🔗 Conjunctions
Joining words, phrases, and clauses.
Conjunctions are joining words. They act as a bridge, connecting words, phrases, or clauses together.
Examples:
- The farmer grows wheat and mustard. (Joining nouns)
- Because the monsoon failed, the kharif crop was lost. (Joining clauses)
Types of Conjunctions
Conjunctions are broadly classified into three types:
- Coordinating Conjunctions (Fanboys: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So)
- Subordinating Conjunctions (Because, If, When, etc.)
- Correlative Conjunctions (Pairs: Either...or, Neither...nor)
1. Coordinating Conjunctions
These join independent clauses or words of equal rank.
| Type | Function | Conjunctions | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumulative (Additive) | Adds one statement to another | and, as well as | The IBPS aspirant is hardworking and consistent. |
| Adversative (Contrastive) | Contrasts or shows a contrast | but, yet, still | The monsoon was late, but the kharif sowing was still completed. |
| Alternative (Disjunctive) | Indicates a choice | or, either...or | You can apply for IBPS PO or NABARD Grade A. |
| Illative (Conclusive) | Indicates a consequence or inference | so, thus | The MSP was announced early, so the farmers planned their sowing. |
Key Difference: And vs. But
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Conjunctions are joining words. They act as a bridge, connecting words, phrases, or clauses together.
Examples:
- The farmer grows wheat and mustard. (Joining nouns)
- Because the monsoon failed, the kharif crop was lost. (Joining clauses)
Types of Conjunctions
Conjunctions are broadly classified into three types:
- Coordinating Conjunctions (Fanboys: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So)
- Subordinating Conjunctions (Because, If, When, etc.)
- Correlative Conjunctions (Pairs: Either...or, Neither...nor)
1. Coordinating Conjunctions
These join independent clauses or words of equal rank.
| Type | Function | Conjunctions | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumulative (Additive) | Adds one statement to another | and, as well as | The IBPS aspirant is hardworking and consistent. |
| Adversative (Contrastive) | Contrasts or shows a contrast | but, yet, still | The monsoon was late, but the kharif sowing was still completed. |
| Alternative (Disjunctive) | Indicates a choice | or, either...or | You can apply for IBPS PO or NABARD Grade A. |
| Illative (Conclusive) | Indicates a consequence or inference | so, thus | The MSP was announced early, so the farmers planned their sowing. |
Key Difference: And vs. But
- And joins similar ideas.
- But joins contrasting ideas.
2. Subordinating Conjunctions
These introduce dependent (subordinate) clauses. A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence. They indicate the relationship between the subordinate clause and the main clause.
They function to introduce:
(i) Introducing Noun Clause:
- These conjunctions introduce a clause that functions as a noun.
- Words: what / who / whom (किस चीज, क्या, कौन)
- Example: I don't know whether she cleared the NABARD exam.
(ii) Introducing Adjective Clause:
- These conjunctions introduce a clause that functions as an adjective (tells about a noun).
- Example: The agriculture officer who prepared this report is very experienced.
(iii) Introducing Adverb Clause:
- These conjunctions introduce a clause that functions as an adverb.
- Example: The sarpanch will call a gram sabha when the relief funds arrive.
Classification of Subordinating Conjunctions
| Category | Conjunctions | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Time | After, Before, When | After the kharif harvest, the farmers cleared their loans. |
| Reason | Because, Since | Because the rains were delayed, the sowing schedule shifted. |
| Place | Where, Wherever | Wherever there is good rainfall, paddy cultivation thrives. |
| Result | So that, Such that | The cooperative stores grain so that it may be sold at a fair price. |
| Purpose | So that, In order | So that farmers are not cheated, the MSP is announced in advance. |
| Condition | If, Unless | Unless the irrigation canal is repaired, the rabi crop will suffer. |
| Comparison | As, Than | As the loan burden grows, the distress among small farmers deepens. The kharif output is not higher than last year's. |
| Contrast | Although, Though, While | Although the soil was dry, the farmer planted the seeds. While Bihar grows paddy, Punjab specialises in wheat. |
| Manner | As | As the NABARD officer spoke, the village committee listened carefully. The farmer did as the krishi vigyan kendra advised. |
3. Correlative Conjunctions
These are pairs of conjunctions that must differ to specific rules.
| Pair | Hindi | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Either... or | या तो... या | Either apply for the RRB exam or prepare for IBPS AFO. |
| Neither... nor | न तो... न ही | Neither the kharif nor the rabi crop was adequate this year. |
| Not only... but also | न केवल... बल्कि | She is not only a good farmer but also a member of the gram panchayat. |
| Both... and | दोनों... और | Both Punjab and Haryana are major wheat-producing states. |
Concept 1: Parallelism
The words following both parts of the pair must be of the same grammatical type (noun-noun, verb-verb, etc.). These conjunctions must be positioned just before the words which are co-related.
