What is a conjunction?

A conjunction joins words or parts of a sentence together. Small conjunctions like and, but and or link ideas of equal weight. Others, such as because, when and if, add a reason or a condition to the main part of the sentence.

Examples

• and: bread and butter.
• but: I was tired but happy.
• because: We stayed in because it rained.

Quick facts

• and, but and or are the most common joining words.
• Conjunctions let you build longer, more interesting sentences.