TEXT: Common Errors in English Conjunction http://vlc.polyu.edu.hk/common/
English links complex ideas together partly through the use of conjunctions. There are more conjunctions in English than in many other languages and this means that the ability to use the full range of conjunctions to express the relationships between ideas or segments of information is very important. Conjunctions tell us whether the linked ideas are of equal importance (co-ordinating conjunctions), or whether one idea is more important than the other (subordinating conjunctions).
Conjunctions carry out a wide range of functions. Amongst other things they tell us about time, manner (the way something was done), contrast, reason and are also used to balance negative and positive points in a sentence (concession).
The complexities of conjunctions are made more difficult for Chinese learners because of the way Chinese uses double conjunctions within sentences. For example:
雖然他很富有，但是他卻不快樂。This is often incorrectly translated as:
(wrong) Although he was very rich, but he was not happy.
But it should be expressed (to show concession) as:
(right) Although he was very rich, he was not happy.
Test 1
In this part of the exercise, you have to join the two short sentences to make a single one by selecting an appropriate conjunction from the following table. You may have to use some conjunctions more than once. To link the sentences smoothly, you may have to make other changes; for example, using a pronoun to refer back to a noun. There is more than one correct answer for some sentences. The first one has been done for you.
1. I would not necessarily be happy. I was the richest person in the world.
Answer: I would not necessarily be happy, even if I was the richest person in the world.
2. He failed to repay his debts on time. He was refused further credit by his bank.
3. Most Westerners like to eat large portions of meat. The Chinese prefer to consume meat in the form of thin strips.
4. She was exhausted. She continued to study.
5. The driver of the bank robbers ‘car kept the engine running. He could make a quick get-away.
6. He is actually quite fit. He is a little overweight.
7. The book was difficult to understand. Few students benefited from reading the book.
8. We left the office early. We could get to the cinema in time for the start of the film.
9. He's a fat man. He finds it hard to climb the stairs.
10. The West underwent industrialization many years ago. Much of Asia is still in the process of developing.
Conjunction (Answer key)
2. He failed to repay his debts on time and as a result/consequently was refused further credit by his bank.
3. Most Westerners like to eat large portions of meat, but/while/whereas the Chinese prefer to consume meat in the form of thin strips.
4. Although she was exhausted, she continued to study.
Note: you could say instead:
Despite/In spite of being exhausted, she continued to study.Or:Despite/In spite of the fact that she was exhausted, she continued to study.
5. The driver of the bank robbers’ cars kept the engine running so that he could make a quick get-away.
So that shows purpose here. Note, you cannot say:
The driver of the bank robbers’ car kept the engine running in order to he could make a quick get-away.
To use in order to, you must delete he could.
6. He is actually quite fit, despite/in spite of being a little overweight.
You could put although at the beginning of the sentence:
Although he is a little overweight, he is actually quite fit.
You could also begin with despite/in spite of + verb …ing:
Despite/in spite of being a little overweight, he is actually quite fit.
7. The book was so difficult to understand that few students benefitted from reading it.
Note: the usual structure to show result is so + adjectival phrase + that + full clause.
8. We left the office early so that we could get to the cinema in time for the start of the film.
9. He’s such a fat man that he finds it difficult to climb the stairs.
Note: if a and man were deleted, we could say:
He’s so fat that he finds it difficult to climb the stairs.
10. The West underwent industrialization many years ago, while/whereas/but most of Asia is still in the process of developing.
To add emphasis, we could begin the sentence with a contrastive conjunction:
While/whereas the West underwent industrialization many years ago, most of Asia is still in the process of developing.
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