Examples:
- Subject Parallel: "Either Ramesh or I am going to represent the village at the district meeting." (Note: Verb agrees with the nearest subject).
- Object/Noun Parallel: "She is not only a skilled farmer but also an excellent cooperative manager."
- Predicate Parallel: "The block officer is either on tour or at the district office."
- Pronoun Parallel: "The compensation was given to neither him nor her."
- Clause Parallel: "Either the drought relief will come or the farmers will march to the collectorate."
Common Error:
- ❌ Not only does she grow wheat but also manages a dairy. (Noun vs Verb)
- ✅ She not only grows wheat but also manages a dairy. (Verb vs Verb)
Concept 2: Positioning
It is important to keep them positioned just before the words they connect.
- ❌ She is not only a farmer but also a panchayat member. (Incorrect if 'She' is common to both)
- ✅ She is not only a farmer but also a panchayat member.
Commonly Confused Conjunctions
1. Though/Although vs. But
Rule: Do not use "but" after "Though" or "Although". Use "yet" or a comma.
- ❌ Though the monsoon was delayed, but the farmer completed the kharif sowing.
- ✅ Though the monsoon was delayed, yet the farmer completed the kharif sowing.
- ✅ Although the soil was dry, yet he planted the seeds.
2. Unless vs. Until
| Word | Meaning | Hindi | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unless | If not | जब तक (शर्त) | Condition |
| Until/Till | Up to the time | जब तक (समय) | Time |
Examples:
- Unless you register on the PM-KISAN portal, you will not receive the benefit. (Condition)
- Wait at the procurement centre until the FCI officer arrives. (Time)
- The farmer will not sell his paddy unless he gets the full MSP. (Condition — 'no' is incorrect here)
Note: "Unless" is already negative. Do not use "not" in the same clause.
- ❌ Unless the canal is not repaired, the crops will fail.
- ✅ Unless the canal is repaired, the crops will fail.
3. Doubt vs. Doubtful (If/Whether vs. That)
Concept 8: If use of 'doubt' and 'doubtful' is done in the affirmative clause, it is followed by 'if/whether' whereas if the usage is in the negative clause, it is followed by 'that'.
| Statement Type | Conjunction to Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative (I doubt / It is doubtful) | if / whether | I doubt if the crop insurance claim will be processed this month. It is doubtful whether the rabi crop will meet the MSP target. |
| Negative / Question (I do not doubt / No doubt) | that | I don't doubt that the farmers will benefit from the scheme. It is not doubtful that NABARD will approve the loan. |
4. The Reason... That
Rule: "The reason" or "The reason why" is always followed by "that". Never use because / since / as / for after "The reason".
- ❌ The reason for the crop failure is because the monsoon was deficient.
- ✅ The reason for the crop failure is that the monsoon was deficient.
- ❌ The reason why the farmer defaulted is because he could not harvest in time.
- ✅ The reason why the farmer defaulted is that he could not harvest in time.
5. Between... And / From... To
-
Between is followed by and.
-
From is followed by to.
-
✅ The MSP procurement drive runs between October and December.
-
✅ Farmers can submit their applications between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
-
✅ The kharif season runs from June to October.
6. Lest... Should
"Lest" means "otherwise" or "for fear that". The clause following 'lest' must contain either 'should' or 'simple present tense'. It is negative, so do not use "not".
- ✅ Study the crop science section carefully lest you should lose marks in the IBPS AFO exam.
- ✅ The patwari double-checked all records lest there should be any discrepancy.
- ✅ The farmer watered the seedlings at dusk lest they should wilt in the heat.
- ❌ Work hard lest you will fail the NABARD exam. (Avoid use of will/would/may/might)
7. So... That / Such... That (Result)
- So + Adjective/Adverb + That: Used to show cause and effect.
- The soil moisture was so low that the seeds could not germinate.
- Such + Noun + That:
- It was such a severe drought that many farmers in Marathwada abandoned their fields.
Comparison with "Too... to":
- It was so dry that the wheat crop failed. (Negative result)
- It was too dry to grow wheat.
1. Correlative Conjunctions
Correlative conjunctions are pairs that work together. They must be followed by parallel structures (same grammatical form).
| Pair | Hindi | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Either... or | या तो... या | Choice between two |
| Neither... nor | न तो... न ही | Negative choice |
| Both... and | दोनों... और | Including both items |
| Not only... but also | न केवल... बल्कि | Emphasizing addition |
| Whether... or | चाहे... या | Alternative possibilities |
Rule: Parallelism
Place the conjunction immediately before the words they connect.
