3.3 Coordination and Subordination

Coordinating and subordinating clauses are key to crafting varied, engaging sentences. By joining ideas of equal importance or establishing hierarchies, writers control the flow and emphasis of their prose.

Understanding these techniques allows for more nuanced expression. Mastering coordination and subordination helps create a balanced mix of sentence structures, enhancing readability and maintaining reader interest throughout a piece of writing.

Coordination vs Subordination

Defining Coordination and Subordination

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• Coordination joins independent clauses of equal importance using coordinating conjunctions or semicolons
• Subordination establishes a hierarchical relationship between clauses, with one clause dependent on the other for complete meaning
• Coordinated structures maintain parallel grammatical forms
• Subordinated structures often use different forms to show relationships
• Choice between coordination and subordination affects rhythm, emphasis, and logical flow of ideas in a sentence
• Coordination creates more balanced, equal emphasis on ideas
• Subordination creates a clear hierarchy of importance
• Understanding this distinction achieves variety in sentence structure and controls prose pace

Impact on Sentence Structure and Meaning

• Coordination examples (The sun was shining, and the birds were singing)
• Subordination examples (Although the sun was shining, the birds were not singing)
• Coordinated sentences present ideas as equally important
• Subordinated sentences highlight main idea in independent clause
• Coordination allows for listing of related ideas
• Subordination enables expression of complex relationships (cause-effect, condition-result)
• Balance between coordination and subordination varies based on writing style and purpose

Conjunctions for Combining Ideas

Coordinating Conjunctions

• FANBOYS mnemonic represents coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
• Connect elements of equal grammatical rank
• Medial placement joins independent clauses (I love coffee, and I drink it every morning)
• Initial placement creates emphasis (But I prefer tea in the afternoon)
• Overuse of any particular conjunction leads to monotonous prose
• Vary conjunction usage for engaging writing
• Each conjunction has specific meaning and logical relationship (and adds, but contrasts, so shows result)

Subordinating Conjunctions

• Introduce dependent clauses and establish specific relationships between ideas
• Common subordinating conjunctions (because, although, if, when, since, while)
• Create complex sentences with dependent clause preceding or following independent clause
• Preceding dependent clause (Because it was raining, we stayed indoors)
• Following dependent clause (We stayed indoors because it was raining)
• Influence tone and style of writing (although more formal than but)
• Express various relationships (time, cause, condition, concession)

Complex Sentences with Clauses

Structure of Complex Sentences

• Consist of at least one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses
• Independent clauses stand alone as complete sentences
• Dependent clauses require independent clause to form complete thought
• Relative clauses add descriptive information to nouns in independent clause
• Introduced by relative pronouns (who, whom, whose, which, that)
• Adverbial clauses modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs in independent clause
• Introduced by subordinating conjunctions

Crafting Effective Complex Sentences

• Placement of dependent clauses affects emphasis and readability
• Initial placement creates suspense or sets condition (If it rains, we'll stay home)
• Punctuation varies based on placement and type of dependent clause
• Comma usage particularly important (After the movie ended, we went for dinner)
• Express nuanced relationships between ideas
• Adds sophistication to prose style
• Examples of complex sentences (While I enjoy reading fiction, I find non-fiction more informative)

Balance of Coordination and Subordination

Achieving Sentence Variety

• Well-balanced writing employs mix of simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences
• Simple sentence (The cat sleeps)
• Compound sentence (The cat sleeps, and the dog plays)
• Complex sentence (While the cat sleeps, the dog plays)
• Compound-complex sentence (The cat sleeps on the couch, but the dog plays outside when it's sunny)
• Ratio of coordinated to subordinated structures aligns with intended tone, audience, and purpose
• Effective prose uses coordination for ideas of equal importance
• Subordination establishes clear hierarchies of information

Analyzing and Improving Sentence Structure

• Overuse of coordination results in choppy or monotonous prose
• Excessive subordination leads to overly complex or convoluted sentences
• Balance affects overall flow and readability of text
• Influences reader's comprehension and engagement
• Analyze sentence variety and structure in exemplary texts
• Provides insight into effective balancing techniques for different genres and styles
• Revision strategies include identifying sentence patterns, varying sentence openings, and alternating between coordination and subordination