Conjunctions and Connectors

Why Conjunctions Carry Weight in CDS

The CDS English paper rarely asks you to define a conjunction. Instead it tests whether you can use one correctly under pressure. Conjunction errors are a favourite of the examiner because a single wrong joining word can flip the meaning of a sentence or break its grammar, and the wrong option is always written to look natural at first glance.

You will meet conjunctions in at least four question types — spotting the error, sentence improvement, cloze passages and ordering of words/sentences. A connector also signals the logical relationship between ideas (cause, contrast, addition), which is exactly what reading-comprehension and paragraph-reconstruction questions probe. When a paragraph has to be re-arranged, the connectors are the clues that tell you which sentence comes first and which follows.

Across a typical ten-year run of CDS papers, you can expect a handful of marks every single year that hinge purely on a joining word — an incorrect correlative pair, a doubled connector, or a wrong verb after neither…nor. These are among the most predictable marks in the whole paper, so the effort you put in here pays back reliably. Unlike vocabulary, which is open-ended, conjunction rules are a closed, learnable set.

The Three Families of Conjunctions

Wren & Martin classify conjunctions into three working groups. Knowing which family a word belongs to tells you how it behaves in a sentence.

• Coordinating conjunctions join two items of equal rank — two words, two phrases or two independent clauses. The classic set is remembered as FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
• Subordinating conjunctions join a dependent (subordinate) clause to a main clause. Examples: because, although, since, unless, if, while, after, before, that, though, whereas.
• Correlative conjunctions work in fixed pairs: either…or, neither…nor, both…and, not only…but also, whether…or, no sooner…than, scarcely…when.

A useful test: a coordinating conjunction can usually be replaced by a full stop (the two parts stand alone), whereas a subordinating conjunction makes one part lean on the other so it cannot stand by itself. “Because it was late” is not a complete sentence, which proves because is subordinating; “It was late” is complete, which is why and or but can simply link two such complete thoughts.

Coordinating Conjunctions: Joining Equals

A coordinating conjunction links two grammatically equal units. When it joins two independent clauses in writing, a comma usually comes before it.

• and → addition: He studied physics and mathematics.
• but / yet → contrast: She is small but strong.
• or / nor → alternative or negative: Hurry, or you will miss the train.
• so → result; for → reason: It rained, so we stayed in.

A subtle point UPSC enjoys: but and yet both show contrast, but yet carries a stronger sense of “in spite of that.” Likewise nor already contains a negative, so the clause after it takes question word order: “He did not call, nor did he write.” Forgetting that inversion after nor is a frequent slip in improvement questions.

Subordinating Conjunctions: Showing Relationship

A subordinating conjunction attaches a clause that cannot stand alone. The clause it introduces explains cause, condition, contrast, time or purpose.

• Cause / reason: because, since, as
• Condition: if, unless, provided that
• Contrast: although, though, even though, whereas, while
• Time: when, while, after, before, until, as soon as
• Purpose / result: so that, in order that, lest

One subordinating conjunction worth special attention is that, which introduces noun clauses after verbs of saying, thinking and feeling: “I believe that he is honest.” In informal English that can be dropped, but in the formal sentences UPSC favours it is usually kept. Another pair to separate carefully is while and whereas: both show contrast, but while can also mean “during the time that”, so context decides its sense.

Correlative Pairs and Parallel Structure

Correlative conjunctions come in inseparable pairs, and the words following each half must be parallel (same grammatical form). This parallelism rule is the single most tested point in CDS.

• either…or / neither…nor
• both…and
• not only…but also
• whether…or

Watch the placement. In “He not only sings but also dances,” both halves are followed by verbs — correct. Now take the faulty version “She not only is intelligent but also hard-working.” Here not only sits before a verb (is) while but also sits before an adjective, so the balance breaks. The fix is “She is not only intelligent but also hard-working,” with both halves now before adjectives. Always ask which kind of word follows each part of the pair — they must match.

Verb Agreement with Either, Neither and Correlatives

When two subjects are joined by either…or, neither…nor, or or/nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject (the proximity rule).

With both…and, the subject is plural, so the verb is plural: Both Ravi and Sita are here. Be careful: the proximity rule applies only to or/nor joins. Two subjects joined by and are almost always plural, the rare exception being when the two nouns name a single idea, as in “Bread and butter is my breakfast.”

Pronoun agreement follows the same nearer-subject logic: “Neither Ravi nor his friends have brought their books” but “Neither his friends nor Ravi has brought his book.” Examiners often hide the error not in the verb but in the possessive pronoun, so check both.

Note also that no sooner is followed by than (not then), and scarcely / hardly is followed by when (not than): No sooner did he arrive than the bell rang. Mixing these — writing no sooner…when or hardly…than — is one of the most repeated traps in the spotting-error section.

Connectors and Transition Words

Beyond pure conjunctions, CDS tests connectors — conjunctive adverbs and linking phrases that signal logical flow between sentences. They are vital in cloze tests and paragraph reconstruction.

• Addition: moreover, furthermore, in addition, besides
• Contrast: however, nevertheless, on the contrary, on the other hand
• Cause & effect: therefore, thus, consequently, hence, as a result
• Sequence: firstly, then, subsequently, finally
• Example: for instance, namely, that is

In cloze and paragraph-reconstruction questions, the connector is your map of the writer’s logic. If a sentence opens with however or on the contrary, it must contradict the sentence before it, so it cannot be the opening line of a paragraph. If it opens with therefore or consequently, a cause must already have been stated. Reading these signposts backwards is the fastest way to fix the order of jumbled sentences.

Worked Example: Picking the Right Connector

Choosing connectors is a logic exercise. Read both clauses, decide the relationship, then pick the joining word that matches.

The same three-step habit — read, name the relationship, match the word — works for almost every connector question in the paper.

High-Frequency Errors UPSC Repeats

These slip-ups appear in the spotting-error section year after year. Memorise them and you will pick up easy marks.

• Reason…because: “The reason is because…” is wrong. Write “The reason is that…”
• Such…that vs so…that: Use so + adjective + that, but such + noun + that: “It was so cold that…” / “It was such a cold day that…”
• As…as vs so…as: In negatives, prefer so…as: “He is not so tall as his brother.”
• Hardly…than: wrong. It is hardly…when and no sooner…than.
• Until…not: double negative. “Wait until I do not return” is wrong; write “Wait until I return.”

Previous-Year Style Practice

Apply everything above to a typical CDS-pattern item. Read the whole sentence before judging the underlined parts.

A Quick Strategy for the Exam Hall

When a question tests joining words, run this short checklist instead of guessing by feel.

1. Identify the two ideas and the logical link — addition, contrast, cause, condition or time.
2. If you see one half of a correlative pair (either, neither, not only, no sooner), confirm its fixed partner is present and correctly placed.
3. Check parallel structure after correlatives — same grammatical form on both sides.
4. Make sure only one connector does each job; delete any duplicate (although…but, because…so).
5. For verbs after or/nor, apply the proximity rule.