A conjunction is a word that grammatically connects two words, phrases, or clauses together. The most common examples are words like ‘and’ and ‘but’.

連詞在語法上連接兩個詞，短語或者句子。最常見的連詞是‘and’和‘but’。

For example, ‘I took the subway, and got off at 96th Street.’ Or, ‘I took the subway, but there was a delay.’ However, conjunctions can come in many forms with many different functions.

例如，‘我上了地鐵，然后在第96大街下車了’或者‘我乘地鐵了，但是我還是耽擱了’。然而，連詞有多種形式，自然也有不同的作用。

They’re a part of speech that can be broken down into several categories, and we’ll explore each one in depth with examples.

連詞是一種詞性，可以被分成好多種類，我們將附以例子來深入探討每一種。

Conjunctions can primarily be broken down into three categories:

連詞主要可以分成三種：

Coordinating conjunctions

并列連詞

Correlative conjunctions

關(guān)聯(lián)連詞

Subordinating conjunctions

從屬連詞

Coordinating conjunctions always come between two clauses in order to connect them. These are two ideas that are related and can therefore be placed into one longer sentence.

并列連詞位于兩個從句中間，用來連接兩個句子。并列連詞連接的是兩種意義相近的想法，有了并列連詞的連接，兩個短句就可以被合寫成一個較長的句子。

A coordinating conjunction is a conjunction like “and” and “but.” It joins together words, phrases, or clauses that are grammatically equal. The seven coordinating conjunctions are:

并列連詞就是像and或者but這樣的連詞，它連接在語法上對等的單詞，短語和從句。以下是七個并列連詞。

For

因為

And

和

Nor

也不

But

但是

Or

或者

Yet

然而

So

因此

The seven coordinating conjunctions can be remembered using the acronym: FANBOYS

這七個并列連詞可以用首字母縮寫的方式來記憶，即FANBOYS。

For

因為

For shows reason or purpose (sometimes because can be used instead)

For表示原因或者是目的(有時候可以用instead來代替它)

I go to the library, for I love to read.

因為我喜歡閱讀，所以我去圖書館。

While the word “so” introduces the “effect” part of a cause-and-effect relationship, the word “for” introduces the cause.

在因果關(guān)系里，‘so’引出來的是結(jié)果，‘for’引出來的是原因。

My husband and I went to Costa Rica, for it was our five-year anniversary.

我和我的丈夫去了哥斯達黎加，因為大師我們結(jié)婚五周年紀念。

Using the word “for” like this, however, can sound a bit formal and unnatural in spoken English. Instead, it’s better to use subordinating conjunctions like “because” or “since,” which we’ll discuss later. Meanwhile, the word “for” can take different usages as a preposition, not a conjunction. For example:

在英語口語中這樣使用‘for’聽起來有點正式甚至不自然。相反，使用從屬連詞‘because’或者‘since’可能會好一點，這一點后期我們會進行討論。同時‘for’這個詞作為介詞用法完全不一樣。例如：

What are you doing for New Year’s?

你新年打算做什么?

And

和

And connects two or more ideas.

And 連接兩個或者兩個以上的想法。

I like to eat cookies, and I like to drink milk.

我喜歡吃餅干，我喜歡喝牛奶。

The conjunction “and” is used to join two or more items that make sense with each other.

連詞‘and’用來連接兩個或者多個成分，這些成分只有放在一起才有意義。

I put mayonnaise and mustard in this sandwich.

我把蛋黃醬和芥末放到三明治里。

It can also be used to connect a series of events.

它還可以用來連接一系列事件。

Everyday after school, I go to the library and study.

放學(xué)后的每一天我都去讀書館學(xué)習(xí)。

If you want to list several items, use commas and the word “and” at the very end.

如果你想列出多項，就可以使用逗號然后用單詞and進行最后的連接。

I wasted so much time, energy, and money on that trip.

那次旅行，我浪費了很多時間，精力和金錢。

Nor

也不

Nor shows a non-contrasting, negative idea.

Nor表示非對比的，否定的想法。

I refuse to hug to people I don’t know, nor will I kiss them.

