What are coordinating and subordinating conjunctions?

Answer 1

Coordinating Conjunctions are words that connect two equal words, phrases, or clauses.

For example:

Connecting two words: apple and orange.

Connecting two sentences: I can go or he can go.

A common acronym to remember coordinating conjunctions is FANBOYS.

For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, and So.

Subordinating Conjunctions are conjunctions that come at the beginning of clauses and make a clause dependent on another clause. They also show a relationship between one clause and another.

If we take the Independent Clause, "He went to the store," and we put a subordinating conjunction at the beginning of that clause, "Since," the clause becomes dependent on another sentence to make it complete.

"Since he went to the store."

Notice that this sentence can no longer stand alone.

When we add a subordinating conjunction to the beginning of a clause we must attach it to an independent clause--"Since he went to the store, I got my ice cream."

The subordinating conjunction also shows a relationship between the first clause and the second clause. It was BECAUSE he went to the store that I got my ice cream. The reader can tell that there would be NO ice cream if he hadn't.

Some examples of subordinating conjunctions are:

As soon as

Whenever

Wherever

When

After that

Because

Since

Answer 2

Coordinating conjunctions are used to connect two independent clauses or items of equal importance in a sentence, such as "and," "but," and "or." Subordinating conjunctions are used to join an independent clause with a dependent clause, indicating a relationship of time, cause and effect, or contrast, such as "because," "while," and "although."