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Conjunctions: adding

Adding with and​

One of the main uses of conjunctions is to add phrases and clauses together.

The most common conjunction for adding is and:

Adding words​

  • I love pictures of [word] puppies and [word] kittens.

Adding phrases​

  • It was not a very nice walk because of [phrase] the wind and [phrase] the rain.

Adding clauses​

  • [clause] Some of the rooms have one big bed and [clause] some of them have two smaller beds.

Adding sentences​

  • [sentence] They worked together for more than twenty years. And [sentence] made a lot of money, too.

In formal writing we don’t normally start a sentence with and.

Adding prefixes​

  • Tell me how much it will cost [prefix] pre- and [prefix] post-tax.
warning

When and is used in a list, it is normally only used between the last two items in the list:

  • We had pasta, roasted peppers and salad.
  • Not: We had pasta, and roasted peppers, and salad.

In British English, a comma is optional before and in lists. In American English, we usually do put a comma before and:

  • I need envelopes, paper clips, pens and printer ink. (BrE)
  • I need envelopes, paper clips, pens, and printer ink. (AmE)
See also
  • And
  • Punctuation
  • British and American English

Adding with and … too​

Spoken English:

In speaking, we can also use and … too to connect words, phrases and clauses. Too focuses on the addition:

  • We bought lots of ice cream for the party, and sweets too.
  • We went to the circus, and Hilda came too.
See also
  • And
  • Conjunctions
  • Too

Adding with as well as and in addition to​

As well as is more common than in addition to. In addition to is more formal and used more in writing than in speaking:

  • As well as offering a 15% discount on the furniture, Smith’s Furniture delivered it free to our house.
  • In addition to cutting jobs, the company has announced that its profits are down for this year.
warning

When they are followed by clauses as well as or in addition to can only be followed by a verb in the -ing form (non-finite clauses):

  • You become less selfish as well as learning how to interact with other people.

  • Not: You become less selfish as well as you learn how to interact.…

  • If we worked in this shop, I think we would get good work experience in addition to practising our English.

  • In addition to doing an exam, applicants also had to do an interview.

  • Not: In addition to they did an exam …