pseudo conjunction

                                   Pseudo-conjunctions

Sometimes other parts of speech can be act as conjunctions.

I'll call you directly I get home. (adverbial conjunction)

I'll call you the instant I get home. (nominal conjunction)

I'll call you, seeing as you are here. (verbal conjunction)

Correlative Conjunction

                               Correlative conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions surround a word or phrase and show how the two phrases are correlated (often causally).

I am so very rich that I will buy you a drink.

Compound conjunction

                        Compound conjunction

Compound conjunctions come as phrases, where several words together act as a join. They typically end in 'as' or 'that'.

I will come with you as long as you promise to buy me a drink.

Subordinating Conjunctions

                                           Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions, on the other hand, connect grammatical structures (usually clauses) of unequal rank. A subordinating conjunction introduces a clause that is dependent on the main clause. The dependent clause can be introduced preceding the main clause in an introductory role, or it may follow the main clause to add meaning to the sentence. Some common subordinating conjunctions include although, as, before, until, when, and while. You can find a more complete list on the English Plus Website.

As with coordinating conjunctions, the subordinate counterparts have a few punctuation rules to keep in mind. For example, when introducing a clause that precedes the main clause, insert a comma between the final word of the introductory clause and the first word of the main clause.

Before the girl returned home, she walked to the park with her friends.

However, if the subordinating conjunction follows the main clause, a comma is not necessary.

Shane remained at the library until his daughter called to ask for a ride home.

In this case, adding a comma was unnecessary because the subordinate clause was crucial to the meaning of the sentence.

Coordinating Conjunctions

                                   Coordinating Conjunctions

When most people think of conjunctions, they are usually thinking of the coordinating variety. The most common ones include and, but, or, and so. Coordinating conjunctions join words or groups of words that are equal in rank grammatically. For instance, in the following sentence the two nouns are separated with a coordinating conjunction.

Kristy served tea and cake.

However, as mentioned above they can also join entire phrases and sentences as in the following examples.

Andrew picked up the ball and tossed it to his older brother.

Jen enjoys a brisk jog in the park, but Linda prefers a quiet walk in the woods.

In these sentences, the conjunctions either join two predicates or two independent clauses. Keep in mind that when you use a conjunction to join two independent clauses, insert a comma between the first clause and the conjunction.

Infinitive Mood

                                                      Infinitive Mood

 expresses an action or state without reference to any subject. It can be the source of sentence fragments when the writer mistakenly thinks the infinitive form is a fully-functioning verb.

When we speak of the English infinitive, we usually mean the basic form of the verb with “to” in front of it: to go, to sing, to walk, to speak.

Verbs said to be in the infinitive mood can include participle forms ending in -ed and -ing. Verbs in the infinitive mood are not being used as verbs, but as other parts of speech:

To err is human; to forgive, divine. Here, to err and to forgive are used as nouns.

He is a man to be admired. Here, to be admired is an adjective, the equivalent of admirable. It describes the noun man.

He came to see you. Here, to see you is used as an adverb to tell why he came.

Subjunctive Mood

                                                 Subjunctive Mood

 expresses doubt or something contrary to fact.

Modern English speakers use indicative mood most of the time, resorting to a kind of “mixed subjunctive” that makes use of helping verbs:

If I should see him, I will tell him.

Americans are more likely to say:

If I see him, I will tell him.

The verb may can be used to express a wish:

May you have many more birthdays.
May you live long and prosper.

The verb were can also indicate the use of the subjunctive:

If I were you, I wouldn't keep driving on those tires.
If he were governor, we’d be in better fiscal shape.