# Specific Grammar Rules in Regards to Conjunctions and Adverbs

There are a lot of rules that apply to conjunctions and adverbs in English writing. The following are some of the most important grammar rules:

Coordinating Conjunctions vs. Subordinating Conjunctions
  Description: There are two types of conjunctions (coordinating and subordinating) and they both can be used to join clauses. Various rules for conjunctions can become very complicated.

  Rules to follow: The most important things to remember are how to punctuate both types and that subordinating conjunctions require more than one clause to avoid a sentence fragment.

  - Coordinating Conjunctions - A coordinating conjunction joins two main clauses with equal emphasis, or connects any other grammatical unit.
    - The seven coordinating conjunctions: "and", "or", "but", "nor", "so", "for", "yet".
    - Punctuation rules to follow: There are three patterns for punctuating coordinating conjunctions:
      1. Connecting two independent clauses - When you connect two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction, use a comma before the conjunction. {[Main Clause 1], [Coordinating Conjunction] [Main Clause 2]}

         Example: "The sample document contains elements from various namespaces, so you need to use CSS Level 3 extensions to associate specific properties with those elements.

      2. Connecting two items (other than two main clauses) - Do not use a comma. {[Item 1] [Coordinating Conjunction] [Item 2]}

         Example: "These suggestions and guidelines are meant to help anyone.

      3. Connecting three or more items in a series - Use a comma after each item (except for the last) and before the conjunction. {[Item 1], [Item 2], [Coordinating Conjunction] [Item 3]}

         Example: " It is important to make documentation clear, concise, and comprehensible."

  - Subordinating Conjunctions - A subordinating conjunction emphasizes the idea in the main clause more than the one in the subordinate clause. Also, it causes the clause that it appears in to become dependent. Therefore, it will be a sentence fragment unless it is joined to an independent clause.

    Example of a fragment: With this option in effect, the referenced schema document is loaded. Unless the absolute URI is the same as a schema document already loaded. (The second sentence is a fragment)

    Example of a complete sentence: With this option in effect, the referenced schema document is loaded unless the absolute URI is the same as a schema document already loaded. (One complete sentence)

    - Examples of subordinating conjunctions: "after", "although", "as", "because", "if", "since", "though", "unless", "whenever", "while".
    - Punctuation rules to follow: Generally, there are two patterns for punctuating subordinating conjunctions:
      1. The main clause followed by a subordinate clause. Typically, a comma is not necessary. {[Main Clause] [Subordinate Clause]}

         Example: "Saving the file is not allowed unless the file is already checked out.

      2. A subordinate clause followed by the main clause. Typically, use a comma after the subordinate clause. {[Subordinate Clause], [Main Clause]}

         Example: "DITA is an XML format, although you do not have to write raw XML to create and edit DITA topics.

Conjunctive Adverbs
  Description:Conjunctive adverbs are simply adverbs that connect two independent clauses. They can sometimes move almost anywhere in a sentence and they are usually used to link the ideas from two or more sentences, but they can also be used to connect two independent main clauses in the same sentence (although this is probably rare in technical documentation). Usually, they are placed at the beginning of the second clause since it provides a logical transition from one clause to the other. When used to connect two main clauses a semicolon needs to be used between the first clause and the conjunctive adverb, but again, this is rare in technical documentation. Most of the time, the conjunctive adverbs need to be separated from the clause with one or two commas.

  Examples of conjunctive adverbs: "accordingly", "also", "consequently", "for example", "for instance", "furthermore", "hence", "however", "in fact", "instead", "likewise", "otherwise", "nevertheless", "therefore", "thus".

