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And / In addition

Joining sentence elements and clauses

Dancers
 

 

Joining Elements vs. Sentences
AND  – CONJUNCTION / COORDINATOR

And, and also, and as well as join two sentence elements, such as two nouns, two verbs, two adjectives, two phrases or two  clauses (two same word forms).  When and connects two sentence elements, NO COMMA is used.  When three or more elements are joined, a comma is used.  (See Comma–series.)

Anne is an actress.  Normally, she acts and sings.   (verbs)

Anne loves dance and also music.   (nouns)

She will compete in ballroom and also modern dance.  (adjectives)

She must dance gracefully and precisely in order to win.  (adverbs)

She must follow the rules as well as use good dance technique.   (verb phrases)

The judges want her both to extend and to point her toes.  (phrases)

Anne is a woman who not only³ knows her strengths but also who will give her best effort.    (clauses)
IN ADDITION – LINKING ADVERB

In addition, additionally and also are linking adverbs that indicate a relationship between two independent clauses.  [They are also called conjunctive adverbs or transition words.]  These words transition the reader or listener from the main idea in one clause to the related idea in the next clause.

Anne and Alex act and sing.  In addition, they dance.

Anne and Alex are very strong dancers.  Also¹, they have years of experience dancing together.

Anne and Alex will learn samba and cha cha.  Additionally, they will try merengue.

She must dance gracefully.  In addition, she must dance precisely.

She must follow the rules. Also, she must use proper dance technique. 

The judges want her to extend her arms.  Additionally, they expect her to point her toes.

Alex is a man who knows his strengths. And² he will give his best effort. 

 

¹Also is less formal than in addition (to) or additionally.
²And – at the beginning of a sentence
³Not only…but  (paired coordinators) See Both and
Related pages: And so / too / also,  FANBOYS   Parallel Phrasing, Adv for Linking

 

 

 

 

Conjunctions and Coordinators

Addition vs. Conclusive Fact

 

 

 

Adding One More  vs. a Final Fact
ADDITION

And, and also, as well as, in addition, additionally, or also, link a clause with additional information.

Anne would like to play a dramatic role. Also, she thinks it would be fun to try comedy. (informal)

Alex has acted on Broadway (stage) and television.  In addition, he has acted in three movies. (very formal)

Beside(s) having several dance competitions, Alex and Anne have family obligations.

Alex and Anne have to focus on their practices as well as² their auditions.  (on top of, along with)

For now, Alex and Anne are taking it easy in addition to postponing their touring plans. 
CONCLUSIVE FACT

Furthermore, moreover, or besides, link a clause with a final fact in order to make a point or to support an argument.

In my opinion,  Anne would be excellent in that movie.  She has done several dramatic roles and has lots of experience. Furthermore, she looks like the character in the book.  (very formal)

I think Alex is the best choice. He has acted on Broadway and on television; moreover, he has played supporting roles in three movies.  (very formal)

Alex and Anne won't be able to dance in the international competition in Rio de Janeiro.  They are too busy.  Besides¹, they can't get a visa in time. 

Alex and Anne have to focus on their practices and auditions.  They can't take time off to travel.  Another thing is³, they have family obligations. (informal)   

Alex and Anne aren't traveling now. In fact,  Anne is expecting a baby and has been advised not to travel.
 

¹Besides, –  What is more, (informal)
²as well as – on top of (infornal), along with (informal),
³Another thing is – (informal, but commonly used);  See The reason is + clause  
audition (n.) – to try out for a part, give a short performance to see if the person is good for the part
conclusive fact (adj) – showing that something is definitely true
role (n.) – acting part in a play, opera, or ballet

 See   Using semi-colons   Linking Adverbs  In fact / Indeed

 

 

 

 

Coordinators / Conjunctions

Introductory Phrases

 

 

 

Conjunctive Phrases vs. Linking Adverbs  (Transition Words)
BESIDES + NOUN PHRASE

A prepositional phrase besides, in addition to, or along with may be placed before the main clause (set off by a comma). The phrase is complemented by a noun phrase.

