The Conjunctions And, Or, But

The words and, but and or are coordinating conjunctions. They connect two clauses of equal rank. The correct use of these conjunctions are explained below.

And

The conjunction and is used to add information to what has already been said.

• She came in the morning and left a few hours later.
• He opened the phone app and started dialing a number.
• I waited for a while and then I went home.
• She works hard and earns a nice salary.
• I sat down and closed my eyes.
• She opened the book and started reading.

Sometimes the conjunction and is used to highlight the contrast between two ideas.

• She is a writer and I am a carpenter. (We can also write She is a writer but I am a carpenter.)

Sometimes and can mean if.

Study the examples given below.

• Eat a lot of junk food and you will soon develop all sorts of health problems. (= If you eat a lot of junk food, you will develop all sorts of health problems.)

But

The conjunction but is used to connect two contrasting ideas.

• He is very thin but he is strong.
• She is old but she can still read without glasses.
• She faced several setbacks in her life but she did not lose hope.
• They abused him but he did not react.

Or

The conjunction or is used to present and alternative.

• You can continue your studies or find a job.
• You can drive to work or take the bus.
• We can cook or order food online.

And, But, Or Worksheet

Fill in the blanks with the conjunction and, but or or.

1. I recognised him …………………….. he did not recognise me.
2. You can wait ………………….. leave.
3. I finished the job ……………………. went home.
4. We were hoping that they would help us ………………………. they didn’t.
5. It could be a fox ……………………… a wolf.
6. He was fatally injured ……………………. died on the way to hospital.
7. He had sustained serious injuries …………………….. he survived somehow,
8. I ordered a pizza ………………………….. they delivered it promptly.
9. We can watch a movie ……………………. go for a drive.
10. I tried to persuade him ……………………….. he would not listen to me.
11. I leant out of the window …………………….. tried to grab the kitty
12. Say that word again ……………………. I will slap you.

Answers

1. but, 2. or, 3. and, 4. but, 5. or, 6. and, 7. but, 8. and, 9. or, 10. but, 11. and, 12. and

See Also

• Simple past tense worksheet for grade 6
• Tenses exercise for class 10 CBSE
• Simple present tense worksheet for grade 6
• Past perfect tense worksheet for grade 6
• Change negative sentences to affirmative sentences without changing meaning
• A or An worksheet for class 3
• Prepositions exercise for class 10 CBSE