A conjunction is a word that grammatically connects two words, phrases, or clauses together. The most common examples are words like ‘and’ and ‘but’.

连词在语法上连接两个词，短语或者句子。最常见的连词是‘and’和‘but’。

For example, ‘I took the subway, and got off at 96th Street.’ Or, ‘I took the subway, but there was a delay.’ However, conjunctions can come in many forms with many different functions.

例如，‘我上了地铁，然后在第96大街下车了’或者‘我乘地铁了，但是我还是耽搁了’。然而，连词有多种形式，自然也有不同的作用。

They’re a part of speech that can be broken down into several categories, and we’ll explore each one in depth with examples.

连词是一种词性，可以被分成好多种类，我们将附以例子来深入探讨每一种。

Conjunctions can primarily be broken down into three categories:

连词主要可以分成三种：

Coordinating conjunctions

并列连词

Correlative conjunctions

关联连词

Subordinating conjunctions

从属连词

Correlative conjunctions list:

关联连词列表：

Either…or

或者…或者

Whether…or

是…还是

Neither…nor

既不…也不

Both…and

两者都…

As…as

和…一样

Not only…but also

不仅…而且…

No sooner…than

一…就…

Hardly…when

一…就…

EITHER…OR

或者…或者…

These correlative conjunctions come in pairs and join equal items together. The correlative conjunction “either…or” is used to join two positive options. For example:

这些关联连词成对出现，连接相同的肯定的成分。关联连词either…or用来连接两种选择。

We can either go to the movies or stay inside and watch Netflix.

我们要么去看电影，要么待在家里看Netflix。

The sound was either a firework or a gunshot.

这声音要么是烟花，要么是枪声。

Either you stay or I leave.

不是你留下就是我离开。

A common grammatical mistake that occurs when using the correlative conjunction ‘neither…or’ is subject-verb agreement. When two (or more) items are joined by the word conjunction and serve as the subject of the sentence, the number of the verb always follows the last of the options. Multiple singular options do not create a plural noun. For example:

使用关联连词‘neither…or’时一个常见的错误就是主谓一致问题。连词连接两个或者多个成分作为句子的主语时，谓语动词的数通常根据最近的主语的数而定。多个单数名词放到一起不能被视为复数名词。例如：

Either Lili or Julia wants to come with us to the festival. (The verb should be “wants,” not “want”)

无论是丽丽还是茱莉亚都想跟我们一起去过节。（谓语动词应该是‘wants’而不是‘want’）

Either Courtney or her friends are coming to pick me up. (The verb ‘are’ follows the second item in the pair of subjects.)

考特尼和她的朋友都会来接我。（谓语动词‘are’紧跟着第二个短语）

The word ‘either’ can be used by itself, but as a pronoun, not a conjunction. For example:

单词either可以单独使用，此时either是作为代词而不是连词。例如：

You can ask either of us if you need any help.

如果你需要帮助，你可以找我们其中任何一个人。

“Should I get this shirt in blue or white?” “Either looks good on you.”

“我应该买蓝色衬衫还是白色衬衫？”“你穿哪一件都好看。”

WHETHER…OR

是…还是

The conjunction ‘whether…or’ also pairs up two options, but they must be clauses. It’s similar to the subordinating conjunction “if” in that it brings up hypothetical conditions, but in pairs.

连词‘whether…or’连接对等成分成对出现，但是，连接的成分必须是从句。‘Whether…or’与丛属连词if很像，两者都提出假设条件，但是前者成对出现。

Whether I drink a lot or a little, my face still gets red.

无论我喝多喝少，我的脸都会变红。

Whether it’s sunny out or raining, we’re still going to see the concert.

无论晴雨，我们都要去音乐会。

A common usage of this correlative conjunction is in the form “whether…or not” or simply “whether or not.” For example:

这个关联连词常以‘whether…or not ’或者‘whether or not’的形式出现，例如：

Whether the earrings are cheap or not, I’m still going to buy them.

不管耳环便宜与否，我都要买。

You have to take this class, whether or not you want to.

不管你想还是不想，你都得上课。

It’s also acceptable to simply use the word ‘whether’, which implies the phrase ‘or not’, by itself.

