A CURIOUS CRITTER, THE CONJUNCTIVE ADVERB

A bit strange? Yes. However, conjunctive adverbs are not really cause for alarm.

     This post is about those strange critters called conjunctive adverbs.

     Uh, anybody still reading?

     Yes, I know: “conjunctive adverb” is not exactly the sexiest phrase in the writer’s dictionary. In fact, it sounds kind of frightening. Nevertheless, we all use conjunctive adverbs (“nevertheless” is one of them), and “conjunctive adverb” is a concept worth understanding. Why? 1) Because knowing how conjunctive adverbs work will help you avoid some serious punctuation errors. And 2) because conjunctive adverbs offer tidy ways to achieve two other good-writing goals: clear, strong transitions and paragraph cohesion.

     Here are the most common conjunctive adverbs: however, nevertheless, therefore, otherwise, moreover, thus, also, besides, consequently, meanwhile, then, furthermore, likewise, still. Phrases like “in fact,” “for example” and “on the other hand” also function like conjunctive adverbs.

      Conjunctive adverbs are usually (not always) separated from the clause they are in by commas, as in the following examples:

      Jerry ate beans for supper. Consequently, no one would sit next to him at the movies.

      “Conjunctive adverb” is not a sexy phrase. It is, nevertheless, a concept worth understanding.

      Albert is the smartest boy in the class. He is not always the most sensible, however.

     Jeanine is pretty and athletic. Besides, she treats all her classmates respectfully.

Meanwhile, the pigs, like conjunctive adverbs, continued to thrive.

     When a conjunctive adverb comes at the beginning of its clause, it is almost always followed by a comma, just as adverb clauses and phrases (and most adverbs themselves) are. Examples:

     Meanwhile, the pigs continued to thrive.

     Otherwise, she would have emptied his bank account.

     Likewise, Harold went drinking instead of studying.

     Here, however, are some cases in which the conjunctive adverb is not necessarily separated from the rest of its clause by commas:

      Harold nevertheless got an A on the grammar test.

      He then cut off her credit card account, as well.

      The pigs were thus fat and healthy for the auction.

     It’s difficult to explain why no commas are needed in the examples just quoted. Basically, it’s because one doesn’t pause at the conjunctive adverbs when reading the sentence.

Albert is not, however, always as sensible as a conjunctive adverb.

     Like other adverbs, conjunctive adverbs can be placed in different parts of a clause, like this:

     However, Albert is not always the most sensible student.

     Albert is not, however, always the most sensible student.

     Albert is not always the most sensible student, however.

     This is an important way to tell the difference between conjunctive adverbs and coordinating conjunctions (and, or, but, for, nor, yet, so): conjunctive adverbs can be placed in different parts of a clause, but when a coordinating conjunction joins two clauses, it must always come at the beginning of the second clause. Examples of coordinating conjunctions coming at the beginning of a second clause:

     Wilbur loved spiders, and Charlotte was his favorite.

     The grass was knee deep, but Fred refused to mow it.

     Our puppy refused to eat puppy chow, nor did she like people food.

     Obviously you can’t move the “and,” “but,” or “nor” around in the second clauses here. (“Charlotte and was his favorite”? “She did not like people food, nor”? “Fred refused, but, to mow it”?)

      Therefore, even though some conjunctive adverbs seem to mean the same thing as coordinating conjunctions—“however” seems a lot like “but,” for example, and “furthermore” seems a lot like “and”—conjunctive adverbs do not work like coordinating conjunctions. This is especially true when it comes to punctuation.

      Here is a common mistake on student papers:

      Albert was the smartest boy in the class, however, he was not always the most sensible.

     This is a classic case of that confusing mistake called the “comma splice.” We have two separate independent clauses here: 1) “Albert was the smartest boy in the class,” and 2) “however, he was not always the most sensible.” Here’s the punctuation rule:

     When two independent clauses are joined into one sentence, you must have a semicolon or a comma-plus-coordinating conjunction between them. You can also make them two separate sentences by putting a period between them. “However” is not a coordinating conjunction. Therefore you need a period or a semicolon before it when it introduces a new independent clause:

     Albert was the smartest boy in the class; however, he was not always the most sensible.

     Again, a good way to remember this is to remember that the “however” could go later in the second clause:

     Albert was the smartest boy in the class; he was not, however, always the most sensible.

    

     The problem with the comma splice version of this sentence (“Albert was the smartest boy in the class, however, he was not always the most sensible.”) is that it is confusing. Your reader doesn’t know on first reading whether the “however” goes with the first clause (“Albert was the smartest boy in the class, however”) or with the second (“however, he was not always the most sensible”).

     The comma splice is a bad error. It suggests that you don’t know where one independent clause or sentence ends and the next one begins—a basic concept to understand in English. Also, as I said, the comma splice confuses your reader. (Remember: Most grammar rules are designed, not to make life harder for students, but to make reading easier for readers.)

      Conjunctive adverbs are useful. “However” and  “therefore,” for example, help show the logical connections between ideas; “then” and “meanwhile,” on the other hand, show the chronological connections between ideas. Such connections create “transitions”—those word bridges that join sentences and help readers navigate your paragraphs easily. Transitions tie your paragraph ideas together; this gives them what writers call “cohesion.”

     Don’t be afraid of conjunctive adverbs. They are common and useful. As for their punctuation, simply treat them like other adverbs, and you’ll be fine.

A bit odd, conjunctive adverbs are, nevertheless, nothing to be afraid of.