Coordinating conjunctions are used to combine two nouns, two verbs, or two adjectives with each other respectively. They help reduce redundancy and avoid ambiguity.
Let’s begin by looking at a table which details how to use coordinating conjunctions:
| Coordinating Conjunctions
(Most common) |
Definition | Example |
| And | Plus | Mary and Felipe are dating. |
| Or | Alternative– one or the other is the answer | Do you like cats or dogs? |
| But | Contrast | Felipe likes cats, but Mary prefers dogs. |
| So | Causal Relationship | Felipe likes cats, so he adopted one! |
Starting a Sentence with a Coordinating Conjunction
Grammatically, you cannot begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction (keep that in mind for standardized testing/formal writing). That being said, native speakers start sentences with coordinating conjunctions all the time. It’s so common that it can even be found in many books. Let’s look at an example:
- He had always dreamed of living in New York City. But, now that he had the opportunity, he wasn’t sure if he should leave his friends and family behind in Chicago.
Punctuation
A comma must be used when there is a list of nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. Between the last two words, ‘and’ must be placed. (The comma before ‘and’ can be added or omitted.)
- He likes apples, bananas, pears, and peaches.
When the coordinating conjunction separates two independent clauses (which is often the case), then a comma must separate them.
- He wrote a book, but was not ready to publish it.
