CHAPTER IX

CONJUNCTIONS

452. Conjunctions are words whose chief office is to connect clauses or sentences.

453. Independent conjunctions. A pure or independent conjunction, like and, does nothing but connect. (And can connect words, or phrases, or clauses, or sentences.) There are about a dozen pure conjunctions - fourteen, as we shall reckon them. These divide into four groups: the and group, the but group, the so group, and the either group.

The and group: and, also, moreover, besides.
The but group: but, yet, still, nevertheless.
The so group: so, therefore, consequently.
The either group: either, or; neither, nor.

Independent conjunctions join things that are spoken of as equally important :

1. Blue and green are both colors.

2. Either this book or that will do.

All independent conjunctions (except the either group) may connect sentences. We saw

this in our study of what a sentence is (197– 230). A statement beginning with an independent conjunction may stand as a sentence.

1. It rained. And, what was worse, it blew.

2. It rained.
3. It rained.

4. It rained.

5. It rained.

6. It rained.
7. It rained.

8. It rained.

9. It rained.

10. It rained.

Also it blew.

Moreover it blew.

Besides, it blew.

But the rain did not prevent our trip.
Yet the rain did not prevent our trip.
Nevertheless we went.

So we gave up the trip.
Therefore we decided to wait.
Consequently we deferred the trip.

454. We must not forget to insert a comma or a period before and, but, so, and or, when these words begin statements.

A semicolon means about the same as a period (290). Review sections 284 to 295.

455. Correct use of or and nor. neither nor are used in pairs.

nor when not or never precedes.

456. PRACTISE EXERCISE. Supply or or nor according to the construction.

1. Neither Monday, Tuesday,

Wednesday was

pleasant. 2. I could not like the first, the second, the third. 3. There wasn't a bush

a tree for miles

around. 4. They did not say that there wasn't a bush

mer,

tea

a tree for miles around. 5. I couldn't find the ham-
the saw.
6. He never drinks

the nails, coffee.

457. Correct position of either and neither. In using either or care should be taken to connect nouns with nouns, verbs with verbs, etc. Either should be placed directly before the word or phrase which is to be contrasted with another. The same principle holds in the case of neither.

458. PRACTISE EXERCISE.

Insert the con

junctions either and neither correctly.

1. John went, nor Henry. 2. He ate fish, flesh, nor fowl. 3. I see a floating barrel or a man in the water. 4. He will win first place or second. 5. He sees a partridge or a red squirrel. 6. He will go nor send. 7. He hopes to win or else to fail honorably.

459. Dependent conjunctions. Dependent conjunctions are such words as if and because. They do not connect sentences. They connect two clauses within a sentence. When a dependent conjunction begins a sentence, we know there are to be two clauses, the first depending on the second.

The chief dependent conjunctions have already been treated in sections 231 to 245. It

was there shown that they turn any statement into a mere part of a sentence.

The dependent conjunctions may be arranged in seven groups, as partly shown in section 232. These may be called the where group, the when group, the because group, the if group, the although group, the so that group, and the whether group.

1. The where group: where, wherever, wherein.

2. The when group: when, whenever, while, before, after, since, until, just as, as soon as, as long as.

3. The because group: because, for, as, since, inasmuch as, as long as.

4. The if group: if, unless, provided, provided that, except.

5. The although group: although, though, even if, granting.

6. The so that group: so that, in order that, that. 7. The whether group: whether, if.

Dependent clauses are always parts of sentences, and sometimes we use them as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.

5. He asked if it was so.

6. He asked when we went.
7. He knows where we went.

8. I don't doubt that it is so.1

Noun-clauses are usually objects of verbs of asking, telling, or thinking. Noun-clauses after verbs that ask are called indirect questions. Indirect questions begin with whether, if, when, where, who, which, or what (366). Noun-clauses after verbs of telling or thinking are indirect statements.

461. Adjective-clauses. Where and wherein may begin clauses that modify nouns. Compare 367.

1. I remember the house where I was born.

2. This is the book wherein the quotation was found.

462. Adverb-clauses.

Nearly all dependent conjunctions can begin clauses that are adverbial.

1. Where love is strong, faults seem few.
2. The soldier fell where he stood.

In two sentences like

The soldier died because of his bravery,
The soldier died because he was brave,

1 Avoid saying I don't doubt but what.

But what means

except what (437). Say I don't doubt but that, or I don't doubt that.