Which term describes a word that connects two or more clauses or phrases of equal syntactic value?

• A. Coordinating Conjunction
• B. Subordinating Conjunction
• C. Conjunction
• D. Interjection

Answer: (A)

Coordinating conjunctions are used to connect two or more clauses or phrases that have the same grammatical weight, linking independent clauses or items in a list with equal value. This is why it’s the right term: it signals coordination, not subordination, so each connected part stands on its own. Examples include and, or, but, nor, for, yet, so.

A subordinating conjunction, on the other hand, links a dependent clause to an independent one, creating a hierarchy rather than equal value. Just calling something a conjunction is too broad, since it could refer to either coordinating or subordinating types. An interjection doesn’t connect clauses at all; it expresses emotion or exclamation.