CONJUNCTIONS - Coordinating Conjunctions

The short, simple conjunctions are called "coordinating conjunctions":

and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so

A coordinating conjunction joins parts of a sentence (for example words or independent clauses) that are grammatically equal or similar. A coordinating conjunction shows that the elements it joins are similar in importance and structure.

Look at these examples - the two elements that the coordinating conjunction joins are shown in square brackets [ ]:

"I like [tea] and [coffee]."
"[Ram likes tea], but [Anthony likes coffee]."

Coordinating conjunctions always come between the words or clauses that they join.

When a coordinating conjunction joins independent clauses, it is always correct to place a comma before the conjunction:

"I want to work as an interpreter in the future, so I am studying Russian at university."

However, if the independent clauses are short and well-balanced, a comma is not really essential:

"She is kind so she helps people."

When "and" is used with the last word of a list, a comma is optional:

"He drinks beer, whisky, wine, and rum."
"He drinks beer, whisky, wine and rum."

The 7 coordinating conjunctions are short, simple words. They have only two or three letters. There's an easy way to remember them - their initials spell:
F A N B O Y S
For And Nor But Or Yet So



http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/conjunctions-coordinating.htm

Introduction:
A coordinating conjunction is a word which joins together two clauses which are both equally important. This page will explain the most common coordinating conjunctions and how to use them.

1. What is a clause?

A clause is a unit which contains a subject and a verb. For example, “It was raining” is a clause; the subject is “it”, and the verb is “was raining”. Every sentence MUST contain at least one clause, but it may contain more than one. For example:

"It was raining, so I took my umbrella."

This sentence contains two clauses, “It was raining” and “I took my umbrella”. They are independent clauses because each one would be a good sentence on its own — each one is a “complete thought”.

2. Joining clauses together with coordinating conjunctions

Examine the example sentence one more time:
"It was raining, so I took my umbrella."

The two clauses in the sentence are joined together with the word “so”. This is a coordinating conjunction. It is used to join two independent clauses which are equally important. A coordinating conjunction usually comes in the middle of a sentence, and it usually follows a comma (unless both clauses are very short). These are the most important coordinating conjunctions:

Conjunction Function Example
+ and - joins two similar ideas together "He lives in Victoria, and he studies at UVic."
+ but - joins two contrasting ideas "John is Canadian, but Sally is English."
+ or - joins two alternative ideas "I could cook some supper, or we could order a pizza."
+ so - shows that the second idea is the result of the first. "She was sick, so she went to the doctor."

These conjunctions are also used:
nor (joining two negative alternatives)
for (meaning “because”)
yet (meaning “but”)

3. Using coordinating conjunctions

There are three things to remember when using coordinating conjunctions:

- Coordinating conjunctions join independent clauses. Each clause must be a “complete thought” which could be a sentence on its own.
- With coordinating conjunctions, put the conjunction in the middle. You may see some sentences starting with “but” or “and”, but this is usually wrong, so it's best to avoid it.
- With coordinating conjunctions, use a comma unless both clauses are very short.


http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/coconj.htm