Conjunctions and Linking Words: How to Form Complex Sentences

Are you looking for ways to make your writing and speech flow more naturally? Perhaps you feel like it’s difficult for people to follow your train of thought when you speak. Or you keep getting low marks for coherence and cohesion in your writing tests.

Learning how to use more conjunctions and linking words can be a quick way to improve your fluency. The only problem is that there are a lot of them and they all serve different purposes. So, where to begin?

Our article aims to give you a crash course in conjunctions and linking words. Read on to learn the different types, understand how they work, and explore a few examples.

What are conjunctions and linking words?

Conjunctions are the pieces of language that connect words, phrases, and clauses.

For example:

You can use more than one to form complex sentences.

For example:

Linking words are the parts of language that connect ideas between different sentences and paragraphs. They often go at the start of a sentence, but can also go at the end.

For example:

Some people get confused about the difference between conjunctions and linking words. They may think they’re the same thing as people use the terms interchangeably. While there are similarities between the two types of language, they serve separate purposes.

Coordinating conjunctions

A coordinating conjunction connects two equal elements of a sentence. In other words, they link two pieces of the same kind of grammar.

For example:

‘Strawberries’ and ‘milk’ can go together because they’re both nouns.

It would sound odd if you said “I like strawberries and I like to drink milk’ because they’re different types of grammar. The first half is a noun and the second half is a clause in the present tense.

Here are the seven most common coordinating conjunctions with some example sentences:

Correlative conjunctions

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You may have noticed that we sometimes pair conjunctions with other words. These are called correlative conjunctions.

Here are the main ones:

Having two conjunctions helps make the sentence clearer. It’s easier to tell that there’s a choice between two things.

Subordinating conjunctions

A subordinating conjunction joins a dependent to an independent clause.

If you’re unfamiliar with these terms, an independent clause is a phrase that expresses an entire thought or idea. It can stand alone as a sentence even if it’s really short.

For example:

Whereas a dependent clause is incomplete. It can’t act as a sentence and requires extra information.

Subordinating conjunctions allow us to connect the dependent and the independent clauses. They might go at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence.

Subordinating clauses also often indicate the relationship between the two clauses. Here are the main categories and some common examples:

Linking words

Linking words behave a lot like subordinating conjunctions. They suggest the relationship between two different ideas and often go at the start or end of a sentence. However, they usually link two sentences or paragraphs.

Here are the main categories:

Tip! Be careful about the tone of linking words. ‘Furthermore’ is formal so it might sound strange in casual conversation or a message between friends. You would just use ‘also’.

Closing thoughts

The trick to linking words and conjunctions is starting with the basics and building on what you know. Once you feel more confident, you can start experimenting and creating longer sentences.

Another important factor is variety. If you look at the sentences in this section so far, you’ll see there’s a mix of simple and complex structures using different conjunctions. That’s what gives your language rhythm and makes it flow.

Want to learn more about improving your fluency? Book a lesson with Oxford House.

Glossary for Language Learners

Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn’t know.

To follow a train of thought (phr): to understand the flow of someone’s ideas as they speak.

Crash course (phr): a short and intensive lesson.

In other words (phr): an expression used when we restate an idea in simpler language.

The basics (phr): the simple and essential parts of an idea.

Key

phr = phrase