PREP PHRASE MAIN CLAUSE

Besides being funny,

he is also young and smart. (information)

Along with enjoying what they do,

they spend a lot of time together. (information)

In addition to work,

they plan time to relax. (information)

Along with a promotion, 

They received several job offers.(information)
BESIDES + CLAUSE

Besides  or in addition may also link one independent clause to another. Besides links a fact that could stand on its own as reason enough;  in addition links more information.
MAIN CLAUSE LINKING ADVERB

Hire him because he is young and smart. 

Besides, he is funny!   (conclusive fact or argument)

They are a well-matched pair. Both have excellent dance technique.

Besides, they are good friends.   (conclusive fact or argument)

They plan, practice and perfect their work.

In addition, they take time to relax.  (information)

They received several job offers.

In addition, they received a promotion.  (information)
 

hire (v.) – offer a job
Also see  Linking Adverbs   Noun Phrases –reducing clauses

 

 

 

 

 

Coordinators / Conjunctions

Reduced Verb Pairs

 

 

 

Verb and Verb…
VERB + AND + VERB

These are commonly used verb pairs. Informal American English usage may drop and with come and go.  Other verb tenses may be used with these verbs.

Come and see what I did.  / Come see… (informal)

Go and get your shoes.  / Go get…  (informal)

Hurry up and open the door.  We hurried and opened… / We hurried to open…

Stay and have another drink. We stayed and had … (Other verb forms may be used.)
AND  or INFINITIVE

These verbs are commonly paired with a second verb and are joined with either and or to (infinitive).  They occur only with the base form of the verb. Other verb tenses are not used.

Try and do your work well.   (Try to do…)

Wait and see what happens.  (Wait to see…)

Be sure and do it correctly.  (Be sure to do…)

*We were sure and did it correctly.  (Use the base form of these verb pairs.)
 

Pronunciation – The above examples, and is often reduced to "n" as in "Come 'n' see."

 

 

 

 

Common Mistakes

Errors and Solutions

 

 

 

ERROR SOLUTION

I don't want to go.  I don't like swimming.  And I don't have a bathing suit.   

Not incorrect, but we can use a better word to add a conclusive fact or point to an argument.

I don't want to go.  I don't like swimming.  Besides, I don't have a bathing suit.    
1) Use Besides, Furthermore, or Moreover, to add an argument clause.

I don't want to go.  I don't like swimming, besides I don't have a bathing suit.  
Use a comma to join the first independent clause to the second. (This can be done if the idea of the clauses are closely related and if each clause has its own subject and verb.) 
 

*He is vegetarian as well as is trying to remove unhealthy foods from his diet. 

As well as should join similar sentence elements.
  

He is vegetarian, and (he) is trying to remove unhealthy foods from his diet. (Use and with a comma. The pronoun he is understood as the subject of the second clause.)  See FANBOYS 

He's vegetarian as well as vegan. (joins two similar sentence elements – adjectives)
 

*Keep bedrooms free of clutter where bedbugs can hide and seal wall cracks and crevices.  Funny!

Solution - lightbulb Pop-Q "And"

Keep bedrooms free of clutter where bedbugs can hide, and seal wall cracks and crevices. 
Keep bedrooms free of clutter where bedbugs can hide. And seal wall cracks and crevices. 
And should join similar sentence elements. Separate these two clauses.

 

*Yellow highlighted words are examples of incorrect usage.

 

 

 

 

Grammar Notes

Various Terms

 

 

TRADITIONAL DESCRIPTION LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION

