Which part of speech connects words, phrases, or clauses?
APronoun
BAdjective
CConjunction
DAdverb
Answer:
C. Conjunction
Read Explanation:
Conjunctions: The Connectors of Language
- A conjunction is a word that serves to connect words, phrases, or clauses in a sentence. They are essential for creating complex sentences and showing the relationship between different parts of a statement.
- Types of Conjunctions:
- Coordinating Conjunctions: These connect grammatically equal elements. The most common coordinating conjunctions can be remembered with the acronym FANBOYS:
- For
- And
- Nor
- But
- Or
- Yet
- So
- Subordinating Conjunctions: These connect a dependent clause to an independent clause. They indicate a relationship of time, cause, condition, concession, or purpose. Examples include: after, although, as, because, before, if, since, so that, than, though, unless, until, when, whenever, where, wherever, while.
- Correlative Conjunctions: These work in pairs to connect elements in a sentence. Common pairs include: either...or, neither...nor, both...and, not only...but also, whether...or.
- Function in Sentences:
- Connecting Words: 'apples and oranges'
- Connecting Phrases: 'in the morning or in the evening'
- Connecting Clauses: 'She studied hard, but she didn't pass the exam.'
- Exam Relevance: Understanding conjunctions is crucial for sentence construction, identifying sentence types (simple, compound, complex), and for error detection questions that often involve incorrect conjunction usage or missing conjunctions.
Distinction from Prepositions
- It's important not to confuse conjunctions with prepositions. While both can introduce phrases, prepositions typically show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence, and they are followed by a noun or pronoun (the object of the preposition). For example, in 'The book is on the table', 'on' is a preposition showing location.