List of Common Conjunctions

Many teachers get sick of seeing their students use “and” all the time – that is why giving a list of common conjunctions can help your students spice up their writing and explore new word possibilities. Keep reading for a list of common conjunctions and for ways to help your students learn to integrate them into their writing habits.

What Are Conjunctions?

Remember, conjunctions are words that help to put two different ideas together in a sentence. Without conjunctions, our ideas would be very simple, and our sentences would be very short. In fact, most sentences are built with conjunctions in the English language, linking two or more phrases or clauses together. Read on for a list of common conjunctions.  

Kinds of Conjunctions

There are a few kinds of conjunctions. Some simply link two equal phrases together, and some make one clause dependent on the other. The former conjunctions are called coordinating conjunctions. The latter are called subordinating conjunctions. Some conjunctions are only used in pairs. These are called correlative conjunctions. 

List of Common Conjunctions

How many of these conjunctions do you use in your everyday life? Take your writing beyond “and” – and learn some more conjunctions that can make your writing more vivid and flexible! 

for, or, yet, so, even though, if, after, wherever, until, when, while, although, as, provided that, as if, that, as much as, as though, because, though, as long as, before, in order that, in case, lest, once, by the time, even if, as soon as, only if, since, and, so that, nor, but, than, till, unless, whenever, where 

Examples of Common Conjunctions in Sentences

The best way to learn how conjunctions work is to practice using them! See if you understand how the conjunctions work in the following sentences: 

• I am sure that he is a nice man, for he helped my mother in time of need.
• I will call you when I am ready.
• As long as you are my friend, I will continue to buy you a birthday present.
• Before you leave, make sure to call your mom.
• By the time I got over there, everyone else had left.
• Since I am only nineteen years old, I wasn’t allowed to attend the party.
• Though my hair is blonde now, it used to be red.
• Unless the weather clears up, I don’t think we’ll be playing baseball tonight.

List of Correlative Conjunctions

Don’t forget correlative conjunctions! These are very common in the English language as well. Can you name all of the pairs of correlative conjunctions? They include: 

• either / or
• neither / nor
• whether / or
• both / and
• not only / but also

Here are a few examples that use these correlative conjunctions correctly: 

• Either you are in, or you’re out.
• Not only was she a tall girl, but also she was very skinny.

Exercises Using the List of Common Conjunctions

Here are some websites that use lots of common conjunctions in quizzes, games, and worksheets: 

• Bristol has a quiz that allows students to check their answers.  It uses common conjunctions that students are very likely to encounter in their everyday life.

• Better English.com features a quiz that helps students learn which conjunction is the right one to use in each instance.  In the process, you will learn a lot of important common conjunctions.

• English Page.com takes you to several different sites that deal with each kind of conjunction.  Complete each quiz to improve your skills.

• Practice your English skills on English Exercises.org with lots of games and quizzes that involve conjunctions.

For more information about a list of common conjunctions, take a look in a grammar book, where there is bound to be a list of lots of conjunctions, from the most common to the most obscure, for you and your students to try using in their writing.