ENGLISH II

Conjunctions

Conjunctions
Una conjunción es una palabra que enlaza palabras, frases u oraciones. Hay tres
tipos: coordinating, correlative, y subordinating. Es decir, gramaticalmente, las
conjunciones se dividen en coordinantes y subordinantes (dependiendo que
coordinen o subordinen dos palabras u oraciones). De igual forma, tanto las
conjunciones coordinantes como las subordinantes se subdividen a su vez
gramaticalmente. No obstante, vamos a hacer un estudio de las mismas menos
teorizante y vamos a ver en detalle las conjunciones y locuciones conjuntivas que
por su importancia o dificultad merecen una atención especial.

Coordinating Conjunctions
Las conjunciones coordinativas pueden unir palabras solas o grupos de palabras,
pero siempre deben unir elementos similares, e.g: subject+subject, verb
phrase+verb phrase, sentence+sentence.
Noun phrase + noun phrase: We have tickets for the symphony and the opera.

Sentence + sentence: The orchestra rehearses on Tuesday, but the chorus rehearses on
Wednesday.

Verbs + verb: Have you seen or heard the opera “Die Zauberflöte”?

Recuerda que deben ir siempre entre los elementos que unen, nunca al principio o al
final.
Correct: I like coffee, but I don’t like tea

Incorrect: But I don’t like tea, I like coffee

Este cuadro nos muestra las conjunciones coordinativas en inglés. Yet, for y nor se
utilizan mucho menos como conjunciones, y no las vamos a ver en detalle.

Coordinating Conjunctions
and but or yet for nor so

Cuando se usa una conjunción para unir dos oraciones, se suele poner coma
Sonia went home, but I stayed at the party.

Correlative Conjunctions
Estas conjunciones se llaman correlativas porque siempe van en parejas, uniendo
elementos de la oración que gramaticalmente son iguales.
Here is a brief list of common correlative conjunctions.

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Conjunctions

both . . . and
 tanto…. como…


not only . . . but also
 no sólo … sino también
either . . . or o…o…
neither . . . nor ni … ni …
whether . . . or
 si … o…
as . . . as tanto … como

EXAMPLES AND SENTENCES

CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS
 
CONJUNCTION WHAT IS SAMPLE SENTENCE
S LINKED

both...and subject+subject Both my sister and my brother play the

piano.

either...or noun+noun Tonight's program is either Mozart or

Beethoven.

neither...nor subject+subject Neither the orchestra nor the chorus

was able to overcome the terrible
acoustics in the church

not only...but sentence+sentenc Not only does Sue raise money for the
also e symphony, but she also ushers at all of
their concerts.

Subordinating Conjunctions
Las conjunciones subordinativas son las que utilizamos para formar oraciones
subordinadas. Se colocan al principio de la frase que subordinan.  Y éstas pueden
ir tanto antes de la oración principal como después de ella. Normalmente éstas
conjunciones son sólo una palabra, pero hay algunas que se componene de más de
una palabra aunque funcionen como una única conjunción. Se pueden clasificar de
acuerdo a su uso en referencia al tiempo y el lugar, la razón o causa, la
consecuencia, la condición, la finalidad, el contraste y la comparación.
Recuerda poner una coma al final de la oración subordinada adverbial cuando
precede a la oración principal.

after, as, as long as, as soon as, before, by the

time sequence
time, once, since, until, till, when, whenever, while

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Conjunctions

place Where, wherever, anywhere, everywhere

reason because, as, since

although, though, even though, in spite of,

contrast
despite, however, yet, whereas

To + infinitive, so that, in order to, in case, so as

purpose
to, so

result so… that, such (a) … that

condition if, whether, unless, otherwise, provided

comparison like, as, as if, as though, (in) the way (that)

A continuación tienes un listado de todas estas conjunciones y alguna más con su

significado en español. En un segundo listado tienes ejemplos traducidos con cada
una de ellas.

