Connectors

What are Connectors?

A connector is a term for words in English which are used to connect words, phrases, or clauses. They show the relationship between two ideas in the sentence.

There are five types of parts of speech which function as connectors in a sentence:

• Conjunctions
• Relative pronouns
• Conjunctive adverbs
• Prepositions
• Punctuation

Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words which are used to connect words, phrases, or clauses.

There are three types of conjunction connectors:

• Coordinators
• Subordinators
• Correlatives

Coordinators join two independent clauses, whereas subordinators join an independent clause to a dependent clause.

Correlatives are pairs of conjunctions which connect elements of the sentence that are equal.

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are words which connect a clause or a phrase to a noun that has been mentioned in the sentence.

Conjunctive Adverbs

They have qualities of adverbs as well as conjunctions. They express reason and purpose of the verbs like adverbs. They join sentences or clauses together like conjunctions.

Prepositions

Connecting prepositions or prepositional phrases can be used to connect parts of a sentence.

Punctuation

Certain punctuation marks such as the comma and the semi-colon show transition of ideas.

• The comma is used to join clauses.
• The semi-colon can be used to show a connection or contrast between two sentences.

Relationships Expressed by Connectors