只使用whether这个词来暗示‘or not’也是可以的。

In this case, it becomes a subordinating conjunction instead of a correlative one.

在这种情况下，whether就不再是关联连词，变成一个从属连词了。

I don’t care whether a man is rich if I want to date him.

如果我想和一个男人约会，我不在乎他是否有钱。

NEITHER…NOR

既不…也不

While ‘either…or’ pairs up two positive options, ‘neither…nor’ pairs up two negative options.

‘Either…or’成对出现连接肯定成份，‘neither…nor’成对出现连接否定成份。

The view at the top of mountain was neither spectacular nor very visible.

山顶的景色既不壮观也不引人注目。

When it comes to movies, I like neither comedies nor romances.

说到电影，我既不喜欢喜剧片也不喜欢爱情片。

Neither will the workers go off strike, nor negotiate until they receive a higher pay.

除非工人们得到高一点的工资，否则他们既不会停止罢工，也不会停止谈判。

Just as ‘either’ can stand by itself as a pronoun, so can ‘neither’.

就像‘either’可以作为代词单独使用，‘neither’也可以。

Neither of the desserts seemed very appealing.

这两种甜点都不吸引人。

Neither of us are working on Thanksgiving.

我们在感恩节都不工作。

The word ‘neither’ can also be used as an adverb to indicate that something also does not apply in another case. For example:

‘Neither’这个词也可以作为副词使用，说明某事同样的情况下，某事不适用。例如：

“I didn’t do very well on the last exam. Me neither.”

“上次考试我考得不好，我也是。”

I never thought that Trump would actually win the election, and neither did my friends.

我从来没想到川普会在最后赢得选举，我的朋友们也没有想到。

BOTH…AND

两者都…

This correlative conjunction is used to join two equal items together.

这个关联连词用来连接两个对等的成分。

The hurricane was devastating both emotionally and economically.

在情感上和经济上，飓风造成的伤害都很大。

We went to both the service and the reception afterwards.

后来我们去了服务台和接待处。

I don’t know why, but both Jane and Colin have stopped talking to me.

不知道为什么，简和科林都不跟我说话了。

AS…AS

和…一样

If you want to compare two things and say that one contains a certain quality to the same extent as the other, you can use the correlative conjunction “as…as.”

如果你想比较两种事物，并且其中一个和另一个在某种程度上质量都相等，你就可以用关联连词‘as…as’.

Anything I put in the refrigerator becomes as cold as ice.

我放到冰箱里的食物都和冰一样凉。

Jeremy’s probably as tall as any professional basketball player.

杰里米可能和职业的篮球运动员一样高。

Run as far as you can, but don’t feel pressured to keep going.

尽你所能地跑，不要觉得有压力，一直坚持下去。

NOT ONLY…BUT ALSO

不仅…而且

This correlative conjunction is similar to ‘both…and’ and emphasizes that two items belong in a pair.

这个关联连词与‘both…and’很像，强调两个成分同属于一个整体。

Not only did we get lost, but we also ran out of gas with no gas station in sight.

我们不仅迷路了，而且我们的汽油都用光了。

Not only is he smart, but he’s also talented.

The TV show has not only good actors but also an incredibly written script.

这部电视剧不仅演员好，剧本也写地好。

NO SOONER…THAN

一…就…

The phrase “no sooner…than” is used to indicate that two events happened simultaneously or in quick succession. For example:

‘No sooner…than’用来指两件事同时发生或者相继发生,例如：

No sooner had I left the house than it started to thunder.

我刚一离开家，就开始打雷了。

No sooner had the pastor begun to speak than a baby started crying in the back.

牧师刚开始讲话，一个婴儿就在后面哭了起来。

HARDLY…WHEN

一…就…

This phrase is another alternative to ‘no sooner…than’.

这个短语是‘no sooner…than.’的另一种表达形式。

Hardly had I stepped out of the kitchen when I started to smell something burning.

我刚从厨房出来，就闻到有东西烧焦的味道。

Hardly had the party started when drinks started spilling on the floor.

聚会刚开始，饮料就洒了。

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