Kinds of Conjunctions:Worksheets for Students and Teachers

Conjunctions are joining words: they may join words, phrases, clauses and sentences. We have to use them when we speak or write. No doubt, when we read something or listen someone speaking, we come across many conjunctions. So they are important parts of speech, students should know them so that they can use them when they produce their own language.

Common practice in our country is that we never teach these parts of speech in depth. The most obvious outcome is that our students suffer in their academic life as well as their career.

Given below are four test worksheets which should be used after you have taught the concept of conjunction in depth. These test worksheets will make these conjunctions stick in the minds of students. This sticking is important because things which stick in our mind remain saved in our memory for longer periods of time.

Moreover, when students work on these tests after the concept has been taught in the class, they have to do a lot of thinking. This thinking helps in better learning and longer retention.

Conjunctions have three kinds:

coordinating conjunctions
subordinating conjunctions
correlative conjunctions

Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions join clause of equal rank--clause which can stand as independent sentence. They may also join words. Consider the example given below.

The sun is setting and we must hurry.

In the sentence given above and is a conjunction--it joins two clauses; both these clauses can be written as independent sentences.

Look at another example.

Pakistan and India are two great nations.

In this example and is once more a conjunction, but now it joins two nouns. Here are other frequently used coordinating conjunctions.

and

but

far

nor

yet

Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions join clauses of unequal rank--at least one of the clauses joined by subordinating conjunctions is independent clause and other clauses are dependent clauses. Consider the example sentence given below.

After the king has conquered the lands, he started the difficult work of consolidation.

Word after in the above sentence is a subordinating conjunction.

Some other commonly used subordinating conjunctions are:

unless

until

as long as

since

because

before

though

Correlative Conjunctions

Conjunction which come in pairs are called correlative conjunctions. Some of the most famous correlative conjunctions are:

not only-----but also

as-------as

so--------as

so---------that

hardly--------when

no sooner---------than

both------and

either------or

neither------nor

Now is the time to work on the worksheets given below. These sheets have sentences with conjunctions. Students are read the sentence and first find the conjunction and then tell the kind of conjunction by choosing from the options given and then record their answers like the one shown in the worksheet # 1. I believe once a student has worked out all the four sheets, concept will always stay in his mind.

For more test worksheets of this kind follow other posts on this blog page. Also comment how these worksheets help your students.