How to Teach Conjunctions: Engaging Games and Activities for ESL Students

A language is a diverse system. It consists of so many symbols, ins and outs that it is highly unlikely to say that one thing is more important than another.

The same is true about parts of speech, where we have main and secondary ones. Both of them play a crucial role in the language usage.

Conjunctions are so-called the connectors of language. They are as a grammatical glue or the structural bridges that join individual words, phrases, or entire clauses together to show how they relate to one another.

Even though this is a secondary part of speech, conjunctions do more than just make sentences longer; they guide the logic of a text. By switching a single conjunction, one completely changes the relationship between ideas.

What Do Students Need to Know?

Without conjunctions, human communication would fall apart. We wouldn't just sound like robots, we would actually lose our ability to express complex logic, build arguments, or tell sophisticated stories. 

Cognitive efficiency

Imagine trying to read a story where every single idea is forced into its own isolated sentence.

In this example, our brain has to work incredibly hard, as there are no connectors, which means that the brain must constantly stop, process a complete thought, reset, and then manually try to guess how the next sentence connects to the last one. 

So many process, aren’t there? In this case, with the help of conjunctions, brain exactly understands how to process the upcoming information before one even reads it.

Logical relationships

Sentences are just collections of facts. Conjunctions are the operators that give those facts meaning. By changing a single conjunction, all meaning is completely changed.

Looking at these three different sentences, one can come to the conclusion that conjunctions change everything, and this is true.

Cohesion

This is a presence of the gist, understanding, and logic in every sentence, where our thoughts are expressed in a clear way.

Types of Conjunctions

Coordinating Conjunctions 

These connect words, phrases, or independent clauses that are grammatically equal in importance. The easiest way to remember them is the acronym FANBOYS:

Subordinating Conjunctions

These introduce a dependent clause and join it to an independent clause. They establish a relationship of time, cause, condition, or concession. Common examples include: because, although, since, unless, while, if, until, whereas.

Correlative Conjunctions 

These are tag-team conjunctions that always work in pairs to join grammatically equal elements. Common pairs include: either... or, neither... nor, both... and, not only... but also.

Games and Activities

Not by theory alone, there are games and activities that can come in useful during the lessons.

Fun Conjunction Games for Young Learners

Conjunction Train

Students sit or stand in a line. The first student says a simple sentence, for example: “I like coffee.” 

The next student adds a conjunction and a new idea: “I like coffee because it wakes me up.” 

The third student continues with another conjunction: “I like coffee because it wakes me up, but I don’t drink it at night.” 

The FANBOYS Relay Race

Divide the whiteboard into columns for each team. At the back of the room, place a bucket of cards, each printed with one of the FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So).

Write a starter clause on the board for each team (e.g., “She was tired…”).

The next student must use the end of that new sentence as the beginning of a third clause, drawing a new conjunction. Teams get points for correct and creative sentences.

Color-Coded Connectors

Prepare cards with conjunctions in different colors. 

Students match sentence parts and choose the correct colored conjunction card to connect them. They then read the full sentence aloud.

Practical Conjunction Activities for Teens and Adults

Teenagers and adults are an age group that needs another approach to implement.

The "But/However" Debate

Preparing several interesting and funny or controversial statements, the teacher writes them on the board. Examples: “Homework should be banned,” “Cats are better pets than dogs,” or “Students should choose all their school subjects.” 

Divide students into pairs or small groups. One student gives an opinion using “but,” for example: “Homework helps students practice, but it takes too much free time.” Another student must respond using “however”: “However, homework can help students prepare for exams.”

Sentence Expansion Challenge

The teacher writes a short, simple sentence on the board, such as “She went to the store” or “They stayed at home.” Students work individually or in teams to expand the sentence step by step by adding conjunctions, connectors, adjectives, or extra details. 

For example: “She went to the store because she needed some milk, but the shop was already closed, so she went to another supermarket.” 

Cohesion in Academic Writing

The teacher prepares a short academic-style paragraph with missing connectors and cohesive devices. Students work in pairs to choose the most suitable words, such as however, therefore, moreover, although, as a result, because, etc. A real brainstorm. 

Finally, discuss how connectors improve cohesion, organise ideas clearly, and make academic writing easier to follow. This activity is especially useful for developing essay-writing and formal writing skills.

3 Proven Steps: How to Teach Conjunctions Effectively

Step 1: Meaning and Function

Begin by helping students clearly understand what conjunctions are and why they are necessary in communication.

Introduce conjunctions in meaningful categories so students can easily recognise their function. For example:

• Contrast: “but,” “however,” “although”. Example: “He studied a lot, but he failed the test.”

• Choice: “or”. Example: “Would you like tea or coffee?”

Use real-life examples, pictures, or short dialogues to make the meaning clear. Furthermore, ask students to identify conjunctions in songs, advertisements, social media posts, or any short texts

Step 2: Form and Punctuation

After students understand the meaning of conjunctions, focus shifts to how they are used grammatically. Teach students where conjunctions appear in a sentence and how punctuation changes depending on the connector.

Then move to subordinating conjunctions: “Because I was tired, I went to bed early.”, “I went to bed early because I was tired.”
Show students that the sentence structure changes depending on the position of the clause. Highlight how commas are used differently when the dependent clause comes first.

Practice common errors:
Incorrect: “I was hungry because I ate a sandwich.”
Correct: “I ate a sandwich because I was hungry.”

Incorrect: “She likes tennis however she hates football.”
Correct: “She likes tennis; however, she hates football.”

Students can practice through sentence correction tasks, matching activities, punctuation races, or by combining short sentences into one longer sentence using a conjunction.

Step 3: Controlled to Free Practice

What can be done here? Once students understand meaning and form, gradually move from highly controlled activities to freer communication tasks. This progression allows students to build confidence step by step.

Free practice: students use conjunctions naturally in speaking and writing tasks. They can write opinion paragraphs, stories, emails, or essays using target connectors. In speaking activities, students can discuss problems, compare ideas, or explain opinions using conjunctions to organize their thoughts clearly.

For example: “I enjoy studying online because it is flexible; however, I sometimes miss face-to-face interaction.” At this stage, the teacher should focus less on isolated grammar correction and more on helping students communicate ideas fluently and coherently. The goal is for conjunctions to become a natural part of students’ spoken and written English.

The importance of conjunctions is what should be explained to students on the spot so that they grasp the complexity of this and realise how it is needed for them to know and be able to use.

Such structuring and usage of conjunctions isn’t as easy as it seems, however, thanks to some activities and games, support, and nice explanations, a teacher can make a lesson captivating and useful at the same time.