Master Coordinating Conjunctions in English

And, but, or…. Each coordinating conjunction is a short word that packs a punch in English.

The most commonly used of all conjunction types, the role of coordinating conjunctions is to join ideas together so you can keep your communication short and sweet, and perhaps keep those emails in English brief.

Hold on though – before you decide you know everything there is to know about coordinating conjunctions, there’s a lot more you might not be aware of regarding this seemingly ordinary part of speech.

Read on to discover the less commonly used coordinating conjunctions along with some helpful examples. We’ll also share a handful of tips so you can use coordinating conjunctions correctly when writing.

What is a coordinating conjunction?

A coordinating conjunction is one of three conjunction types in English, the other two being correlative conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions. Conjunctions are a part of speech you can use to connect words, phrases, and clauses of equal grammatical value. They help you express complex ideas in a simple, clear way.

And, but, and or are examples of coordinating conjunctions. Here are some examples to show how we use these coordinating conjunctions in English:

• Albert and Casey celebrated their daughter's birthday last weekend.
  (The coordinating conjunction and connects two nouns in this sentence.)
  

• There is a library near the school, but there isn’t a park.
  (The coordinating conjunction but connects two clauses in this sentence.)

• Don’t go outside without putting sunblock on or covering up.
  (The coordinating conjunction or connects two phrases in this sentence.)

As an English learner, you use coordinating conjunctions all the time. That’s because they’re some of the most commonly used conjunctions in English. Beyond letting you introduce a relationship between two grammatical elements (words, phrases or clauses), coordinating conjunctions also help you add variety to your speaking and writing.

Full coordinating conjunction list

There are seven coordinating conjunctions in English. You can use the mnemonic (memory trick) FANBOYS to remember them all.

Here’s a list of the coordinating conjunction FANBOYS with a description of their use and examples to help you better understand each one.

1. For

Use: To provide a reason
Connects: clauses

Examples:

• It’s important to frequently update your skills, for the job market is constantly changing.

• The store is closing soon, for sales have declined significantly in the last two years.

2. And

Use: To state additional, related information
Connects: words, phrases, clauses

Examples:

• What are some activities that children, adults and the elderly can enjoy?

• To build strong muscles, you need to eat more protein and sleep well.

• We weren’t able to contact the client, and we didn’t have much time to give an answer to the supplier.

3. Nor

Use: To state an additional negative idea
Connects: clauses

Examples:

• I’m not a fan of this color for a new car, nor do I like that one.
  

Note: Nor can be used with neither to connect words and phrases, but this would be considered a correlative conjunction, not a coordinating conjunction.

• Neither the Smiths nor the Jacksons have responded to our invitation.
  

In some cases, having a college degree is neither worth it nor truly necessary.

4. But

Use: To contrast or show a difference between two things
Connects: words, phrases, clauses

Examples:

• Learning a language is difficult but enjoyable.

• Your shoes should not go under the bed, but in the closet.

• The job offer was great, but she wasn’t willing to move to another state.

5. Or

Use: To offer multiple options
Connects: words, phrases, clauses

Examples:

• Would you like to take your lunch break at eleven, twelve or one?

• Living a good life doesn’t require having a lot of money or owning a mansion.

• Give me a call when you arrive at the train station, or send me a message if you prefer.

6. Yet

Use: To provide a contrasting or unexpected reason or result
Connects: words, phrases, clauses

Examples:

• He was a successful yet modest person.

• Cooking is a time-consuming task, yet a necessity for me.

• They hadn't announced the results of the election, yet the candidate was confident he had won.

7. So

Use: To present a result or a consequence
Connects: clauses

Examples:

• My roommates make too much noise, so I have to go to the library to focus.

• You want to change careers, so you need to spend time studying after work.

As you continue developing your English skills, you’ll notice that some of the coordinating conjunctions are used more frequently than others. And, but, or, and so are the most common. For, nor, and yet aren’t used as often and are reserved mostly for writing or formal speech.

Make sure you’ve mastered the four common coordinating conjunctions in speaking and writing, and then you can begin introducing the other three through practice. They’ll help your ideas flow with ease.

If you’re looking for more ways to connect your ideas, review our guide to mastering English transition words and their usage.

Using coordinating conjunctions in English writing

By memorizing the seven coordinating conjunctions and how each works, you’re on your way to using them every day when speaking with English-speaking colleagues or neighbors.

When it comes to writing in English, however, there are some coordinating conjunction rules you need to pay attention to.

Follow these tips to avoid mistakes when using the FANBOYS in English writing. Accurately use commas with coordinating conjunctions When connecting elements through the seven coordinating conjunctions, we may or may not need to use a comma.

A rule of thumb is to not use a comma when connecting words, phrases and short clauses.

