CONNECTORS AND PUNCTUATION

 

There are five types of connectors (words which connect grammatical structures):

1) coordinating conjunctions                2) correlative conjunctions

3) subordinating conjunctions   4) conjunctive adverbs

5) relative pronouns

 

1) The coordinating conjunctions are:

and     but       nor       or         so        yet

 

The coordinating conjunctions are used to connect parallel structures (structures which are grammatically equivalent).

 

Examples of the correct use of parallel structure:

He lost his job and his mind.  ("his job" and "his mind" are both noun phrases)

The hunter cooked and ate a rabbit.  ("cooked" and "ate" are both verbs)

The meat was tender and juicy. ("tender" and "juicy" are both adjectives)

Did you see his picture in the newspaper or on television? ("in the

 newspaper" and "on television" are both prepositional phrases)

 

Examples of incorrect usage:

I will use the money to buy a car and for my education. (this is incorrect

because "to buy a car" is an infinitive phrase, but "for my education" is a

prepositional phrase.  A correct way to write this sentence would be:

I will use the money to buy a car and to pay for my education.)

 

When a coordinating conjunction connects two independent clauses, a comma is placed before the conjunction (unless the two clauses express a single concept).

 

Ex.:      There are numerous signs indicating that the polar ice caps are melting, and

most scientists believe this process will accelerate in the future.

 

but:      He sleeps all day and he drinks all night. (the comma is omitted because the

clauses express a single idea or impression)

 

When coordinating conjunctions connect more than two sentences, a comma is usually placed before each conjunction.

 

Ex.:      The work didn't pay very well, nor did it give me any personal satisfaction, so

I quit. (Note:NOR requires inversion when it introduces an independent clause).

 

In a list of items, one of the coordinating conjunctions and/nor/or is used to introduce the last element.  There is a debate as to whether it is correct to insert or not to insert a comma before the last item (a "serial comma").  It is safer to put in the comma in order to avoid ambiguity (unless two items are considered a unit - e.g. salt and pepper)

 

Ex.:      The shoreline was dotted with huge rocks, rotting logs, and fishermen.

(If we write ...huge rocks, rotting logs and fishermen, it might imply that the

fishermen were rotting).