Cohesive Devices: Coordinators

Writer use coordinators (also called coordinating conjunctions to stack elements of a sentence. These coordinators indicate that the elements have the same syntactic role, meaning that they are on an equal level.

The three main coordinators are

• and
• but
• or (and negative nor)

Notice that each coordinator signals a specific relationship.

And → addition
But → contrast
Or → alternative

Example

They may imply the same sequence of uplift, erosion, and subsidence, or they may reflect a fall and rise of global sea level. (ACAD)

Question 1

Just read up on it ____ let us know. (CONV)

and
but
or
nor

Question 2

It would damage those tentative, ____ increasing signs of recovery.

and
or
rather
but