Business English at Work

© 2003 Glencoe/McGraw-Hill

Conjunctions

Identify clauses and sentences.

Objectives

correctly.

Use subordinating conjunctions and conjunctive adverbs correctly.

Use correct punctuation in sentences containing coordinating, correlative, or subordinating conjunctions or conjunctive adverbs.

continued Business English at Work PP 15-1a

Conjunctions

continued

Identify correct parallel structure in sentences.

Objectives

prepositions.

Use commonly confused conjunction expressions correctly.

Business English at Work PP 15-1b

Conjunctions Independent Clauses

An

independent clause

(or main clause) can stand alone as a complete sentence. A clause has a complete subject and predicate.

Proper nutrition helps stabilize your moods.

Stress is emotional tension caused by everyday events in our lives.

Business English at Work PP 15-2

Conjunctions Dependent Clause

A

dependent clause

(or subordinate clause) also contains a subject and a predicate; however, a dependent clause is not a complete sentence and cannot stand alone.

A dependent clause requires an independent clause to make sense. A dependent clause may appear before or after an independent clause.

Business English at Work PP 15-3a

Conjunctions

continued

Dependent Clause

Examples

Before Vivian leaves work for the day, she organizes her desk.

Judi recommends exercising after a stressful day.

Business English at Work PP 15-3b

Conjunctions Types of Sentences

Simple Compound Complex Compound-Complex

Business English at Work PP 15-4

Conjunctions Simple Sentence

A simple sentence consists of one complete subject and one complete predicate. The subject, the predicate, or both may be compound.

Audrey had a demanding day at work.

Audrey and Bruce work in the same office.

Business English at Work PP 15-5

Conjunctions Compound Sentence

A compound sentence consists of two simple independent clauses connected by a conjunction such as

or, and, nor,

or

but

.

Audrey had a demanding day at work, but she is looking forward to having dinner with friends.

Anger is meant to intimidate other people, and this often appears to be true.

Business English at Work PP 15-6

Conjunctions Complex Sentence

A complex sentence contains an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.

If you have been a victim in the downsizing of a company, you have experienced stress.

Business English at Work PP 15-7

Conjunctions Compound-Complex Sentence

A compound-complex sentence contains more than one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.

Relaxation techniques help reverse coronary disease; however, since this beneficial health information is not widely publicized, not all doctors know about this philosophy of health care.

Business English at Work PP 15-8

Conjunctions Coordinating Conjunctions

Join words, phrases, or clauses that are equal in grammatical construction and importance.

and or but nor

Insert a comma before a coordinating conjunction that separates two independent clauses.

Business English at Work PP 15-9a

Conjunctions

continued

Coordinating Conjunctions

Use

but

to express a contrasting idea.

Home-based business owners usually enjoy their work, but they can become the victims of burnout.

Use

and

to show an addition.

Your thoughts and reactions to events can influence your health.

Use

or

to indicate a choice.

Lee copes with stress by meditating or by making jokes about difficult situations.

Business English at Work PP 15-9b

Conjunctions

continued

Coordinating Conjunctions

Use

nor

to make a second choice negative.

Liz and Tony did not agree on the topics for the stress management workshop, nor did they agree on the speakers.

Business English at Work PP 15-9c

Conjunctions

continued

Coordinating Conjunctions

Do not use a comma before a coordinating conjunction that links two words or phrases.

Relaxation can inject happiness and fulfillment into your daily routine.

Do not use a comma before a conjunction if the material following the conjunction is not a complete sentence.

Losing your temper may get attention but usually makes the situation worse.

Business English at Work PP 15-9d

Conjunctions

continued

Coordinating Conjunctions

Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses in a series.

Include a comma before the coordinating conjunction.

Ways to reduce stress include yoga, meditation, and exercise.

Do not place a comma after the last item in a series.

Joanne usually chooses soup, salad, or a pasta dish for lunch.

Business English at Work PP 15-9e

Conjunctions Correlative Conjunctions

Join words, phrases, and sentences of equal importance.

Appear in pairs, and both parts receive the same attention.

both/and either/or whether/or neither/nor not only/but also

Business English at Work PP 15-10a

Conjunctions Correlative Conjunctions

Examples

Either Bernice or Lauren determines the work schedule.