Conjunciones

According to - de acuerdo a Namely - a saber

After - después que Neither... nor - ni... ni

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Conjunctions

Nevertheless - sin embargo, no

Although - aunque, si bien
obstante

And - y Nor - ni
As if - como si Or - o
As long as - mientras, con tal que Or else - sino
As soon as - en cuanto Otherwhise - de otra manera, si no
As though - como si Provided - siempre que , con tal de que
As well as - además de Providing - siempre que , con tal de que
Because - porque Since - puesto que, ya que, desde que
Because of - debido a So as to - para
Before - antes que So as not to - para no
Both...and - tanto...como So that - para que
But - pero Still - sin embargo, no obstante
But - sino Than - que ( en comparaciones )
By the time – para cuando Therefore - por lo tanto
Either... or - o... o Though - aunque
Even though - aunque Unless - a menos que
Except - excepto, salvo Until - hasta que
For - porque Whenever - cada vez que, cuando
Furthermore - además Whereas - siendo que, mientras
However - sin embargo Whether - si
If - si Whether... or - si... o
In case of - en caso de While - mientrar, mientras que, aunque

According to - de acuerdo a
- Everything was done according to his instructions -- Todo fue hecho de acuerdo a
sus instrucciones

After - después que

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Conjunctions

- He started to eat after he had washed his hands -- Comenzó a comer después de
haberse lavado las manos

- After he had eaten, he went to bed -- Después de que había comido, se fue a la
cama

Although - aunque, si bien - (although = though = even though)

- Although he was not tall, he was excellent at basketball -- Aunque no era alto, era
excelente para el baloncesto

- Although she appears to be happy, she is actually very sad -- Anque parece estar
feliz, está muy triste en realidad

And - y
- Bill buys things and sells them at a higher price -- Bill compra cosas y las vende a
un precio más alto

As - cuando, mientras, a medida que, como

- As the two boys walked down the street, they found a wallet -- Mientras los dos
chicos caminaban por la calle, encontraron una billetera

- As winter approaches, the temperature gets colder and colder -- A medida que se
aproxima el invierno, la temperatura se pone cada vés más fría

- As she entered the restaurant, she saw us -- Cuando entró al restaurant, ella nos
vió

- She acted as a crazy woman -- Ella actuaba como una loca

- He is not as intelligent as they think -- Él no es tan inteligente como ellos piensan

As if - como si - (as if = as though)

- He acts as if he were rich -- Él actúa como si fuera rico

- They treat me as if they didn't know me -- Me tratan como si no me conocieran

- Bill started to shop as if he had won the lottery -- Bill comenzó comprar como si
hubiera ganado la lotería

- They looked as if they hadn't slept for days -- Se veían como si no hubieran
dormido desde hace días

As long as - mientras, siempre que

- You can stay here as long as you work hard -- Te puedes quedar aquí mientras
trabajes duro

- I will live in this city as long as I can -- Viviré en esta ciudad mientras pueda

- Nobody will know about this secret as long as you keep mum -- Nadie sabrá de
este secreto mientras mantengas la boca cerrada
As soon as - en cuanto, tan pronto como
-- I will do this work as soon as I can -- Haré con este trabajo tan pronto como
pueda

-- She started to work as soon as she graduated from the university -- Comenzó a
trabajar tan pronto como se graduó de la universidad

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Conjunctions

As though - como si - (as if = as though)

Ver " As if "

As well as - además de
- My sister as well as John will go to the movies tomorrow -- Mi hermana, así
como John, irán al cine mañana

- She is intelligent as well as kind -- Ella es inteligente además de amable

- She works as well as she studies -- Ella trabaja además de estudiar

Because - porque
- I don't want to go out because it is too cold -- No quiero salir porque está
demasiado frío
Because of - debido a
- They stayed in because of the bad weather -- Ellos se quedaron en casa debido al
mal tiempo

- She can not play sports because of her illness -- Ella no puede practicar deportes
debido a su enfermedad

Before - antes que

- Billy washed his hands before he started to eat -- Billy se lavó sus manos antes de
empezar a comer

- He had trained for years before he decided to box professionally -- Él había
entrenado durante años antes de decidirse a boxear profesionalmente

Both...and - tanto...como
- He speaks both softly and clearly -- Él habla tanto suavemente como claramente

- She plays both the piano and the harp -- Ella toca tanto el piano como el harpa

But - pero
- He spoke clearly, but I didn't understand him -- Habló claramente pero no lo
entendí

- She saw me, but she didn't recognize me -- Me vió pero no me reconoció

But - sino
- She is not from Argentina but from Brazil -- Ella no es de Argentina sino de
Brazil

