A conjunction is a word that grammatically connects two words, phrases, or clauses together. The most common examples are words like “and” and “but.”
连词是将两个词、短语或从句在语法上连接在一起的词。最常见的例子是“and”和“but”这样的词。

For example, “I took the subway, and got off at 96th Street.” Or, “I took the subway, but there was a delay.” However, conjunctions can come in many forms with many different functions.
例如,“我坐地铁,在第96街下车”,或者“我坐地铁,但是有一个延误”,然而,连词可以有多种形式,有许多不同的功能。

They’re a part of speech that can be broken down into several categories, and we’ll explore each one in depth with examples.Conjunctions can primarily be broken down into three categories:
它们是演讲的一部分,可以分为几个类别,我们将深入探讨每个类别示例.连词主要可分为三类:

Coordinating conjunctions/Correlative conjunctions/Subordinating conjunctions
并列连词/相关连词/从属连词

Another category of conjunctions is correlative conjunctions, and we’ve actually seen a few already, like “either…or” and “neither…nor.” These conjunctions come in pairs and join equal items together.
另一类连词是相关连词,实际上我们已经看到了一些连词,比如“要么……要么”和“要么……要么”。这些连词成对出现,把相等的项连在一起。

Correlative conjunctions list:
关联连词列表:

Either…or/Whether…or/Neither…nor/Both…and/As…as/Not only…but also/No sooner…than/Hardly…when/EITHER…OR
或者…或者/是否…或者/两者都不是…或者/两者都是…和/不仅是…而且/不早于/几乎不早于…何时/两者都是…或者

The correlative conjunction “either…or” is used to join two positive options. For example:
相关连词“要么……要么”用于连接两个正选项。例如:

We can either go to the movies or stay inside and watch Netflix./The sound was either a firework or a gunshot./Either you stay or I leave.
我们也可以去看电影或者呆在里面看Netflix。/声音要么是烟火要么是枪声。/要么你留下要么我离开。

A common grammatical mistake that occurs when using the correlative conjunction “neither…or” is subject-verb agreement. When two (or more) items are joined by the word conjunction and serve as the subject of the sentence, the number of the verb (i.e. singular or plural) always follows the last of the options. Multiple singular options do not create a plural noun. For example:
使用关联连词“note…or”时常见的语法错误是主谓一致。当两个(或多个)词条被连词连接并用作句子的主语时,动词的数量(即单数或复数)总是在最后一个选项之后。多个单数选项不创建复数名词。例如:

Either Crystal or Julia wants to come with us to the festival. (The verb should be “wants,” not “want”)/Either Courtney or her friends are coming to pick me up. (The verb “are” follows the second item in the pair of subjects.)
不是克里斯托就是茱莉亚想和我们一起去参加节日。(动词应该是“想要”,而不是“想要”)/考特尼或她的朋友来接我。(动词“are”跟在两个主语中的第二项后面。)

The word “either” can be used by itself, but as a pronoun, not a conjunction. For example:
“either”这个词可以自己使用,但可以作为代词,而不是连词。例如:

You can ask either of us if you need any help./“Should I get this shirt in blue or white?” “Either looks good on you.”
如果你需要帮助,你可以问我们中的任何一个。/“这件衬衫是蓝色的还是白色的?“要么你穿得好看。”

WHETHER…OR
不管…还是

The conjunction “whether…or” also pairs up two options, but they must be clauses. It’s similar to the subordinating conjunction “if” in that it brings up hypothetical conditions, but in pairs.
连词“是否…或”也可以组合两个选项,但它们必须是子句。它类似于从属连词“if”,因为它提出了假设条件,但是是成对的。

Whether I drink a lot or a little, my face still gets red./Whether it’s sunny out or raining, we’re still going to see the concert./A common usage of this correlative conjunction is in the form “whether…or not” or simply “whether or not.” For example:
不管我是多喝还是少喝,我的脸还是红的。/不管外面是晴天还是下雨,我们还是要去看音乐会。/这个相关连词的一个常见用法是“是否”或“是否”。例如:

Whether the earrings are cheap or not, I’m still going to buy them./You have to take this class, whether or not you want to.
不管耳环是不是便宜,我还是要买的。/不管你想不想,你都得上这门课。

It’s also acceptable to simply use the word “whether,” which implies the phrase “or not,” by itself. In this case, it becomes a subordinating conjunction instead of a correlative one, which we’ll discuss later on.
简单地使用“是否”这个词本身就意味着“是否”这个短语也是可以接受的。在这种情况下,它将成为从属连词而不是相关连词,我们将在后面讨论。

I don’t care whether a man is rich if I want to date him.
如果我想和一个男人约会,我不在乎他是否有钱。

NEITHER…NOR
既不...也不...

