Section 16.4 Coordination
One of the most powerful tools in any writer’s toolkit is deceptively simple: the ability to join grammatical units of the same type—words with words, phrases with phrases, clauses with clauses. This joining operation is coordination, and it is far more constrained than it first appears. You cannot coordinate just any two elements; they must be grammatically parallel, and the conjunction you choose—and, but, or, and the rest—determines the logical relationship the reader infers. Understanding coordination precisely also sets up Chapter 17’s discussion of when to coordinate and when to subordinate instead.
Coordination joins elements of equal status using coordinating conjunctions.
Coordinating Conjunctions.
and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so
What Can Be Coordinated.
Virtually any grammatical category can be coordinated:
Words:
-
cats and dogs (nouns)
-
tall and handsome (adjectives)
-
quickly but carefully (adverbs)
Phrases:
-
in the house or in the garden (PPs)
-
reading books and watching movies (gerund phrases)
Clauses:
-
She sings and he dances.
-
I tried but I failed.
Parallel Structure.
Coordinated elements should be grammatically parallel:
-
✓ She likes swimming and hiking. (gerunds)
-
✗
She likes swimming and to hike.(mixed forms)
-
✓ He is tall, dark, and handsome. (all adjectives)
-
✗
He is tall, dark, and has a beard.(mixed)
Correlative Conjunctions.
Paired conjunctions that work together:
-
both...and: Both John and Mary attended.
-
either...or: Either we leave now or we wait.
-
neither...nor: Neither the teacher nor the students knew.
-
not only...but also: She’s not only smart but also kind.
