Coordination: Joining Clauses of Equal Importance
Sentences hold your thoughts. Craft them with care.
Coordination is the joining of two independent clauses, each of which expresses a complete idea. Two independent clauses joined together form one compound sentence. There are two ways to coordinate independent clauses:
• Use a coordinating conjunction: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (fanboys). • Use a semicolon and a transition.
Note this pattern in the sentences in the table:
INDEPENDENT CLAUSE,AND INDEPENDENT CLAUSE.[Open Dictionary If Needed][Close Dictionary] [open new window]
Click on the coordinators for meaning. CC
means coordinating conjunction.
Independent Clause 1,
CC
Independent Clause 2.
Former president Bill Clinton is well known in Africa,
forFor gives a reason. The equivalent subordinator is because +S+V (...because he is fighting the AIDS pandemic.) You could also use a prepositional phrase: for his work on AIDS, or because of his work on AIDS.
he is fighting the AIDS pandemic across the continent.
Clinton's foundation has helped renovate a rural hospital in Rwanda,
andAnd introduces another complete thought.
the nonprofit group, Partners in Health, works with the foundation to provide doctors.
While in office, Clinton didn't do much to fight AIDS,
norNor introduces another negative idea. The subject and verb following nor are always inverted: the clause has V+S word order.
Nor did he support....means and he didn't support....
did he support countries trying to make or import cheaper AIDS medicines.
Mr. Clinton claims that he wanted to do more about AIDS,
butBut introduces a contrasting idea.
the Congress was against giving more foreign aid.
Mr. Clinton could spend his time feeling guilty about the little he did as president,
orOr introduces an alternative course of action or a choice.
he can make up for lost time now.
Poor countries desperately needed inexpensive AIDS medicines,
yetYet is a synonym for but. It introduces a contrasting idea or a surprising result (concession).
President Clinton protected the patent rights of rich pharmaceutical companies.
The price of anti-AIDS drugs has fallen since Clinton left office,
soSo introduces a result.
it is no longer too costly to treat people in poor countries.
Practice: Read the sentences and determine the logical connection between them. Then select the correct coordinating conjunction.
Obese people eat more than most people, their brains don't signal that they're full.
The term morbidly obese refers to a body mass index of 40+, the current rate of morbidrelating to or caused by disease obesity is twice as high as 1980 obesity rates.
Diets and exercise programs haven't helped many obese persons, many of these people are opting for bariatric surgeryA surgical procedure that reduces the size of the stomach, making it impossible to eat large amounts of food. .
There may be a genetic link to obesity, families share common diet and lifestyle habits that also contribute to obesity.
The sudden rise in weight gain is a worldwide trend, scientists have coined a new term for this trend--"globesity."
People who overeat need to exercise more, their excess calories will be stored as fat.
Morbidly obese people cannot look forward to a productive life, can they avoid serious diseases.
Morbidly obese people consume far more calories than they need each day, they don't have the energy to burn them off with exercise.
Parental cooking, dietary, and exercise patterns are extremely important, overweight children frequently become obese adults.
Respiratory and musculoskeletal problems among the morbidly obese lead to mobility problems,
even their capacity for fitness is greatly diminished.
Coordination: Joining Clauses of Equal Importance
Practice: Read the sentences and determine the logical connection between them. Then select the correct coordinating conjunction.