is… right after but.

But if there were no parenthetical information, there'd be no comma. Then it would look like this:

"We baked a cake in the shape of a spider for the Halloween party. But the arachnid looked more like a misshapen black blob."

No parenthetical information; no comma.

P.S. Don't get confused and completely eliminate the commas near but. When but is used to connect two independent clauses, you need it—before the but. Like this:

"We baked a cake in the shape of a spider for the Halloween party, but the arachnid looked more like a misshapen black blob."

 

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