365. For and notwithstanding may be either prepositions or conjunctions.
| Prepositions | Conjunctions |
|---|---|
| I am waiting for you. | We must go, for it is late. |
| Jane is coming, notwithstanding the storm. | It is a hard storm. She will come, notwithstanding. |
Note. For is sometimes classified as a subordinate conjunction, but the fact that it may be used to begin an independent sentence (even when such a sentence opens a paragraph) justifies its inclusion among the coördinates.
366. The chief subordinate conjunctions are:—
- although, though
- as
- as if (as though)
- because
- if
- lest
- since (= because)
- than
- that
- unless
- whereas
- whether (whether ... or)
A few phrases may be regarded as compound conjunctions. Such are:—in order that, so that, provided that, in case that, but that, as if, as though, even if. Provided, and in case (without that) may also be used as conjunctions: as,—“I will go provided it doesn’t rain.”
367. The subordinate conjunction that is often omitted when it may readily be supplied.
- He said [that] he was starving.
- They feared [that] they were betrayed.
- I cannot believe [that] you would try to injure me.
Note. This omission is similar to that of the relative pronoun ([§ 151]). It is extremely common, not only in colloquial language but also in literature, whether prose or verse.
368. As and since in the sense of “because,” and while in the sense of “though,” are conjunctions.