The speaker not only described the benefits of laughter but also related some personal stories to illustrate her point.

Business English at Work PP 15-10b

Conjunctions Subordinating Conjunctions

Introduce a dependent clause and link it to an independent clause.

Use a subordinating conjunction to introduce a dependent clause.

Place the comma after a dependent clause that begins a sentence.

Whenever Lynn has a break, she takes a walk around the block.

Business English at Work PP 15-11a

Conjunctions

continued

Subordinating Conjunctions

Generally, do not use a comma before a dependent clause that appears at the end of a sentence.

Our company hired Jack because he has strong conflict resolution skills.

Business English at Work PP 15-11b

Conjunctions Conjunctive Adverbs

Show the relationship between two independent clauses of equal weight. The words are adverbs, but they also function as connectors.

Use a semicolon before a conjunctive adverb when it joins two independent clauses.

Use a comma after a conjunctive adverb of two or more syllables.

Business English at Work PP 15-12a

Conjunctions

continued

Conjunctive Adverbs

consequently furthermore hence however likewise otherwise therefore

Business English at Work

indeed moreover similarly thus instead nevertheless still

PP 15-12b

Conjunctions

continued

Conjunctive Adverbs

Examples

Exercise can reduce lower-back pain; nevertheless, you should see a doctor before beginning an exercise program.

Chris and I planned to eat lunch together; instead, I ate a sandwich at my desk.

I felt isolated and stressed working at home; therefore, I requested a transfer to a local branch office.

Business English at Work PP 15-12c

Conjunctions Parallelism

Parallelism is the linking together of similar grammatical parts in a sentence.

To have parallel sentence structure, similar constructions should be connected such as nouns to other nouns, verbs to other verbs, or clauses to other clauses.

Coordinating conjunctions or correlative conjunctions join these parallel parts of a sentence.

Business English at Work PP 15-13a

Conjunctions

continued

Parallelism

Examples

Relaxation can include reading for pleasure, playing with your child, or participating in sports activities.

One way to fight stress is to discuss your problems with either a friend or a relative.

You can calm both your mind and your body by thinking positive thoughts.

Business English at Work PP 15-13b

Conjunctions Conjunctions and Prepositions

Determine the appropriate function of a word in a sentence. Some words may be both prepositions and conjunctions; for example,

before, after, until, for, than,

and

since

.

Use a conjunction to connect clauses.

She will not load the software until she finishes the

report.

Rick always arrives at work after he drops off his children at school.

Business English at Work PP 15-14a

Conjunctions

continued

Conjunctions and Prepositions

Use a preposition when an object is expressed or understood; conjunctions do not have objects.

She will not load the software until Friday.

Rick always arrives at work after 9 p.m.

Business English at Work PP 15-14b

Conjunctions

Try To, Be Sure To, Go To

Do not use expressions such as

try and

,

go and

, and

be sure and

when the infinitive form is needed. Use

try to, go to,

and

be sure to

.

I would like to try to determine my own work schedule this week.

Be sure to call me when you want to take a break.

Business English at Work PP 15-15

Conjunctions

As, As if, As Though, Like

Use the conjunctions

as, as if,

or

as though

to introduce a subordinate clause. The clause will have a verb in it.

Linda acts as if she is overworked.

Use the preposition

like

to introduce a prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase will not contain a verb.

Katherine wants a consulting job like mine.

Business English at Work PP 15-16

Conjunctions

As . . . As, So . . .As

Use

as . . . as

in positive comparisons.

Karen is as effective as Joe in handling irate customers.

Use

so . . . as

in negative comparisons.

Karen is not so effective as Joe in handling irate customers.

Do not use

equally as

, which is a redundant phrase.

Business English at Work PP 15-17

Conjunctions

Where, That

Do not use the conjunction

where

instead of

that

to introduce a clause that includes a reference to a location.

I read in a magazine that thinking about past mistakes causes stress. (Do not use I read in a magazine where . . . .)

Business English at Work PP 15-18

End of Business English at Work

© 2003 Glencoe/McGraw-Hill