52. A conjunction is a word that connects sentences or parts of sentences.
Notice the following sentence:
The class struggle is waged on the political field and on the industrial field.
Here we have the conjunction and connecting the two phrases on the political field and on the industrial field. Without the use of this connective word, we would have to use two sentences to express these two thoughts:
The class struggle is waged on the political field.
The class struggle is waged on the industrial field.
53. So a conjunction may be used to connect phrases as well as words.
Now notice the following sentences:
He will speak. I will listen.
He will speak, and I will listen.
He will speak, but I will listen.
He will speak, if I will listen.
He will speak, therefore I will listen.
He will speak, because I will listen.
He will speak, until I will listen.
54. These sentences are joined by different conjunctions, and the conjunction used alters the meaning of the sentence.
The conjunction is a very useful part of speech. Without it we would have many disconnected sentences requiring tiresome repetition of the same words. Like prepositions, there are not many conjunctions in English and they are readily recognized.
55. We will study about these conjunctions at length in later lessons. If you consult the following list of those most commonly used, you can easily pick out the conjunctions in your reading:
and
as
as if
after
although
as soon as
because
besides
before
but
either
for
hence
in order that
lest
neither
nor
or
since
still
so
then
though
that
than
therefore
till
until
unless
while
whether
yet
The seven classes of words which we have studied make up all of our sentences. The hundreds of words which we use in forming our sentences and expressing our thoughts belong to these seven classes. They are either nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions or conjunctions.
Exercise 5
Underscore the conjunctions in the following sentences. Notice whether they connect words or phrases or sentences.
1 We cannot win unless we are organized.
2 Books and music are true friends.
3 Men, women and children work under conditions neither proper nor just.
4 We must educate and organize.
5 The workers on the farms and in the factories must be united.
6 Winter has come and the birds are going South.
7 We have been ignorant, therefore we have been exploited.
8 We must learn before we can teach.
9 We do not understand the situation, because we do not know the facts.
10 Do you know whether these statements are true or false?
IT CAN BE DONE
Somebody said that it couldn't be done,
But he, with a chuckle, replied
That "maybe it couldn't," but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so till he tried.
So he buckled right in, with a trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done—and he did it.
Somebody scoffed, "Oh, you'll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it."
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it;
With the lift of his chin, and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done—and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it can not be done;
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But buckle right in, with a lift of your chin,
Then take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That "can not be done,"—and you'll do it.
INTERJECTIONS
56. There is another class of words which we use with sentences, but which are really not parts of the sentences. They are emotional expressions which seem to belong more to the natural language than to the invented language. For example:
Oh! You hurt me!
Aha! Now I have you.
Oh, used in this way, is very apt to sound like a groan, and aha like a shout of triumph. These words do not really belong in the construction of the sentence. The sentence would be complete without them, but they are thrown in to express the emotion which accompanies the thought. We call expressions such as these interjections. Interjection is from the Latin and means literally thrown into the midst of. It comes from the Latin word inter, which means between, and the Latin verb jecto, to throw, so it literally means to throw between.
Some of these words imitate sounds, as for example:
Bang!