Coordinating Conjunctions in English: And, But and Yet

Coordinating Conjunctions in English for Scholars: And, But, and Yet

Seven coordinating conjunctions—for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so—coordinate equal grammatical units. This article focuses on the three you will use most in academic writing: and, but, and yet. We’ll define their core logic, show punctuation and parallelism rules, and offer edit-ready examples for abstracts, methods, results, and discussions.

1) Coordination 101: What These Words Do

Coordinating means joining like with like—word with word, phrase with phrase, clause with clause—while giving equal syntactic weight to each side. In scholarly prose, coordination is how you stack evidence, qualify claims, and pace your argument without burying readers in subordination.

2) And: Addition, Sequence, and Tight Lists

Function. And adds items or steps and can join two independent clauses to form a compound sentence.

2.1 Comma logic with and

• Clause + clause: use a comma before and if both sides are independent clauses (“S V …, and S V …”).
• Shared subject: no comma if the second half is not an independent clause (“S V and V …”).
• Lists: use the Oxford comma in formal prose to avoid ambiguity: “A, B, and C.”

2.2 Parallel structure with and

Match grammatical form on both sides to reduce cognitive load.

2.3 Polysyndeton vs. asyndeton

Stylistic choices matter. Polysyndeton (repeating and in a list) slows rhythm for emphasis; asyndeton (omitting the final and) feels clipped. In formal research writing, prefer standard coordination with an Oxford comma unless you want a specific rhetorical effect.

3) But: Clear Contrast and Honest Caveats

Function. But introduces a contrast or exception. It is your default coordinator for “however” in clause form.

3.1 Punctuation with but

• Join two independent clauses with a comma + but.
• Do not add a comma when but links a single subject to two predicates.
• When but means “except,” no comma: “We could do nothing but wait.”

3.2 Make the contrast real

Readers tire of “but” that merely repeats or hedges. The second clause should push against the expectation set by the first.

3.3 “Not only … but (also) …”

A powerful correlative pair that demands parallelism.

4) Yet: The Concessive Turn (“Even So”)

Function. Yet conveys a stronger concessive twist than but. It says, in effect, “despite what you might predict, something else happened.”

4.1 When to prefer yet over but

• When expectation is explicitly overturned (“even though…” energy).
• When you want compactness without a full subordinate clause (although/though).

4.2 Punctuation with yet

As with but, use a comma for two independent clauses; omit it when the second unit is not a full clause.

5) Formal Placement: Mid-Sentence Is Default

In formal academic writing, coordinators most naturally sit inside sentences to join equals. Beginning a sentence with And, But, or Yet is increasingly acceptable, but overuse looks conversational and can irritate reviewers. Use initial position sparingly for emphasis or flow.

6) Punctuation Rules You Can Apply Immediately

7) Parallelism: Coordination’s Golden Rule

Coordination implies equality, so match the grammar on both sides. Parallelism clarifies comparisons, lists of aims, and paired evidence.

8) Meaningful Alternatives to Avoid Over-coordination

Sometimes coordination isn’t the clearest option. Consider:

• Subordination (although, because, while) when one idea depends on the other.
• Semicolon to join related clauses when no coordinator fits.
• Em dash to mark an aside or sharp pivot (use sparingly in formal prose).
• Colon to introduce a consequence, definition, or list after a complete clause.

9) Common Pitfalls (and Fast Repairs)

1. Comma splice: “The model converged, the results were unstable.” → Add but/yet, use a semicolon, or split: “The model converged, yet the results were unstable.”
2. Vague reversal: “It improved, but there were issues.” → Name the issue: “It improved, but calibration degraded on rare classes.”
3. Run-on coordination: five clauses chained with and. → Break into sentences; use subordination or bullets for steps.
4. Non-parallel lists: “collect data, cleaning, and analysed.” → “collect, clean, and analyse.”
5. Ambiguous scope: “We analysed A and B and C in Study 2.” → Clarify grouping: “We analysed A and B, and in Study 2 we analysed C.”

10) Discipline-Specific Patterns

• Abstracts: Prefer concise coordination: “We tested X and Y, but only X replicated.” Avoid conversational openings with initial And/But.
• Methods: Chain steps with and only when they’re sequential actions of the same subject; otherwise use subheadings or bullets.
• Results: Use but or yet to report exceptions succinctly: “Accuracy increased, yet latency doubled.”
• Discussion: “Not only … but also …” is effective for contributions paired with implications.

11) Before → After: Edit-Ready Examples

1) Methods (over-coordination)
Before: We recorded temperatures and we calculated means and we generated plots and we checked outliers.
After: We recorded temperatures, calculated means, generated plots, and checked outliers.

2) Results (weak contrast)
Before: The classifier was accurate, but there were issues.
After: The classifier was accurate, but calibration on rare classes remained poor (ECE 7.8%).

3) Discussion (flat narrative)
Before: The study was small and we found moderate effects and we think this is promising.
After: The study was small, yet the effects were consistent across sites; but replication in a larger cohort is essential.

12) Quick Reference Table

13) Practice: Choose and Fix

1. We expanded recruitment, ___ the subgroup remained underpowered.
2. The intervention reduced errors ___ increased completion time.
3. The algorithm was trained on balanced data, ___ it failed on real-world logs.
4. We used the open dataset ___ the private hospital registry.
5. Not only did we pre-register, ___ we ___ shared the code.

Suggested answers

1. yet (concessive twist)
2. but (plain contrast) or “and” if both are intended consequences (prefer to clarify)
3. yet (expectation violated)
4. and (addition) — if exclusive choice, use “or”
5. but … also (“Not only … but also …”)

14) A Mini Workflow for Your Next Draft

1. Underline every and/but/yet. Ask what relation you intend (addition, contrast, concession). Replace if the word does not match the logic.
2. Test parallelism. For each coordination, align grammatical form (verb with verb, noun with noun, clause with clause).
3. Check commas. If both sides are independent clauses, you need a comma. If not, you likely don’t.
4. Trim chains. Break long and chains into sentences; convert some links to subordination.
5. Reserve starts. Use sentence-initial And/But/Yet sparingly for clear rhetorical pivots.

15) Conclusion: Small Connectors, Strong Control

In the tight economy of academic writing, and, but, and yet do the quiet work of logic. They control the pace of methods, sharpen contrasts in results, and frame concessions in discussions. When you match each coordinator to its true relation, punctuate correctly, and enforce parallelism, your argument reads inevitable—not accidental. That’s the difference readers, reviewers, and editors notice.

Need a quick coordination check before submission? Our editors can apply a clause-level pass for punctuation, parallelism, and logical fit of conjunctions across your manuscript.