• Both lawyers and the judge met in chambers to discuss the case.
  (‘and’ connecting two noun phrases)
  

• Living in New York City is exciting but expensive!
  (‘but’ connecting two adjectives.)
  

• Young children need to be given independence yet guided to avoid dangers.
  (‘yet’ connecting two short clauses)
  

• Can you look for my keys inside the drawer or on top of the kitchen table?
  (‘or’ connecting two prepositional phrases)
  

Do use a comma when connecting long clauses or for lists and series of items.

• The price was within our budget, so we decided to put in a bid for the house.

• Let’s head back home, for we don’t want to get caught in the snowstorm.

• Eating healthily is key to living a long life, yet having a piece of chocolate cake every once in a while is fine.

• Legumes like chickpeas, fava beans, and lentils are good sources of protein.
  (Note that the comma after ‘beans’ is optional in this sentence.)
  

• High school graduates have the option to go to college, find a job, or take a gap year to travel.
  (Note that the comma after ‘job’ is optional in this sentence.)
  

Commas can get tricky. Check out our article on the order of adjectives to learn how to use commas with adjective lists.

Make sure coordinating conjunctions join similar elements

In addition to following proper comma use, keep in mind that coordinating conjunctions should connect elements of equal value. Therefore, make sure your words, phrases and clauses mirror each other.

Take a look at the following examples:

• My least favorite chores are ironing and to take out the trash.
  (Incorrect – ‘Ironing’ is a gerund, while ‘to take’ is an infinitive.)
  

• My least favorite chores are ironing and taking out the trash.
  (Correct – Both ‘ironing’ and ‘taking’ are gerunds.)
  

• Being a great communicator doesn’t mean you need to be aggressive or loudly.
  (Incorrect – ‘Aggressive’ is an adjective, while ‘loudly’ is an adverb.)
  

• Being a great communicator doesn’t mean you need to be aggressive or loud.
  (Correct – Both ‘aggressive’ and ‘loud’ are adjectives.)
  

• Women didn’t have the right to vote in many Western countries until the 1920s, so taking that right for granted.
  (Incorrect – The part before ‘so’ is a full clause, while the part after ‘so’ is not.)
  

• Women didn’t have the right to vote in many Western countries until the 1920s, so taking that right for granted is wrong.
  (Correct – Both the parts before and after ‘so’ are complete independent clauses.)
  

In certain situations, we can connect elements that are not parallel. In general, however, make sure that the words, phrases and clauses you’re connecting with coordinating conjunctions are of the same type.

Avoid using the wrong coordinating conjunction (or not using one at all!)

Employing the wrong coordinating conjunction is a simple mistake that can lead to quite a bit of confusion.

The following sentences are the same, except for the coordinating conjunction used:

• We have a long week ahead at work, for I want to relax this upcoming weekend.

• We have a long week ahead at work, so I want to relax this upcoming weekend.

Can you see how a simple switch in coordinating conjunction can change the meaning of the sentence? In the first sentence, we understand that the reason for the long week is the speaker’s desire to relax on the weekend. In the second example, the reason the speaker wants to relax on the weekend is because of the long week ahead.

It might seem simple to avoid this kind of error, but when using the less common FANBOYS (for, nor, yet), it’s easy to make mistakes if you’re not careful.

It’s also important to be sure you don’t leave out the coordinating conjunction when joining two independent clauses:

• Her fans were excited for her concert. Most of them were disappointed that she canceled at the last minute.
  (Here the relationship between the two sentences is not clear because there is no coordinating conjunction.)
  

• Her fans were excited about her concert, most of them were disappointed that she canceled at the last minute.
  (Incorrect – The two ideas are joined only by a comma without a coordinating conjunction.)

• Her fans were excited about her concert, and most of them were disappointed that she canceled at the last minute.
  (Correct – The coordinating conjunction and connects the two clauses clearly.)

Need more help with writing? Explore our recommended tips for English writing practice.

A summary of coordinating conjunctions

Whew! Coordinating conjunctions aren’t that complicated, right?

You’ve learned a lot more about the less commonly used coordinating conjunctions – for, nor, yet, so – and you’re hopefully more confident about using the common ones, too, like and, but, or, and so.

Remember that coordinating conjunctions, or FANBOYS for short, are used to join similar grammatical elements like words, phrases and clauses. Though many of them join all three types of elements, some can only join phrases or clauses (or both).

The best way to ensure you’re using the correct coordinating conjunction is by learning and understanding their use. Do you need to add information? Use ‘and.’ Is the second element a reason (use ‘so’) or justification (use ‘for’) for the first? Do you need to contrast two points? Use ‘but’ or ‘yet.’

As with any aspect of language, the best way to master coordinating conjunctions is with practice. So keep on practicing, and add coordinating conjunctions to your speaking and writing!