A1 · BeginnerEnglish

Conjunctions: and, but, or, so, because

Grammar learning path:Building and joining basic sentences

By the flumi team About 3 min read 5 vocabulary wordsPractice exercises

Building and joining basic sentences

1. What Are Conjunctions?

Conjunctions are words that connect ideas.

They can join:

two words
two phrases
two sentences

I like tea and coffee.

I was tired, but I finished my homework.

2. The Five Most Common Conjunctions

Conjunction	Meaning	Think of...
and	add information	➕ Add
but	opposite idea	↔ Contrast
or	choice	🔀 Choose
because	reason	❓ Why?
so	result	➜ What happened?

3. Using Each Conjunction

And — Add Information

Use and when you want to join similar ideas.

I like tea and coffee.

She has a dog and a cat.

We study English and French.

But — Opposite Idea

Use but when the second idea is surprising or opposite to the first idea.

I am tired, but I am happy.

She is tired, but she isn't sleeping.

He likes coffee, but he doesn't like tea.

Or — Give a Choice

Use or when there are two or more options.

Do you want tea or coffee?

We can go by bus or train.

Is it Monday or Tuesday?

Because — Reason

Use because to explain why something happens.

Use because in the middle of a sentence — no comma needed.
If because starts the sentence, put a comma after the because-clause.

I am tired because I worked a lot.

Because it was raining, they stayed home.

She is happy because it is her birthday.

So — Result

Use so to show the result — what happened next.

I was tired, so I went to bed.

It was raining, so we stayed home.

She studied a lot, so she passed the test.

because → explains the reason (why)
so → shows the result (what happened next)

I stayed home because it was raining. (reason)
It was raining, so I stayed home. (result)

4. Common Mistakes

Incorrect	Correct
I like tea, and coffee.	I like tea and coffee.
Because I was tired, so I went to bed.	Because I was tired, I went to bed.
Because I was tired, so I slept.	I was tired, so I slept.

Do not use because and so together for the same idea.

✓ Because I was tired, I went home.

✓ I was tired, so I went home.

✗ Because I was tired, so I went home.

Quick check

Try one question now

I can buy the red shirt the blue shirt.

Check your answer when you are ready.

5. Quick Summary

Conjunction	Use	Example
and	add information	I like tea and coffee.
but	opposite idea	I am tired, but I am happy.
or	choice	Do you want tea or coffee?
because	reason	I stayed home because it was raining.
so	result	It was raining, so I stayed home.

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Building and joining basic sentences

Conjunctions (and, but or, so, because)

5 words

Last updated August 23, 2026