Lesson 5 — Activity 1: Using Conjunctions


Can you spot the conjunction?
You have been looking at parts of speech to add to sentences to make them more interesting and have more variety.

Adding conjunctions will do the same.

A conjunction is:
  • a word that is used to join words or sentences together
  • one of two types: coordinate conjunctions and subordinate conjunctions


Coordinate conjunctions:
  • are used to connect two or more words, phrases, or sentences of equal importance
  • the most common ones are: and   but   or   so
Here are some examples:
  • The dog and the cat get along together very well.
  • The dog eats biscuits, marrow bones, and dry dog food.
  • The dog likes to sleep on the couch, but the cat prefers to sleep on the rug.
  • The dog likes to play with the cat, so the dog is usually very gentle with her.
The cat and the dog like each other. The word "and" is the conjunction.


The dog likes to sleep on the couch although it is not allowed. The word "although" is the conjunction.
Subordinate conjunctions:
  • are used to connect two or more words, phrases, or sentences that are not of equal importance
  • the most common ones are:
       after      since     unless     if
       when     while     although     as
       than     until     because 

Here are some examples:

  • The dog likes to eat the cat's food after the cat has finished with it.
  • The dog eats leftover people food because he likes it better than his dog biscuits.
  • The dog likes to sleep on the couch, although he is scolded for it if he is caught.
  • The dog likes to play with the cat, when all the cat wants to do is sleep. 



Go to the next page to try a Self-check Activity on identifying conjunctions.