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English: skills for learning
English: skills for learning

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5.1 Using conjunctions in compound sentences 

One way to connect two independent clauses within a sentence is to use the following conjunctions:

as so but or

As is used with a similar meaning to because, when one statement is the reason for another, as in this sentence:

I cannot share this information as it is confidential.

So is used when one statement is the result of the previous one, as in this sentence:

Do tasks that are quickly achieved so they don’t seem too daunting.

But is used when there is a contrast between the two, for example:

Friends are important to young people but parents still have a very important role.

Or is used when a statement is an alternative to the previous one, for example:

Parents may send their children to school or they may educate them at home.

Other conjunctions include: foryet and nor.

When the two clauses are quite long, place a comma before the coordinating conjunction to help the reader to see where one clause ends and another begins.