- He didn't work but he rested all day -- No trabajó sino que descanzó todo el día
Either... or - o... o

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Conjunctions

- Either start to work or quit this business -- O empezás a trajar o dejás este
negocio

- He must be either very brave or very crazy -- Él debe ser o muy valiente o muy
loco

- You should either work or study -- Tú deberías, o trabajar, o estudiar

Even though - aunque (although = though = even though)

- ver although

Except - excepto, salvo

- They would go to Europe, except they have to go to Japan -- Irían a Europa salvo
que tengan que ir a Japón

For - porque
- We'll have to stay home, for it is raining outside -- Tendremos que quedarnos en
casa porque está lloviendo afuera

- He didn't greet her, for he was very angry -- Él no la saludó porque estaba muy
enojado

- She turned on the lights, for she was afraid of the dark -- Encendió las luces
porque tenía miedo a la oscuridad

Furthermore - además - (furthermore = moreover)

- She doesn't want to study , and furthermore she doesn't want to work either --
Ella no quiere estudiar y, además, tampoco quiere trabajar

- He was a bad person, and furthermore he was very proud of that -- Él era una
mala persona y, además, estaba muy orgulloso de eso

However - sin embargo - (however = nevertheless = notwithstanding)

- They were not having fun, however they stayed all night -- Ellos no se estaban
divirtiendo, sin embargo, se quedaron toda la noche

- He didn't study much, however he got good grades -- Él no estudiaba mucho, sin
embargo, obtenía buenas notas
If - si
- If you drink too much, you'll get drunk -- Si bebes demasiado, te emborracharás

- If you spend more than you earn, you'll become a poor man -- Si gastas más de
lo que ganas, te convertirás en un hombre pobre

- If he were in my place, he wouldn't do this -- Si él estuviese en mi lugar, no haría
esto

In case (of) - en caso (de)

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Conjunctions

- Break the window in case of emergency -- Romper la ventana en caso de

emergencia

- Call this number in case you get lost -- Llamá a este número en caso de que te
pierdas

In order to - para
- They left early in order to arrive on time for the movie -- Ellos salieron temprano
para llegar a tiempo para la película

- We are working harder in order to earn more money -- Estamos trabajando más
duro para ganar más dinero

Moreover - además, por otra parte - (furthermore = moreover)

ver furthermore

Namely - a saber
- There were two people in the house, namely Tom and Mary -- Había dos
personas en la casa, a saber Tom y Mary

Neither... nor - ni... ni

- I want neither to work nor to study -- No quiero ni trabajar ni estudiar

- She drinks neither wine nor beer -- Ella no toma ni vino ni cerveza

- Neither Susan nor Bill wants to see that film -- Ni Susan ni Bill quieren ver esa
película

Nevertheless - sin embargo, no obstante - (however = nevertheless =

notwithstanding)
- Ver however
Nor - ni
-- Bill didn't come today, nor will he come tomorrow -- Bill no vino hoy; ni
(tampoco) vendrá mañana

Or - o
- He never works. He is always sleeping or watching TV -- Él nunca trabaja.
Siempre está durmiendo o mirando TV

- With all that money, they could buy a new house or travel around the world --
Con todo ese dinero, ellos podrían comprar una nueva casa o viajar alrededor del
mundo

Or else - sino
- You should study harder, or else you will fail the test -- Deberías estudiar más
duro, sino reprobarás la prueba

- They must leave now, or else they will arrive late -- Ellos deben salir ahora, sino
llegarán tarde

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Conjunctions

Otherwhise - de otra manera, si no

- We should finish this now, otherwise we'll have to do it tomorrow -- Deberíamos
terminar esto ahora, sino tendremos que hacerlo mañana

- Fortunately they left early; otherwise they wouldn't have arrived on time --
Afortunadamente salieron temprano; de otra manera no habrían llegado a tiempo

Provided - siempre que , con tal de que - (provided = providing)

- I will buy the product, provided I can pay for it by credit card - Compraré el
producto, siempre que pueda pagarlo con la tarjeta de crédito

- They will believe you, provided you swear that it is true - Te creerán, siempre que
jures que es verdad

Providing - siempre que , con tal de que - (provided = providing)

- They will go fishing next weekend, providing it doesn't rain -- Ellos irán a pescar
el próximo fin de semana, siempre que no llueva
Since - puesto que, ya que, desde que
- He didn't understand a word, since he doesn't speak English -- No entendió ni
una palabra puesto que no habla inglés

