Business English at Work

© 2003 Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
 Conjunctions

• Identify clauses and sentences.

Objectives
Use coordinating and correlative conjunctions
correctly.
Use subordinating conjunctions and conjunctive
adverbs correctly.
Use correct punctuation in sentences containing
coordinating, correlative, or subordinating
conjunctions or conjunctive adverbs. continued
Business English at Work PP 15-1a
 Conjunctions

continued
• Identify correct parallel structure in sentences.
Objectives
• Distinguish between conjunctions and
prepositions.
• Use commonly confused conjunction
expressions correctly.

Business English at Work PP 15-1b

 Conjunctions

Independent Clauses
An independent clause (or main clause) can
stand alone as a complete sentence. A clause
has a complete subject and predicate.
Proper nutrition helps stabilize your moods.
Stress is emotional tension caused by everyday
events in our lives.

Business English at Work PP 15-2

 Conjunctions

Dependent Clause
❚ A dependent clause (or subordinate clause)
also contains a subject and a predicate;
however, a dependent clause is not a
complete sentence and cannot stand alone.
❚ A dependent clause requires an independent
clause to make sense.
❚ A dependent clause may appear before or
after an independent clause.
Business English at Work PP 15-3a
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continued
Dependent Clause
Examples

Before Vivian leaves work for the day, she

organizes her desk.
Judi recommends exercising after a stressful
day.

Business English at Work PP 15-3b

 Conjunctions

Types of Sentences
❚ Simple
❚ Compound
❚ Complex
❚ Compound-Complex

Business English at Work PP 15-4

 Conjunctions

Simple Sentence
A simple sentence consists of one complete
subject and one complete predicate. The
subject, the predicate, or both may be
compound.
Audrey had a demanding day at work.
Audrey and Bruce work in the same office.

Business English at Work PP 15-5

 Conjunctions

Compound Sentence
A compound sentence consists of two simple
independent clauses connected by a conjunction
such as or, and, nor, or but.
Audrey had a demanding day at work, but she is
looking forward to having dinner with friends.
Anger is meant to intimidate other people, and
this often appears to be true.

Business English at Work PP 15-6

 Conjunctions

Complex Sentence
A complex sentence contains an independent
clause and one or more dependent clauses.

If you have been a victim in the downsizing of a

company, you have experienced stress.

Business English at Work PP 15-7

 Conjunctions

Compound-Complex Sentence
A compound-complex sentence contains more
than one independent clause and one or more
dependent clauses.
Relaxation techniques help reverse coronary
disease; however, since this beneficial health
information is not widely publicized, not all doctors
know about this philosophy of health care.

Business English at Work PP 15-8

 Conjunctions

Coordinating Conjunctions
❚ Join words, phrases, or clauses that are equal
in grammatical construction and importance.
and or but nor
Insert a comma before a coordinating
conjunction that separates two independent
clauses.

Business English at Work PP 15-9a

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continued
Coordinating Conjunctions
❚ Use but to express a contrasting idea.
Home-based business owners usually enjoy their work,
but they can become the victims of burnout.
❚ Use and to show an addition.
Your thoughts and reactions to events can influence your
health.
❚ Use or to indicate a choice.
Lee copes with stress by meditating or by making jokes
about difficult situations.
Business English at Work PP 15-9b
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continued
Coordinating Conjunctions
❚ Use nor to make a second choice negative.
Liz and Tony did not agree on the topics for the stress
management workshop, nor did they agree on the
speakers.

Business English at Work PP 15-9c

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continued
Coordinating Conjunctions
Do not use a comma before a coordinating
conjunction that links two words or phrases.
Relaxation can inject happiness and fulfillment into your
daily routine.
Do not use a comma before a conjunction if
the material following the conjunction is not a
complete sentence.
Losing your temper may get attention but usually makes
the situation worse.
Business English at Work PP 15-9d
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continued
Coordinating Conjunctions
Use commas to separate three or more words,
phrases, or clauses in a series.
Include a comma before the coordinating
conjunction.
Ways to reduce stress include yoga, meditation, and
exercise.
❚ Do not place a comma after the last item in a
series.
Joanne usually chooses soup, salad, or a pasta dish for
lunch.
Business English at Work PP 15-9e
 Conjunctions

Correlative Conjunctions
Join words, phrases, and sentences of equal
importance.
Appear in pairs, and both parts receive the
same attention.
both/and neither/nor
either/or not only/but also
whether/or

Business English at Work PP 15-10a

 Conjunctions

Correlative Conjunctions
Examples

Either Bernice or Lauren determines the work

schedule.
The speaker not only described the benefits of
laughter but also related some personal stories
to illustrate her point.