-
❌ Not only does she grow wheat but also a good manager. (Verb vs. Noun)
-
✅ She is not only a good farmer but also a good manager. (Noun vs. Noun)
-
❌ The village has neither clean water nor roads. (Subject-level error)
-
✅ The village has neither clean water nor paved roads. (Noun vs. Noun)
2. Time Connectors & Inversion Rules
These connectors express that one event happened immediately after another. We can express this in three ways:
A. As soon as (Standard Form)
Use this for normal, positive sentences. No inversion is used here.
- Structure: As soon as + Subject + Verb ..., Subject + Verb ...
- ✅ As soon as the MSP was announced, the farmers began selling their produce.
B. No Sooner ... Than (Inversion)
This is the negative/emphatic form. It triggers inversion (Helping Verb before Subject).
- Connector: Always followed by THAN.
- Structure 1 (Past Indefinite): No sooner + did + Subject + V1 ... + than ...
- Structure 2 (Past Perfect): No sooner + had + Subject + V3 ... + than ...
- Structure 3 (Present): No sooner + does + Subject + V1 ... + than ...
Examples:
- ✅ No sooner did the rains arrive than the farmers began kharif sowing. (did + arrive)
- ✅ No sooner had the procurement centre opened than hundreds of farmers arrived. (had + opened)
- ✅ No sooner does the MSP increase than the market prices rise too. (does + increase)
C. Hardly / Scarcely / Barely / Rarely ... When
These adverbs also act as negative conjunctions and trigger inversion.
- Connector: Always followed by WHEN or BEFORE.
- Structure: Hardly/Scarcely + had + Subject + V3 ... + when/before ...
Examples:
- ✅ Hardly had the drought relief reached the village than the floods came. ❌ (Wrong: 'than' is incorrect)
- ✅ Hardly had the drought relief reached the village when the floods came. ✓
- ✅ The farmer had scarcely stored the grain before the rodent infestation was discovered. (Note: 'before' is also valid)
Key Difference:
- No Sooner THAN
- Hardly/Scarcely WHEN / BEFORE
3. Specific Conjunction Pairs (Concept 13)
Memorize these fixed pairings.
| First Word | Followed By | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Between | and | Procurement runs between October and December. |
| From | to | Office hours are from 9 AM to 5 PM. |
| So | that | The sarpanch announced the meeting early so that all farmers could attend. |
| Too | to | The soil is too saline to grow rice. |
| The same | that / as | This is the same scheme that was announced last year. |
Important Rules for Other / Rather / Else
-
Else is always followed by BUT.
- ❌ The crop loss is nothing else than an administrative failure.
- ✅ The crop loss is nothing else but an administrative failure.
-
Other / Rather are always followed by THAN.
- ❌ The farmer had no other but to sell below MSP.
- ✅ The farmer had no other option than to sell below MSP.
- ❌ She would rather stay in her village but move to the city.
- ✅ She would rather stay in her village than move to the city.
4. Common Errors & Redundancies
"As...As" vs "So...As" (Comparison)
-
As...as: Used for Positive (+ve) and Negative (-ve) sentences. Shows Similarity.
- ✅ The kharif yield this year is as high as last year's target. (+ve)
- ✅ The kharif yield is not as high as last year's target. (-ve)
-
So...as: Used ONLY for Negative (-ve) sentences. Never use in positive sentences.
- ✅ The kharif yield is not so high as last year's target. (-ve)
- ❌ The kharif yield is so high as last year's target. (+ve) [Incorrect]
"Lest...Should"
- Lest means "otherwise" or "for fear that".
- Always followed by should.
- Never use "not" (Lest is already negative).
- ✅ Keep the seeds in a dry place lest they should rot.
Redundant Pairs (Avoid These)
Do not use two conjunctions that mean the same thing in the same sentence.
A. "Supposing if" (Concept 11)
Rule: Never use "Supposing" and "If" together. Both mean the same thing.
- ❌ Supposing if the monsoon fails again, what will the farmers do?
- ✅ Supposing the monsoon fails again, what will the farmers do?
- ❌ Supposing if the mandi closes early, we will lose the day's sale.
- ✅ If the mandi closes early, we will lose the day's sale.
B. "Because... Therefore" (Concept 12)
Rule: When a sentence starts with Because, As, or Since, do NOT use Therefore, So, or That's why later in the sentence.
- ❌ Because the rains failed, therefore the kharif crop was lost.
- ✅ Because the rains failed, the kharif crop was lost.
