SYNTAX AND SEMANTICS clase octubre 15 2012 Topic 7: Conjunctions and Connectors What are conjunctions?

Conjunctions are used to express a connection between words The most familiar conjunctions are and, but, and or: Paul plays football and David plays chess I play tennis but I don't play well We can eat now or we can wait till later

There are three types of conjunctions: COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS (or simply COORDINATORS) CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS (or SUBORDINATORS)

COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS Connect elements of equal syntactic status: Paul and David I play tennis but I don't play well meat or fish

Connect WORDS, PHRASES and CLAUSES: The bowl of stew is hot and delicious Rocky, loves having his head scratched but hates getting his claws trimmed I hate to waste a single drop of squid eyeball stew, for it is expensive and timeconsuming to make Items which are connected by a coordinator are known as CONJOINS

F = for A = and N = nor B = but O = or Y = yet S = so

FANBOYS

SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS Connect elements of `unequal' syntactic status: I left early because I had an interview the next day We visited Madame Tussaud's while we were in London I'll be home at nine if I can get a taxi

Usually function as adverbs: Talk about when, where, why once provided that rather than since so that than that though unless until when whenever where whereas wherever whether while why

after although as because before even if even though if in order that

CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS Used in pairs: Phillip will either start classes at the community college or join the Navy Neither the flowers on the counter nor the dirty dishes have been washed Other correlative conjunctions are:

Eitheror; not onlybut only; botha

Clase octubre 20 SYNTAX AND SEMANTICS Topic 7: Conjunctions and Connectors The Conjunction Strikes Back More on Coordinating and Subordinating Conjunctions Coordinating conjunctions must go between the conjoins [Paul plays football] and [David plays chess] *And [David plays chess] [Paul plays football] Subordinators do not have to occur between Because I had an interview the next day, I left early

Similarly, we can reverse the order of the items to change the meaning: I left early because I had an interview the next day I left early because I had an interview the next day This may produce a dubious sentence!

TYPES OF COORDINATION 3 types of coordination: SYNDETIC COORDINATION ASYNDETIC COORDINATION POLYSYNDETIC COORDINATION

SYNDETIC COORDINATION Coordination when a coordinator is present, e.g. and, or, but [Quickly] and [resolutely], he strode into the bank He looked at them [sadly] and [reproachfully]

ASYNDETIC COORDINATION Coordination can also occur without a coordinator present:

[Quickly], [resolutely], he strode into the bank He looked at them [sadly], [reproachfully] There is no conjunction, but the conjoins are still coordinated by the comma

POLYSYNDETIC COORDINATION When 3 or more conjoins are present and are all connected by a coordinator: I need [bread] and [cheese] and [eggs] and [milk] It is sometimes used for effect, to express continuation: He just [talks] and [talks] and [talks]

FALSE COORDINATION Sometimes coordinators are used without strictly performing coordination: Ill come when Im good and ready If it did it would read something like: Ill come [when Im good] and [when Im ready]

Clearly this is not the meaning that good and ready conveys In this case, good and intensifies ready and so could rephrase the sentence: I'll come when I'm completely ready This is an example of FALSE COORDINATION or PSEUDO-COORDINATION

Other examples can be found with informal expressions such as : Please try and come early I'll try and ring you from the office He told me there were going to be hundreds of people there at the party BUT it went well though, didnt it?