Using Conjunctions
Lecture
1: FANBOYS
Many students remember
the coordinating conjunctions with the mnemonic device FANBOYS.
FANBOYS stands for:
|
F |
= |
for |
|
A |
= |
and |
|
N |
= |
nor |
|
B |
= |
but |
|
O |
= |
or |
|
Y |
= |
yet |
|
S |
= |
so |
These coordinating conjunctions have
different meanings, but students learn them together because
they function similarly in a sentence.
All the FANBOYS coordinating
conjunctions have three characteristics:
1. They connect two clauses. Remember that a clause is a subject
+ verb construction. Notice the two subject
+ verb constructions that are connected by coordinating
conjunctions in the following....
- Examples:
- We
cannot say for certain
who truly "discovered" the Americas,
but
many people
give this credit
to Christopher Columbus.
- Early
colonists
migrated
to North America, for
they
wanted religious freedom.
2. Show a logical
relationship
between the two ideas communicated in the two clauses.
- In the Civil War the northerners were fighting for
a strong, centralized government,
but
the southerners were fighting for strong local and regional
governments.
- But shows a contrasting or opposing relationship
of ideas. In this example, the ideas of the northerners
(strong, centralized government)
opposed those
of the southerners (i.e. strong local and regional
governments).
- The colonists wanted to form a free, independent nation,
so they tried
to separate from England.
- So shows a cause-effect (or reason-result)
relationship of ideas. In this example, the first
part of the sentence (the colonists wanted to form
a free, independent nation) is the
reason for
the second part of the sentence (they tried to separate
from England).
3. Usually take
a comma before the conjunction in the sentence.
- Example:
- General George Washington led the American army during
the American Revolution, and
he later became the first president of the United States.
- The Declaration of Independence states that all men
are created equal, yet African
slaves were not equal to white Americans for many, many
years.
Now that we've considered what
sentences with coordinating conjunctions look like (i.e. their
form), we are ready to think about what meaning they communicate
(i.e. their meaning). First, we will look at for, and,
but, or, yet and so. Later, we'll focus on nor
because it is a little bit special.
For = Reason
The meaning of for is very similar to
because.
It shows a cause-effect or reason-result relationship between
two ideas. The order of these ideas is very important, however.
When you connect a reason and a result with for,
the result is in the first clause and the reason comes after
the word for. For example:
|
In 1861, the southern states tried to separate from
the northern states (<=result)
, for
they disagreed with them over slavery and other issues. (<=reason) |
|
Many people did not like President Lincoln
(<=result)
, for
the wanted to free slaves and keep the South and North
together as one country. (<=reason) |
And = Additional Information
We use
and to offer more information related to
contents of the first clause. Let's look at some examples
of this relationship:
|
The Declaration of independence expressed two
important values held by early Americans. All
men are created
equal
(<=one value)
,
and
the purpose of government is to protect the
rights of the people.
(<=an additional value) |
|
On July 4, 1776, the original 13 colonies united
together as states (<=one event)
,
and
a
new country was born: the United States of
America.
(<=an additional even on same date) |
But, Yet = Contrasting Information or an Unexpected Result
But and yet are similar in meaning, so we will look at them together. These two words can connect:
- Two ideas that contrast, differ or are opposing
Example:
In 19th century America, the economy of the southern states
was based on agriculture , but the economy
of the northern states was based on industry and business.
Example:
The early colonists came to North America in search of
freedom of religion, yet African slaves
were not allowed to practice their religions freely.
A reason with a surprising or unexpected result
Example:
In 1808, Congress declared the importation of slaves illegal,
but the slave trade continued for many
more years.
Example:
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed a document that
freed all slaves. Many slaves moved to the North, yet
some slaves stayed on their plantations in the
South. They had no where to go to.
Or = Options, Alternatives
We use or to connect two options or alternatives. For example:
- Early colonists in North America had to make an important
decision about their future. They could continue as a
British colony
,
or they could separate
from England.
Did the freedoms
described in the Declaration of Independence apply to all
Americans,
or did they apply
only to white men?
So = Result
Use so to introduce the result of an event or action.
Like with for, the order of ideas in sentences
with so is very important. The first clause contains
the reason for or cause of the result (or effect) that follows
the word so. For example:
Early colonists to North America didn't want to
belong to England
anymore
(<=reason)
,so
they revolted against the British king in 1775.
(<=result) |
Southerners didn't like the political and
economic ideas of the people of the
North
(<=reason)
, so
they decided that they wanted to be a separate country. (<=result) |
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