C. "The Reason... Because"
Rule: The phrase "The reason" or "The reason why" is never followed by "because", "due to", or "on account of". It is always followed by "THAT".
- ❌ This is the reason due to which the farmer could not repay the loan.
- ❌ This is the reason because the farmer could not repay the loan.
- ❌ This is the reason on account of which the farmers are protesting.
- ✅ The reason for the farmer's default is that the crop failed completely.
- ✅ The reason why the mandi was closed is that the power supply failed.
D. "Although... But"
- ❌ Although the cooperative was understaffed, but it managed the entire procurement.
- ✅ Although the cooperative was understaffed, yet it managed the entire procurement. (Use 'yet' or a comma)
5. Interrogative Sentences in Indirect Speech (Concept 14)
When converting questions (Interrogative) into Indirect Speech, the choice of connector depends on the type of question.
A. Wh-Question (Open-ended)
Rule: If the question starts with a Wh-word (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How), use NO CONJUNCTION like 'that' or 'as to'. The Wh-word itself acts as the connector.
-
❌ The NABARD officer asked me that how the crop was damaged.
-
❌ The NABARD officer asked me as to how the crop was damaged.
-
✅ The NABARD officer asked me how the crop was damaged.
-
❌ The sarpanch asked the patwari that what the irrigation scheme covered.
-
✅ The sarpanch asked the patwari what the irrigation scheme covered.
B. Yes/No Question
Rule: If the question can be answered with Yes/No (starts with Helping Verb), use If or Whether.
- Question: "Will the MSP be revised this year?"
- ✅ The farmer asked if the MSP would be revised this year.
- ✅ The farmer asked whether the MSP would be revised this year.
Key Takeaways
- FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So) are coordinating conjunctions.
- Either...or, Neither...nor, Not only...but also require parallel structure.
- Though/Although goes with Yet (never 'but').
- The Reason goes with That (never 'because').
- Lest goes with Should (never 'not').
- Unless denotes condition (if not); Until denotes time.
- Doubt (affirmative) takes if/whether; No Doubt (negative) takes that.
- Parallelism: Words joined by correlative conjunctions must have the same grammatical form.
- Inversion: "No sooner... than" and "Hardly... when" trigger inversion.
- Pairs: Remember "Between... and", "From... to", "Else... but", "Rather... than", "Not only... but also".
- Redundancy: Avoid "Supposing if", "Reason... because", "Although... but".
- Conditions: "Unless" = condition; "Until" = time.
- Comparison: "As...as" (+ve/-ve); "So...as" (-ve only).
Summary Cheat Sheet
| Concept / Topic | Key Details / Explanation |
|---|---|
| Definition | Conjunctions join words, phrases, or clauses together |
| 3 Types | Coordinating (FANBOYS), Subordinating (because/if/when), Correlative (pairs) |
| FANBOYS | For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So — coordinating conjunctions |
| Correlative pairs | Either...or, Neither...nor, Both...and, Not only...but also, Whether...or |
| Parallelism rule | Both parts of a correlative pair must connect the SAME grammatical form (noun-noun, verb-verb) |
| Positioning | Place correlative conjunctions IMMEDIATELY before the words they connect |
| Though/Although → Yet | Never use "but" after though/although — use yet or comma only |
| Unless vs Until | Unless = condition (if not); Until/Till = time. Unless is already negative — never add "not" |
| Lest → Should | "Store seeds properly lest they should rot" — never use will/would/may/might after lest |
| Doubt affirmative → if/whether | "I doubt if/whether the claim will be approved" |
| No doubt / Don't doubt → that | "I don't doubt that the scheme will help farmers" |
| The reason → that | "The reason is that..." — NEVER "because/since/as" after "the reason" |
| Between → and | "between October and December" (never between...to) |
| From → to | "from June to October" |
| So...that / Such...that | So + adj/adv + that; Such + noun + that |
| No sooner → than | Inversion required: "No sooner had the rains come than the sowing began" — always THAN |
| Hardly/Scarcely → when/before | Inversion required: "Hardly had he arrived when it rained" — always WHEN, never THAN |
| Else → but | "Nothing else but a policy failure" (not "else than") |
| Other/Rather → than | "No other than the district collector"; "would rather stay than move" |
| Supposing if | Never use together — both mean the same; use either one |
| Because...Therefore | Never use both — redundant: use only one |
| Although...But | Never use both — "Although the soil was dry, yet the farmer sowed" |
| As...as vs So...as | As...as = positive AND negative; So...as = negative ONLY |
| Wh-question indirect speech | Wh-word itself is the connector — no "that" or "if": "He asked me how the crop failed" |
| Yes/No question indirect speech | Use if or whether: "She asked me if the MSP had been revised" |
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