A conjunction and a coordinating conjunction differ in that a conjunction joins grammatically alike subclausal elements, whereas a coordinating conjunction joins grammatically alike clausal elements. (Azar )  (PEU 510.1-2)

compound sentence– the joining of two independent clauses

In linguistic description, "coordination is the relation between elements of equal syntactic status, and as such contrast with subordination [unequal syntactic structure]."    (CaGEL  "Properties of prototypical coordinators"  15 §2.1)   

compound — the term in limited to the joining of two words: sweetheart, blackbird, copycat, egghead, etc.  [not clauses]
CONJUNCTION (FUNCTION TERM)

and, but, or
conjunction – is a term for a word that joins two like elements, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or phrases (but not clauses).  He walks and talks contantly. [subclausal elements]

conjunction – is a logic function of A + B "both";   ("and" and sometimes "or") Caffeine is found in coffee and tea. Caffeine is found in coffee or tea. ("both").
disjunction – is the logic function of  A / B "one or the other, but not both", "either"; ("or" / "nor") Would you like coffee or tea?  ("one not the other")
COORDINATING  CONJUNCTIONS COORDINATORS

for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so  ("fanboys")
coordinating conjunctions— join independent clauses and the resulting construction is a compound sentence. He is walking around, and he doesn't seem to know where he is going. [clausal elements]
both…and, not only…but also
paired conjunctions — (UUEG 16-3)

and, but, or, nor
coordinators — join a variety of syntactically alike structures both subclausal (NP, VP, AdjP, Adv, etc.P) and clausal.
both…and, not only…but also
focusing adverbs—  (CaGEL 6.7.3) (PEU 24.6)
CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS CONNECTIVE ADVERBS

In addition, Besides, Moreover, Furthermore
transitions, conjunctive adverbs —  (UUEG 16, 19–2-9)

In addition, Besides, Moreover, Furthermore
connective adverbs —  (CaGEL8 §19)
linking adverbials — (LGSWE 10.4.1.4)
discourse marker; connecting adverbs — (PEU 22.1)
ADVERBS PREPOSITIONS / COORDINATOR

as well as, in addition to, along with
connectors, adverbs, prepositions— (UUEG ?)

also, as well, too  — adverbs (PEU 46-47); also "focusing adverb" (PEU 24.6)

as well as
comparison/coordinator — (CaGEL15 §2.8)
in addition to, along with, including, plus
prepositon/coordinator — (CaGEL15 §2.9)
also, as well, too, even
additive focusing modifier — (CaGEL6 §7.3.2)

 

 

Resources

 

 

 

 

Practice 1

Talent Show Auditions

  talent show contestants
 

 

Read the Paragraph (without conjunctions)

Talent shows on television are loved ____ hated.  Contestants perform on the stage "live" before the judges ____ millions of television viewers. To appear on a show, a contestant has to be talented and a good performer. ____ the contestant has to be extremely bold.  The judges can be mean.  If they do not like the performance, they buzz the contestants and criticize them.  ____ they insult the contestants.  ___ becoming famous, the contestants hope to get rich. 

Some contestants have neither talent nor good taste ____ fools. Others are very smart, talented ____ creative.  Most contestants are very talented ____ are looking for a break in show business.  With a little imagination ____ hard work, some will become stars.  Most of the contestants will get their "fifteen minutes of fame". ____ they will face rejection and disappointment.

a break (n.) – an opportunity, a chance, a start

bold (adj.) – brave, without fear, not afraid of doing difficult things, courageous

buzz (v.) – an electronic button that indicates rejection – no!

contestants (n.) – people who compete to win

creative (adj.) – use imagination to plan and perform new acts

criticize (v.) – to say the good and bad points of something; express approval or disapproval

famous (adj.) – well known, celebrities

fool (n.) – a person who appears to have poor judgment or a simple mind (or is, in fact, very smart.)

good taste (n.) – the sense of what is fitting, harmonious, or beautiful

insult (v.) – to say unkind things to someone; offend or be rude

live (adj.) /laɪv/ – real time, actual time

perform (v.) – sing, dance, do their special artistic act

stars (n.) – famous; successful entertainers 

talent (n.) – having special abilities or skills

talented (adj.) – having special artistic abilities or skills

 

Optional comma usage: smart, talented, and creative  OR smart, talented and creative; See Comma–series.

 

 

Add conjunctions.
  1. Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence. 
  2. Compare your response to the response(s) in the feedback box  by clicking the "check 1-10" button at the bottom, or by clicking the "check" button as you go.

 

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.
 

