Lesson 4 | Commas & Conjunctions

Common Conjunctions

Below are some of the most common English conjunctions, along with their associated relationships. Read through each of the examples slowly so as to ensure you understand how the conjunction is being used in that verse; then move on to the next example.

AND
Series  “Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:22)
Progression  “And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain” (Mark 4:8)
Situation-Response  “the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light” (John 3:19)

AS
Comparison  “in [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written...” (Romans 1:17)
Temporal  “as the time of the promise drew near, ... the people increased and multiplied in Egypt” (Acts 7:17)

Note: The word “as” can also function as a preposition (introducing a prepositional phrase). Example: “He came as a witness.” In such a case, don’t split the text at this point.

BECAUSE
Ground  “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!” (Acts 8:20)

BUT
Alternative  “There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.” (Romans 2:9-10)
Negative-Positive  “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
Concessive  “I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.” (Romans 14:14)

FOR
Ground  “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” (Ephesians 6:1)
Idea-Explanation  The conjunction for may indicate an Idea-Explanation at the sentence or paragraph level, but typically not at the proposition level. Hence, the absence of a simple example here.

Note: The word “for” can also function as a preposition (as in a prepositional phrase). Example: “for our justification.” In such a case, you should not split the text at this point.

IF
Conditional  “if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about” (Romans 4:2)
Ground  “long for the pure spiritual milk...if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:2-3)
Inference  “if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works” (Romans 11:6)

IN ORDER TO/THAT
Action-Purpose  “he appeared in order to take away sins” (1 John 3:5)

JUST AS
Comparison  “just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40)

SINCE
Ground  “a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive” (Hebrew 9:17)
Temporal  “in the whole world [the gospel] is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it” (Colossians 1:6)

SO
Inference  “he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper...’” (Hebrew 13:5-6)
Series  “Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.” (Romans 16:21) 

Note: The word “so” can also function as an adverb. Example: “For God so loved the world.” In such a case, you should not split the text at this point.

SO THAT
Action-Result  “there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves” (Matthew 8:24)
Action-Purpose  “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:19)

THAT
Idea-Explanation  “If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” (John 14:2)
Action-Purpose  “I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:3)
Action-Result  “the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory” (2 Corinthians 3:7)

Note: The word “that” can also function as a pronoun. Example: “the faith that our father Abraham had.” In such a case, you should not split the text at this point.

THEREFORE
Inference  “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded” (1 Peter 4:7)

THOUGH
Concessive  “even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it” (2 Corinthians 7:8)

WHEN
Temporal  “when he appears we shall be like him” (1 John 3:2)

YET
Concessive  “We are treated as impostors, and yet are true” (2 Corinthians 6:8)

English ConjunctionspdfA printable cheat sheet with an expanded list of English conjunctions and their associated logical relationships, with examples.

Greek ConjunctionspdfA printable cheat sheet with common Greek conjunctions and their associated logical relationships, with examples.