Business English at Work PP 15-10b

 Conjunctions

Subordinating Conjunctions
Introduce a dependent clause and link it to an
independent clause.
Use a subordinating conjunction to introduce a
dependent clause.
Place the comma after a dependent clause
that begins a sentence.
Whenever Lynn has a break, she takes a walk around
the block.
Business English at Work PP 15-11a
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continued
Subordinating Conjunctions
Generally, do not use a comma before a
dependent clause that appears at the end of a
sentence.
Our company hired Jack because he has
strong conflict resolution skills.

Business English at Work PP 15-11b

 Conjunctions

Conjunctive Adverbs
Show the relationship between two independent
clauses of equal weight. The words are adverbs,
but they also function as connectors.
Use a semicolon before a conjunctive adverb when it
joins two independent clauses.
Use a comma after a conjunctive adverb of two or
more syllables.

Business English at Work PP 15-12a

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continued
Conjunctive Adverbs
consequently furthermore hence
however indeed instead
likewise moreover nevertheless
otherwise similarly still
therefore thus
Business English at Work PP 15-12b
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continued
Conjunctive Adverbs
Examples
Exercise can reduce lower-back pain; nevertheless,
you should see a doctor before beginning an exercise
program.
Chris and I planned to eat lunch together; instead, I
ate a sandwich at my desk.
I felt isolated and stressed working at home;
therefore, I requested a transfer to a local branch
office.
Business English at Work PP 15-12c
 Conjunctions

Parallelism
Parallelism is the linking together of similar
grammatical parts in a sentence.
To have parallel sentence structure, similar
constructions should be connected such as nouns
to other nouns, verbs to other verbs, or clauses to
other clauses.
Coordinating conjunctions or correlative
conjunctions join these parallel parts of a sentence.

Business English at Work PP 15-13a

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continued
Parallelism
Examples
Relaxation can include reading for pleasure,
playing with your child, or participating in sports
activities.
One way to fight stress is to discuss your problems
with either a friend or a relative.
You can calm both your mind and your body by
thinking positive thoughts.

Business English at Work PP 15-13b

 Conjunctions

Conjunctions and Prepositions

❚ Determine the appropriate function of a word
in a sentence. Some words may be both
prepositions and conjunctions; for example,
before, after, until, for, than, and since.
❚ Use a conjunction to connect clauses.
She will not load the software until she finishes the
report.
Rick always arrives at work after he drops off his
children at school.
Business English at Work PP 15-14a
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continued
Conjunctions and Prepositions
Use a preposition when an object is expressed
or understood; conjunctions do not have
objects.
She will not load the software until Friday.
Rick always arrives at work after 9 p.m.

Business English at Work PP 15-14b

 Conjunctions

Try To, Be Sure To, Go To

❚ Do not use expressions such as try and, go
and, and be sure and when the infinitive form
is needed. Use try to, go to, and be sure to.
I would like to try to determine my own work
schedule this week.
Be sure to call me when you want to take a
break.

Business English at Work PP 15-15

 Conjunctions

As, As if, As Though, Like

❚ Use the conjunctions as, as if, or as though
to introduce a subordinate clause. The clause
will have a verb in it.
Linda acts as if she is overworked.
❚ Use the preposition like to introduce a
prepositional phrase. The prepositional
phrase will not contain a verb.
Katherine wants a consulting job like mine.
Business English at Work PP 15-16
 Conjunctions

As . . . As, So . . .As
❚ Use as . . . as in positive comparisons.
Karen is as effective as Joe in handling irate
customers.
❚ Use so . . . as in negative comparisons.
Karen is not so effective as Joe in handling irate
customers.
❚ Do not use equally as, which is a redundant
phrase.
Business English at Work PP 15-17
 Conjunctions

Where, That
❚ Do not use the conjunction where instead of
that to introduce a clause that includes a
reference to a location.
I read in a magazine that thinking about past
mistakes causes stress. (Do not use I read in a
magazine where . . . .)

Business English at Work PP 15-18

 End of

Business English at Work

© 2003 Glencoe/McGraw-Hill