  Rules to follow: For the purposes of User Guide, follow these guidelines:
  - Except in some very rare circumstances, only use conjunctive adverbs to connect the ideas from multiple sentences.
  - Most of the time, they should be used at the beginning of a sentence or as the first words inside parentheses.
  - More often than not, they should be followed by a comma, and if used in the middle of a sentence, they should also be preceded with a comma (the word "thus" is usually only preceded by a comma when used in the middle of a sentence).
    Note: Keep in mind that some of these words can also be used as other grammatical constructs (for example, "accordingly" and "instead" are often used as regular adverbs in various parts of sentences without being preceded or followed by a comma). However, when any of them are used as a conjunctive adverb, the above rules apply.
    - "however" - Somewhat of a special case since it can also be used as a normal verb that means in whatever way or to whatever degree (for example, "However you decide to do it, ..."). Regardless, whenever it is used as a conjunctive adverb, follow the rules above.
    - "also" - This is a rather flexible adverb and can be used in multiple other ways (for example, as a focusing adverb) without needing punctuation before or after. Regardless, when used as a conjunctive adverb, follow the rules above.
Position of Adverbs in a Sentence
  Description: There are so many complex rules for where to position different types of adverbs within a sentence that it is not even worth discussing most of them. Essentially, an adverb is a word that modifies another word or phrase. In most cases, you should make sure the adverb is placed as close to the word or phrase that it is modifying as possible and you should always pay attention to how the placement of the adverb can change the meaning of the sentence. For more specific rules in regards to the placement of adverbs, the following website defines some very clear rules for various situations: http://www.englishpractice.com/improve/position-adverbs-2/.
  Focusing Adverbs ("also", "only", "either", "neither", "just", "mostly"):
    For the purposes of our documentation, we should concentrate on making sure certain focusing adverbs are placed in the proper position because they represent the most common errors and improper positioning of these adverbs can lead to sentences that are awkward or where the meaning is unclear. Since focusing adverbs point to a particular part of a sentence, the meaning conveyed often depends upon their position. The adverbs "also" and "only" are the most common examples that are used in our documentation.
    "Only" - Consider how the placement of the word "only" changes the meaning in the following examples:
    - Example 1: Only John gave Paul one dollar. [No one else besides John game him a dollar].
    - Example 2: John gave only Paul one dollar. [John gave Paul a dollar and no one else].
    - Example 3: John gave Paul only one dollar. [John gave Paul one dollar and nothing more].
    - Example 4: John only gave Paul one dollar. [John did nothing else besides giving Paul a dollar.]
    "Also - Consider how the placement of the word "also" changes the meaning in the following examples:
    - Example 1: Also, John thinks that Paul should stop smoking. [In addition to other ideas, John thinks Paul should stop smoking.]
    - Example 2: John thinks that Paul also should stop smoking. [John thinks Paul should stop smoking, along with other people.]
    - Example 3: John thinks Paul should also stop smoking. [John thinks Paul should stop smoking, along with stopping other things.]
    - Example 4: John also thinks that Paul should stop smoking. [Someone else and John think that Paul should stop smoking.]

    Rules to follow: Most of the time it is best to place focusing adverbs in front of and next to the word or words they are modifying. However, be aware that doing so will not always eliminate ambiguity. Therefore, you have to also rely on the context and consider the meaning of the sentence based upon the placement of the adverb. If you find it difficult to decide where to place them, try rephrasing the sentence entirely.

  Using Adverbs with Modal Verbs ("can", "could", "may", "might", "must", "will", "would", "shall", "should"):
    A modal verb is a type of auxiliary verb that is used to indicate the likelihood, possibility, necessity, or ability. Deciding how to position adverbs in relation to model verbs can also become very confusing, especially when the modal verb is used with another verb (such a form of the infinitive verb "to be".
    Consider the following examples:
    - Example 1: The sample file also can be found in the SDK distribution. [Awkward]
    - Example 2: The sample file can also be found in the SDK distribution. [Better]

    Rules to follow: While both of the previous examples are grammatically correct and they both have the same meaning, the second one sounds and reads better, and you never want to cause your reader to pause to consider the awkwardness of the flow. There are a lot of exceptions to this rule, but MOST of the time, you should use the following word order when using this type of combination: [Modal Verb] + [Adverb] + [Verb].