- Since it was too late, they decided to go to sleep, -- Puesto que era demasiado
tarde, decidieron irse a dormir 

- She shouldn't eat so much, since she is a little fat -- No debería comer tanto
puesto que está un poco gorda

So as to - para
- They decided to take a plane so as to travel faster -- Decidieron tomar una avión
para viajar más rápido

- She paid by cash so as to get a good discount -- Pagó en efectivo para obtener un
buen descuento

So as not to - para no
- He took a short nap so as not to be too tired for the party -- El tomó una breve
siesta para no estar demasiado cansado para la fiesta

- She wrote down his telephone number so as not to forget it -- Ella anotó su
número de teléfono para no olvidarlo

So that - para que

- You should learn more vocabulary so that you can speak better -- Deberías
aprender más vocabulario para que puedas hablar mejor

- They decided to save extra money so that they would be able to go on vacation
-- Decidieron ahorrar dinero extra para poder ir de vacaciones

- He gave her a present so that she would feel better -- Él le dió un regalo para que
ella se sienta mejor

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Conjunctions

Still - sin embargo, no obstante

- Jack didn't study much for the test; still he managed to pass it -- Jack no estudió
mucho para la prueba, no obstante, se las arregló para aprobar 

- He can not speak very well; still he understands everyting -- No puede hablar
bien, sin embargo, entiende todo

- They felt very sad; still they forced themselves to smile all the time -- Se sentían
muy tristes, no obstante, se obligaban a si mismos a sonreír todo el tiempo

Than - que ( en comparaciones )

- They started to have more problems than they expected -- Empezaron a tener
más problemas que lo que esperaban

- She discovered that learning English is more difficult than she thought -- Ella
descubrió que aprender inglés es más dificil que lo que pensó

Therefore - por lo tanto

- I didn't have enough time to study for the test and therefore I couldn't pass it --
No tuve suficiente tiempo para estudiar para la prueba y, por lo tanto, no pude
aprobarla

- John left very late and therefore he didn't arrive on time -- John salió muy tarde
y, por lo tanto, no llegó a tiempo
Though - aunque - (although = though = even though)
- ver although

Unless - a menos que

- You can not drink alcohol here, unless you are an adult -- No puedes beber
alcohol aquí, a menos que seas un adulto

- They won't be able to travel to Europe, unless they have their passports -- No
podrán viajar a Europa, a menos que tengan sus pasaportes

- Unless you can speak English very well, you can not study in an american
university -- A menos que puedas hablar inglés muy bien, no puedes estudiar en una
universidad americana

Until - hasta que

- They listened in silence until he finished his speech -- Escucharon en silencio
hasta que él terminó su discurso

- He looked for his keys until he found them -- Buscó sus llaves hasta que las
encontró 

- Bill can not go out to play soccer until he completes his homework -- Bill no
puede salir a jugar al fútbol hasta que termine su tarea

Whenever - cada vez que, cuando

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Conjunctions

- He goes to the movies whenever he has the time -- Él va al cine siempre cada vez
que tiene tiempo

- Whenever they have to work, they feel sick -- Cada vez que tienen que trabajar, se
sienten enfermos

Whereas - siendo que, mientras

- The weather is very nice here in summer, whereas in winter it is not so good --
El tiempo es muy lindo aquí en verano, mientras que en invierno no es tan bueno

Whether - si
- You must tell me whether you will come -- Debes decirme si vendrás

- I don't know whether to buy this computer or not -- No sé si comprar esta
computadora o no

Whether... or - si... o
- I don't know whether to take it or leave it -- No sé si llevarlo o dejarlo

- She didn't understand whether she had to go or stay -- Ella no entendió si tenía
que ir o quedarse

While mientrar, mientras que, aunque

- Many things happened here while you were out --Muchas cosas pasaron aquí
mientras tú estuviste afuera

- While they didn't know her very well, they invited her to their wedding --
Aunque no la conocían bien, la invitaron a su boda

Practica.
Como siempre decimos, practicar es la mejor forma de aprender.
En este primer ejercicio, rellena los huecos con la conjunción más adecuada.
Ejercicio adaptado de: http://www.aulafacil.com/
1. He promised to go to the party _____ at the end he stayed at home.

