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301
The conjunction for is intermediate between subordination and coordination. It is most often treated as a
coordinating conjunction, because its semantic application is to introduce clauses containing an explanation
or justification of the idea expressed by the previous clause.
The land seemed almost as dark as the water, for there was no moon.
Sometimes the consequence may serve as a justification of the previous statement.
John must have gone, for nobody answers the call.
A for-clause differs from a subordinate clause of reason in that it never precedes the clause it is joined to. If
a sentence begins with for, it means that the sentence is linked with the previous one.
When I saw her in the river I was frightened. For at that point the current was strong.
Consecutive connectives are conjunctions so, so that, and conjunctive adverbs therefore, hence, then, thus.
The weather was fine, so there were many people on the beach.
So that is a conjunction intermediate between subordination and coordination. When used after a comma in
writing or a pause in speaking its connection with the previous clause is looser and it performs the function of a
coordinating conjunction.
John is unlikely to come soon, so that we’d better go home.
THE COMPLEX SENTENCE
§ 144. While coordination is a connection of two or more clauses of equal rank and function, subordination
is usually defined as a non-symmetrical relation, that is, in a complex sentence with a minimal composition of
two clauses, one is the basic element, whereas the other is a constituent or part of the first. The first one is
called the main (or principal) clause, the second the subordinate clause.
Formal indicators of subordination (connectors)
§ 145. Subordination is marked by some formal signals contained either in the subordinate clause (This is the
news which he didn’t know; You should pardon John, as he didn’t know the rules; He was turning round the
corner when we saw him), or in both — the main and the subordinate clause (He was as ignorant as any
uneducated person is. The more he looked at the picture, the more he liked it).
These formal signals may be conjunctions or connectives.
Conjunctions are specialized formal devices (connectors) the only function of which is to link clauses and
express the relation between them. They usually stand at the beginning
of a subordinate clause. The only
exception to this rule is the complex sentence with a concessive clause, where owing to partial inversion the
conjunction may come second, after the word which is the focus of concessive meaning (tired though he was...,
hard as we tried...).
Conjunctions may be one word-form (that, because, though, etc.), phrasal (in order that, providing that, for
all that, so far as, etc.), or paired (or correlative, that is, correlated with some element(s) in the principal clause:
as... as, such... as, etc.). Some conjunctions may be used in combination with particles (even if, even though,
even when, just as, if only).
Connectives combine two functions - that of linking clauses and that of a part in the subordinate clause: He
doesn’t care what happens to us; This is where we live, etc. (what has a linking function and at the same time is
the subject of the subordinate clause; likewise, where has a linking function and is an adverbial of place).
Connectives are subdivided into conjunctive words (conjunctive subordinating pronouns and adverbs),
which are used to join nominal clauses and relative words (pronouns and adverbs), used to join attributive
clauses. Some conjunctive and relative words coincide in form, and it is therefore necessary to give some
criterion according to which the two types can be distinguished.