我拒絕擁抱我不認識的人，當然我也不會親吻他們。

While “and” is used to join two positive items together, the conjunction “nor” is used to pair two negative items. It’s found either with the word “not” or with the word “neither.”

‘And’用來連接肯定的成分，‘nor’用來連接否定的成分。‘Nor’或者與‘not’連用，或者與‘neither’連用。

He didn’t return my calls, nor did he respond to any of my texts.

他沒有回復(fù)我的電話，也沒有回復(fù)我的任何消息。

Neither the yoga nor the running made my back feel any better.

瑜伽和跑步都無法使我的背部感覺好起來。

But

但是

But shows contrast or exception.

‘But’表示對比或者意外。

Sheila likes soup, but sometimes she orders something different.

希拉喜歡喝湯，但是有時候他也會點別的。

The conjunction “but” is used to join two items that contradict each other.

連詞‘but’用來連接互相矛盾的兩項。

The dress was beautiful but slightly expensive.

這件連衣裙很漂亮但是稍微有一點貴。

A common usage of the word “but” is in the construction “not…but.” You can also use the word “rather” to emphasize the contrast in the statement.

‘But’一個常見的用法就是與not連用，即‘not…but’。也可以在陳述句中使用‘rather’來強調(diào)對比。

It wasn’t a bird but a squirrel that’s been ravaging the garden.

這不是一只鳥，而是毀壞花園的松鼠。

Or

或者

Or shows choice or option.

Or表示一種選擇。

He could go to the bar, or he could go to work.

他可以去酒吧，也可以去工作。

The conjunction “or” can be used to present two or more options. It’s often paired with the word “either.”

連詞‘or’可以用來表示兩種或者更多的選擇。‘Or’常常與單詞‘either’連用。

He’s either flirting with me or just acts unusually nice to me.

他可能是跟我調(diào)情，也可能就是對我很好。

Yet

然而

Yet also shows contrast or exception.

Yet表示一種對比或者一種例外。

He had been crying all day, yet the man made him laugh.

他哭了一整天，然而那個人卻使他發(fā)笑。

The conjunction “yet” is very similar to “but.”

連詞‘yet’與‘but’很像。

The sauce was sweet yet had a spicy flavor to it.

醬汁很甜，然而它也有一種辛辣的味道。

Don’t get this conjunction mixed up with the other usage of the word “yet.” For example:

不要把這個連詞‘yet’和單詞‘yet’的用法弄混。例如：

Did she call you back yet?

她給你回電話了嘛?

So

因此

So shows consequence.

So表示結(jié)果。

The lady was feeling ill, so she went home to bed.

那個女士病了，所以她回家睡覺了。

If you want to express a cause-and-effect relationship, you can use the conjunction “so.” It introduces a clause that is the effect of a previous clause.

如果你想表達因果關(guān)系，你可以使用連詞so。So引導(dǎo)一個從句，這個從句是前一個從句的結(jié)果。

It was the week before Christmas, so the mall was unusually hectic.

這是圣誕節(jié)前一個周末，所以購物中心出奇的擠。

Notice that the word “so” can be used to justify a suggestion or command. It can also be used to explain the basis of a question. For example:

注意‘so’這個詞可以用來證明一個建議或者是命令。它也可以用來解釋問題的基礎(chǔ)。

All the bars are closed by now, so what do you want to do instead?

所有的酒吧都關(guān)門了，你打算怎么辦。

Another usage of the conjunction “so” is to introduce a new idea or change the subject, whether this has a cause-and-effect relationship or not. For example:

連詞‘so’的另一個用法就是不管有沒有因果關(guān)系，它可以用來引進一個新的概念或者改變主題。

So, what do you want to talk about now?

那么，你現(xiàn)在想談點什么呢?

Be careful not to mix up the coordinating conjunction “so” with other usages of the word “so.” For example:

要注意不要把并列連詞‘so’的用法跟單詞‘so’的用法混淆。例如：

“Is it going to be warmer tomorrow?” “I think so.”

“明天會暖和一點嗎?”“我想應(yīng)該會。”

I hid the presents so that the rest of my family wouldn’t find them.

我把禮物藏了起來，這樣我的家人就找不到它們了。