Coordination and Subordination
Coordination Relates "Equal" Ideas
Subordination Emphasizes "Main" Ideas
Eliminating Choppy Style
Choosing Between Coordination and Subordination
Parallel Structure Expresses Parallel Ideas
Coordinating Conjunctions (and, but, or, so, and yet)
Correlative Conjunctions (either . . . or, both . . . and, neither . . . nor, not . . . but, not only . . . but also, just as . . . so, and whther . . . or)
We often combine sentences using "all-purpose" conjunctions such as and or so. However, this practice often leads to ambiguity. Consider the following sentence.
Deckard has new empathy for machines, and decides to keep the frog.
The meaning of this sentence is not clear. The sentence could have two somewhat different meanings:
Because Deckard has new empathy for machines, he decides to keep the frog.
Deckard has new empathy for the machines, because he decides to keep the frog.
The first example sentence links two ideas with and, a coordinating conjunction. The second example sentences link two ideas with because, a subordinating conjunction. These examples show two ways of combining ideas in a sentence: a coordinating conjunction gives the ideas equal emphasis, and a subordinating conjunction emphasizes one idea more than another.
Coordination gives equal emphasis to different ideas in a sentence. Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, and yet) or a semicolon. (The semicolon is often used with a conjunctive adverb such as therefore, moreover, or however.)
Bernard brought John back to the World State and exhibited him like a circus freak.
John sought to live free of the World State, but could not escape from the intrusive interest of others.
Deckard is not an android; however, he is not fully human either.
Subordination allows you to distinguish between more important and less important information, or to bring in supporting detail. Subordination also establishes logical relationships amongst ideas.
Of course, the writer decides which ideas in a sentence are more important and which are less important, and what the logical relationship is between ideas. The choice made by the writer can produce varying effects as shown in the following examples (the part of the sentence receiving less emphasis is shown in italics):
The future imagined by Wilde was one free of manual labor, which would leave humans free to create.
The future imagined by Wilde, one that was free of manual labor, would leave humans free to create.
Of the two sentences above, the second one probably comes closer to conveying the relationship between less and more important ideas. The parts in italics are called subordinate (or dependent) clauses, and are easily identified by the fact that unlike an independent clause, they cannot stand alone as a sentence. Subordinate clauses contain "subordinate" or less important information and typically begin with one of the following subordinating conjunctions or relative pronouns:
| after | if | though | while |
| although | in order that | unless | who |
| as | once | until | whom |
| as if | since | when | whose |
| because | so that | where | |
| before | than | whether | |
| even though | that | which |
Because short sentences command the reader's attention, they should be used occasionally and only for emphasis. Many short sentences together give a starting and stopping rhythm to the prose, what some call a "choppy" style. Subordination and coordination is the key to eliminating choppy style.
Sentences can often be combined using coordinating conjunctions. If the idea expressed by the sentence is not important enough to deserve its own sentence, then try to combine it with the preceding or following sentence. If the idea expressed is minor, put it into a subordinate clause.
| choppy | The image of the clock is the first image of the film. It fills the screen. The time clock is also prominent. It is another version of a clock. The workers' time is carefully recorded. The speed of the assembly line is related to the time of day. Everything stops when the factory whistle blows. |
| improved | The first image of the film is a clock, which fills the entire screen. Another version of the clock is the time clock, which is prominent later, and is used to record carefully the workers' time. Even the speed of the assembly line is related to the time of day, everything stopping no matter what when the factory whistle blows. |
As the above examples show, coordination and subordination produce very different results, and yet inexperienced writers often have difficulty deciding which is appropriate. Keep in mind these important points when choosing between coordination and subordination:
Below are some examples of improved sentences through the use of coordination and subordination.
