Along with the other characteristics of effective writing, the way one interprets, writes or reads a sentence depends on logical organization. To get down to the nitty gritty of these logical characteristics, let's break the three concepts down with examples and explanations.
2. Logical Expression of Ideas
Coordination and
Subordination
Both coordination and subordination work to
combine independent clauses into one sentence. They use different
conjunctions to create relationships between the different ideas.
Most people are great with comparisons such as these, but I'm
including more detail on the different conjunctions to help you
figure out their meaning and relationship. Also, by understanding
the different conjunctions, these can help you with the
sentence completion
parts of the SATs as well.
Conjunction words can act as key words in finding what the blanks
may be. Go through the charts on coordination and subordination to
see for yourself...
Coordination: combining two equally important ideas.
Each of the seven coordinating conjunctions
clarifies a specific relationship between equally important
ideas:
| Conjunction | Relationship | Example |
| For | Cause | Sharon bought an iron with an automatic shut-off, for she was always forgetting to unplug it. |
| And | Addition | The temperature has fallen rapidly this afternoon, and the roads are beginning to freeze. |
| Nor | Alternative (negative) | Neither his mother nor his father finished
college. Note that in this sentence, the coordinating conjunction joins equal phrases rather than equal clauses. Both applications of coordination are correct. |
| But | Contrast | His car isn't running right now, but he intends to repair it before weekend. |
| Or | Alternative | We can eat dinner now, or we can wait and eat after the movie. |
| Yet | Contrast | He always arrives late, yet he expects everyone else to arrive on time. |
| So | Consequence | My mom was born in Italy, so I've always wanted to visit that country. |
Subordinating:
combines two ideas, making one idea more important than the other.
This makes the less important of the statements to be subordinate
or dependant on the independant statement.
The
list of subordinating conjunctions is long, but here are some of
the more common ones:
| Relationship | Conjunctions | Example |
| Time | When Whenever After Until Before After |
Whenever the afternoon
bell rings, a teeming horde of children rush eagerly out of the
school building. I never knew what love meant until I met you. My uncle always calls after he watches the news. |
| Place | Where Wherever |
I know a place where
blackberries grow wild all along the roadside. Wherever you can find an empty spot, just drop your luggage there. |
| Cause / Effect | Because Since So that |
Since you have to leave
early, why don't you arrive a few days earlier too? The cat took off in a panic because the dog started barking and growling. |
| Condition | If Unless If only |
If my ticket doesn't
arrive today, I won't be able to fly out tomorrow. He won't listen to you unless you make him turn off the radio and look at you. |
| Contrast | Although Even though |
Although I have called
repeatedly, the credit card company has not corrected my
account. He still brings her roses even though he knows she is allergic to them. |
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Logical
Comparison
Example
- Harry grew more vegetables than his neighbour's garden.
- Correct: Harry grew more
vegetables than his neighbour.
Why?
The comparison is being made between Harry
and his neighbour, not Harry and his neighbour's garden. To make
this a logical comparison, the garden part of the sentence must be
removed. In thinking of other logical comparison, think about the
purpose of the sentence. If you think that the comparison should be
made between the two gardens, then the sentence should appear as
something like "Harry's garden grew more vegetables than his
neighbour's."
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Modification and
Word Order
Example
- Singing triumphantly, the leaves crunched under her feet as she walked.
- Correct: Singing
triumphantly, she walked as the leaves crunched under her
feet.
Why?
We want to logically show the relationship
between what is happening in the sentence and who or what the
sentence is about. There may be some confusion as to what was
"singing triumphantly". As the sentence appears in it's first form,
it is possible for the reader to think that the leaves are the ones
singing. What needs to be done, is a modification of the subject of
the sentence leading the other details. So, the switch in the word
order makes the sentence a lot clearer.
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With these tips and refreshers on
grammatical cues, you can develop your writing skills. This will
help you with your sentence completion questions, as well as your abilities when
approaching the essay
section on the SATs.
References:
OwLet. Combining Sentences through
Coordination and Subordination.
http://owlet.letu.edu/grammarlinks/sentence/sentence3.html
.
Fox, Steven, Isreal, Elaine, O'Callaghan,
Robin. The Official SAT Study Guide. Pg, 101 "About the Writing
Section".
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