Lesson 1 – Handout 1b - KEY

 

Coordination

 

1. What types of coordination (in terms of the presence or absence of coordinators) do the sentences below represent? 

 

a)   Sad, white, and frightened, her face was the picture of misery. = syndetic coordination

 

b)   Sad, white, frightened, her face was the picture of misery. = asyndetic coordination

 

c)   Sad and white and frightened, her face was the picture of misery. = polysyndetic c.

 

 

2. Now match the descriptions below to the sentences above:

 

1. the coordinator is repeated between each pair of units

2. coordinators are not present, but could be inserted

3. the coordinator is present and is normally inserted once only – between the last two units

1. = c) = polysyndetic; 2. = b) = asyndetic; 3. = a) = syndetic

 

3. Which of the three types of coordination is the most common?

= syndetic coordination

 

4. Fill in appropriate words / terms; sometimes the initial letter is provided:

We regard three conjunctions as coordinators: and, or, but.

If two clauses are joined by means of a conjunct (e.g. yet, however, thus), such a sentence represents asyndetic coordination.

Coordinators, subordinators, and conjuncts are all linkers.

And, or, and but are restricted to initial position in the second clause.

And and or can link more than two clauses, and this construction can be called multiple coordination.

Typically, or is exclusive: it excludes the possibility that he contents of both clauses are true or are to be fulfilled.

The three pairs either…or, both…and, and neither…nor are correlatives.

In coordination (compound sentences), the units are on the same syntactic level. Two or more clauses linked by a coordinator (coordinating conjunction) are all main clauses and can function independently of the others.

In subordination (complex sentences), the units are not on the same level. There is at least one subordinate clause which is joined to a higher (superordinate) linguistic unit.