While “either…or” pairs up two positive options, “neither…nor” pairs up two negative options.
当“要么……要么”配对两个正选项时,“要么……要么”配对两个负选项。

The view at the top of mountain was neither spectacular nor very visible./When it comes to movies, I like neither comedies nor romances./Neither will the workers go off strike, nor negotiate until they receive a higher pay./Just as “either” can stand by itself as a pronoun, so can “neither.”
山顶的景色既不壮观也不显眼。/说到电影,我既不喜欢喜剧片也不喜欢浪漫剧。/工人们也不会罢工,也不会谈判,直到他们得到更高的工资。/正如“要么”可以作为一个代词独立存在,也不能“要么”

Neither of the desserts seemed very appealing./Neither of us are working on Thanksgiving.
这两种甜点似乎都不太吸引人。/我们俩都不打算过感恩节。

The word “neither” can also be used as an adverb to indicate that something also does not apply in another case. For example:
“两者都不”这个词也可以用作副词,表示某事也不适用于另一种情况。例如:

“I didn’t do very well on the last exam. Me neither.”/I never thought that Trump would actually win the election, and neither did my friends.
“上次考试我考得不太好。我也没想到特朗普会赢得大选,我的朋友也没想到。

BOTH…AND

This correlative conjunction is used to join two equal items together.
这个相关的连词用来把两个相等的项目连在一起。

The hurricane was devastating both emotionally and economically./We went to both the service and the reception afterwards./I don’t know why, but both Jane and Colin have stopped talking to me.
飓风在感情上和经济上都是毁灭性的。/我们参加了仪式和会后的招待会。/我不知道为什么,但是简和科林都不再和我说话了。

AS…AS
正如...正如

If you want to compare two things and say that one contains a certain quality to the same extent as the other, you can use the correlative conjunction “as…as.”
如果你想比较两件事,并说其中一件事与另一件事具有相同的程度,你可以使用相关的连词“as…as”

Anything I put in the refrigerator becomes as cold as ice./Jeremy’s probably as tall as any professional basketball player./Run as far as you can, but don’t feel pressured to keep going.
我放在冰箱里的任何东西都会变得像冰一样冷。/杰里米可能和任何职业篮球运动员一样高。/尽可能跑远点,但不要感到继续前进的压力。

NOT ONLY…BUT ALSO
不但...而且...

This correlative conjunction is similar to “both…and” and emphasizes that two items belong in a pair.
这个相关的连词类似于“both…and”,强调两个项目属于一对。

Not only did we get lost, but we also ran out of gas with no gas station in sight./Not only is he smart, but he’s also talented./The TV show has not only good actors but also an incredibly written script.
我们不仅迷路了,而且看不到加油站也没油了。/他不仅聪明,而且很有天赋。/这部电视剧不仅有好演员,而且有一个令人难以置信的剧本。

NO SOONER…THAN
一...就...

The phrase “no sooner…than” is used to indicate that two events happened simultaneously or in quick succession. For example:
短语“no sooner…than”用来表示两个事件同时发生或快速连续发生。例如:

No sooner had I left the house than it started to thunder./No sooner had the pastor begun to speak than a baby started crying in the back.
我刚离开家,天就开始打雷了。/牧师刚开口说话,一个婴儿就在后面哭起来。

HARDLY…WHEN
一...就....

This phrase is another alternative to “no sooner…than.”
这句话是另一个替代词“一....就...”

Hardly had I stepped out of the kitchen when I started to smell something burning./Hardly had the party started when drinks started spilling on the floor.
我刚走出厨房,就闻到有东西烧焦了。/宴会刚开始,饮料就洒在地上。