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice 2

Magic Act

magic hat

 

 

Read for Errors

Ben wants to audition for a talent show.  He is a tap dancer does a magic act. His act is special because he can tap dance. He can pull a rabbit out of a hat in addition whistling. (He can do all three at the same time.) He went to an audition for a talent show. He wore black pants and a jacket, in addition to his magic hat.

He started with a little tap dance, and then he did his magic act.  He thought he did very well. Everyone laughed and cheered. Moreover, they applauded his performance afterwards. The judges said that his act wasn't original or creative. Furthermore, they already had a magic act.

applaud (v.) – clap; make an approval sound with the hands

audition (v.) – try out; a chance to show the director what he can do so that he can get a job

cheer (v.) – shout encouragement (an audience)

magician (n.) – a person who does magic tricks

whistle (v.) – make a musical sound with the lips

 

 

 

Decide whether the sentence is correct or incorrect.
  1. Respond by selecting the "correct" or "incorrect" option.
  2. Compare your response to the response(s) in the feedback box  by clicking the "check 11-15" button at the bottom, or by clicking the "check" button as you go.

 

11.
Ben wants to audition for a talent show. He is a tap dancer and does a magic act.

    

12.
His act is special because he can tap dance and pull a rabbit out of a hat   in addition whistling.
    


13.
He went to an audition for a talent show. He wore black pants, a jacket, in addition to his magic hat.

    

14.
He started with a little tap dance, and then he did his magic act.  He thought he did very well. Everyone laughed and cheered. Moreover, they applauded his performance afterwards.

    

15.
The judges said that his act wasn't original or creative. Furthermore, they already had a magic act.

    

 

 

 

 

 

Practice 3

Triple-Threat Talent

African dance
 
Read  (without connectors)

Janelle is a tough competitor at auditions. She is often called a "triple threat", which means she has multiple talents. Janelle dances, sings, acts, enchants audiences.

She has studied modern, hip-hop, ballet. She has studied African dance. The African dance types include courtship, harvest, fertility, celebration, wedding, friendship.

Janelle also sings beautifully. She has a four-octave vocal range. She has perfect pitch.

Without using a microphone, she can easily be heard in the back of the room. She mostly sings R & B, pop, soul. She sings gospel.

Janelle has acted in three Broadway musicals: Wicked, Chicago, Lion King. She is currently playing the part of "Rafiki" in The Lion King. She will be going on an International tour to Japan, China, Indonesia, the Philippines.

audience (n.) – people who attend, enjoy a performance on stage

audition (n.) – try out; show your talents to the judges or director so that you can get the job (acting, singing, etc.); test suitability for employment

enchant (v.) – delight; give a magical quality to a performance

go on tour  (v.) – travel around the country or world

musical (n.) – a stage show with music and acting, such as Chicago, The.4 Sound of Music, Annie, West Side Story, Cabaret, etc.

octave (n.) – music: a series of eight tones  (e.g., A, B, C, D, E, F, G)

R & B – rhythm and blues style of singing

role (n.) – character or part in a play, opera or musical

triple threat – having three talents, such as throwing, passing and running, or singing , acting, and dancing; a person who will easily get hired because of three related skills

 

 

 

Edit the paragraph adding conjunctions  and coordinators.
  1. Edit the sentence in the text box. (More than one response may be correct.)
  2. Compare your response to the response(s) in the feedback box  by clicking the "check 16-20" button at the bottom, or by clicking the "check" button as you go.   Other options for wording is enclosed in brackets [ ].

 

16.
Janelle is a tough competitor at an audition for a musical role. She is often called a "triple threat", which means she has multiple talents. Janelle dances, sings, acts, enchants audiences.


17.
She has studied modern, hip-hop, ballet. She has studied African dance.


18.
The African dance types include friendship, courtship, wedding, fertility, harvest dances.


19.
Janelle sings beautifully. She has a four-octave vocal range. She has perfect pitch. 


20.
She mostly sings R & B, pop, soul. She sings gospel.


21.
Janelle has acted in three Broadway musicals: Wicked, Chicago, Lion King. She is currently playing the part of "Rafiki" in The Lion King.


22.
She will be going on an International tour to Japan, China, Indonesia, the Philippines.