2. The climbers were exhausted; ________ they could reach the top

3. I speak ________ English nor French

4. Last year he bought a new car ________ a new house

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Conjunctions

5. I have studied English all my life; ________ I don't speak well

6. The police are not sure ________ this has been a terrorist attack

7. ________ Spain and Portugal became members of the European Union the same
year

8. We didn't have enough money, ________ we decided to postpone our trip

9. I should buy either a car ________ a motorbike

10 He didn't enjoy the party ________ left very early

.

11 Not only did he loose his wallet ________ also his car keys
.

12 Yesterday I met an old friend ________ we talked for almost an hour

.

13 He was condemned ________ he had a very convincing alibi

.

14 His party won the past elections; ________ he will be the next President (formal)
.

15 I don't know if I should call my mother now ________ do it a bit later

.

16 If you see my brother, please tell him ________ mum wants to speak to him
.

17 ________ he left prison he started a completely new life

.

18 Their marriage worked ________ they argued very often

.

19 I am sure that he will win ________ a gold medal or a silver one

.

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Conjunctions

20 Not only have they been to the Caribbean Sea ________ also to Argentina
.

21 ________ you go to bed now, tomorrow you won't get up early

.

22 My father wanted to buy a new car ________ he didn't have enough money
.

23 The President has promised ________ he will lower the taxes

.

24 He likes ________ tennis nor football

.

25 He wasn't invited to the wedding ________ he went all the same

.

26 You have to decide whether to come with us ________ to stay at home

.

27 He both plays ________ sings really well

.

28 He didn't pass the exam ________ he couldn't enter the university

.

29 My son ________ my daughter can look after your children

.

30 ________ lions and tigers can be very dangerous

.

Check your answers

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ENGLISH II
Conjunctions

Trabaja estas hojas de ejercicios, usando las conjunciones propuestas.

Adaptado de: http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/english

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Conjunctions

Check your answers




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Conjunctions

Recuerda, puede haber más de una respuesta correcta en alguna frase. Consulta con tu
profesor, o mándale un correo.

1. He promised to go to the party but at the end he stayed at home

2. The climbers were exhausted; nevertheless they could reach the top

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Conjunctions

3. I speak neither English nor French

4. Last year he bought a new car and a new house

5. I have studied English all my life; however I don't speak well

6. The police are not sure that this has been a terrorist attack

7. Both Spain and Portugal became members of the European Union the same year.
We didn't have enough money, so we decided to postpone our trip
8.
9. I should buy either a car or a motorbike

10 He didn't enjoy the party and left very early

.

11 Not only did he loose his wallet but also his car keys
.

12 Yesterday I met an old friend and we talked for almost an hour

.

13 He was condemned although he had a very convincing alibi

.

14 His party won the past elections; therefore he will be the next President
.

15 I don't know if I should call my mother now or do it a bit later

.

16 If you see my brother, please tell him that mum wants to speak to him
.

17 When he left prison he started a completely new life

.

18 Their marriage worked though they argued very often

.

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Conjunctions

19 I am sure that he will win either a gold medal or a silver one

.

20 Not only have they been to the Caribbean Sea but also to Argentina
.

21 Unless you go to bed now, tomorrow you won't get up early

.

22 My father wanted to buy a new car but he didn't have enough money
.

23 The President has promised that he will lower the taxes

.

24 He likes neither tennis nor football

.

25 He wasn't invited to the wedding but he went all the same

.

26 You have to decide whether to come with us or to stay at home

.

27 He both plays and sings really well

.

28 He didn't pass the exam so he couldn't enter the university

.

29 My son or my daughter can look after your children

.

30 Both lions and tigers can be very dangerous

.

Keys to worksheets 1,2,3,4

WORKSHEET 1: 1. as/because 2. although/but 3. but 4. and 5. or/as/because
6. or/as/because 7. if 8. and 9. although/but 10. if/as
11. as/because 12. but

WORKSHEET 2: 1. before 2. after 3. as 4. when 5. (al)though 6. since

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Conjunctions

WORKSHEET 3: 1. where 2. (al)though 3. while 4. until/before 5. whether

6. whenever

WORKSHEET 4: 1. because/as 2. although 3. yet 4. although 5. or 6. if 7. since

8. where 9. when 10. but/although

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