Before |
After |
| John Isidore is known as a special, and he is the most empathic character in the novel. | John Isidore, a special, is
the most empathic character in the novel. The less important idea has become an appositive phrase. |
| The Little Tramp tries to tighten all the bolts, and ends up being swallowed by the machine. | When the Little Tramp tries
desperately to tighten all the bolts, he ends up being
swallowed by the machine. The less important idea has become a subordinate clause beginning with When. |
| Roy Batty drove a nail through his palm, and he continued his pursuit of Deckard onto the rooftop, but he had very little time left to live. | After driving a nail through
his palm, Roy Batty continued his pursuit of Deckard onto
the rooftop, but he had very little time left to live. The less important idea has been changed into a gerund phrase beginning with the subordinator After. |
| Postman claims that artificial intelligence, which is the ability of a machine to think like a human, is a frightening prospect, that will lead to a future where machines might rule over humans. | Postman claims that
artificial intelligence, which is the ability of a
machine to think like a human, is a frightening prospect.
It will lead to a future where machines might rule over
humans. Excessive subordination was eliminated by breaking up a long sentence into two shorter ones. |
"In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current"
—Thomas Jefferson—
Often times we present two or more ideas as parallel to one another. By parallel we mean that the ideas are equal in some way, such as in emphasis, in use, or in fact. Parallelism is most common in lists, such as those denoting sequences of related activities:
In the morning he gets dressed, eats breakfast, brushes his teeth, and then kisses his mother goodbye.
She has learned to stand tall, hold her head steady, establish a rhythm with the dribble, and steady herself before shooting.
When ideas exist in a parallel structure, but are expressed in unparallel syntactical structures, the result is an awkward sentence:
In the morning he gets dressed, breakfast is then served, brushes his teeth, and kisses his mother goodbye.
She has learned to stand tall, holding her head steady and establishing a rhythm with the dribble, all of which goes toward steadying herself before shooting.
Simple parallel structure joins ideas of equal importance. However, that relationship is not always the and relationship shown in the examples above. Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, so, and yet) and correlative conjunctions (either . . . or, both . . . and, neither . . . nor, not . . . but, not only . . . but also, just as . . . so, and whether . . . or) can be used to express more complex relationships between ideas. In other words, parallel does not mean that the ideas are the same, but rather that they are equal in importance. (This last sentence uses the correlative conjunction not . . . but to create a parallel structure.) To create sentences using parallel structure, the parts of the sentence that express the ideas must share the same syntactical structure.
Here are some examples of parallel structures using coordinating conjunctions.
John's act reveals the paradox of a utopia built on slavery and maintained by a police force.
Chaplin's worldview is the product of cynicism and sentimentality, or the victim of both.
For Wilde, utopia is the motive force of progress, but utopia is also an unrealizable ideal.
Lenina fails to understand Bernard's question, and so fails to answer it in a meaningful way.
To the Little Tramp jail is a sanctuary, yet for everyone else jail is a prison.
Here are some examples of parallel structures using correlative conjunctions.
When the Little Tramp sings his nonsense song, either the audience applauds because they find his mannerisms funny or they applaud because they don't want to appear ignorant.
Note how you can eliminate repetition when using parallel structure. "When the Little Tramp sings his nonsense song, either the audience applauds because they find his mannerisms funny or because they don't want to appear ignorant."
Lenina suffers insults both from Fanny's admonition against monogamy and from Bernard's slow response to her charms.
When they dream of a domestic life together, it is neither the opulent life of the wealthy nor the squalor of their everyday life.
He sets the goal of an ever-receding utopia, not to suggest that utopia is an impossible dream, but to suggest that utopia is necessary to dreams themselves.
Chaplin demands that we believe in the promise of utopia, not only in the fantasies of an imagined life, but also in the mundane details of the lived life.
Just as Wilde imagines a future of leisure and beauty, so Chaplin dreams of a domestic life of comfort and plenty.
Whether utopia finds us, or we find utopia, utopia must come.
This handout made extensive use of the following sources:
Hacker, Diane. A Writer's Reference. 4th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999.
Lunsford, Andrea. The Everyday Writer. 2nd ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001.
Williams, Joseph. Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace. 6th ed. New York: Longman, 2000.