Coordinating Conjunctions ESL Printable Grammar Worksheet - Free Printable

Here are the correct coordinating conjunctions to complete each sentence. I have checked the logic for each one to ensure it fits the context of the sentence.

1. so (He was tired, *as a result* he washed the dishes.)
2. and (She bought a list of items: apples, oranges... *plus* potatoes.)
3. or (Stop smoking, *otherwise* you will get ill.)
4. so (I forgot my umbrella, *as a result* I got soaked.)
5. because is not an option, but looking at the options "and, but, or, for, nor, so": The sentence implies a reason. "For" can mean because. Let's look closer. "Benjamin could get the job easily for he was the only applicant..." This is grammatically correct though slightly formal. Another option: Is there a contrast? No. Is there a result? No. "For" fits best as a synonym for "because".
6. nor (Used with "neither": Neither... nor...)
7. and (Two actions happening together/sequentially: vacuumed and dusted.)
8. for (Reason: She was punished *because* she was late. "For" works here as a formal "because".) *Self-correction*: In simpler exercises, sometimes "because" is expected, but it's not in the list. "For" is the coordinating conjunction for reason. Let's re-read sentence 5 and 8.
* Sentence 5: "Benjamin could get the job easily for he was the only applicant..."
* Sentence 8: "Our maths teacher gave her a punishment for she was late..."
* Wait, let's look at sentence 1 again. "He was very tired... but he washed all the dishes." This makes more sense as a contrast. He was tired, *however*, he still did the work. So #1 is but.
* Let's re-evaluate #4. "I forgot to take my umbrella... so I got soaked." This is cause and effect. Correct.
* Let's re-evaluate #9. "I didn't have enough money... so I borrowed some money." Cause and effect. Correct.
* Let's re-evaluate #10. "Samuel really wanted to go... but he had to study." Contrast. Correct.
* Let's re-evaluate #13. "Mrs. Cunningham had enough money... but she couldn't decide." Contrast. Correct.
* Let's re-evaluate #14. "The students decided not to go out... for it was snowing heavily." Reason. Correct.
* Let's re-evaluate #15. "The thief went into the house... and got the mobile phone." Sequence. Correct.
* Let's re-evaluate #16. "Most shampoos include chemicals... but I prefer using natural olive oil soap." Contrast. Correct.
* Let's re-evaluate #17. "Stop drinking too much coke... or you gain too much weight soon." Warning/Alternative negative outcome. Correct.
* Let's re-evaluate #18. "There were some injured players... but we could win the match easily." Contrast. Correct.
* Let's re-evaluate #19. "Abigail neither took a shower nor she brushed her teeth..." Wait, the structure is "Neither [verb] ... [conjunction] [subject+verb]". Usually it's "Neither did she take a shower nor brush her teeth". Here it says "Abigail neither took a shower ____ she brushed her teeth this morning since she was very tired." Since she was tired, she likely didn't do either. So it should be nor. But the second part says "she brushed". If she was tired, maybe she didn't brush? "Since she was very tired" applies to the whole situation. It implies she skipped both. So "nor" is the intended answer for the "neither... nor" pair.
* Let's re-evaluate #20. "Benjamin fell asleep... before the book he started reading was quite boring." "Before" is not a coordinating conjunction. The options are "and, but, or, for, nor, so". "Benjamin fell asleep... for the book... was quite boring." Reason. Correct.
* Let's re-evaluate #21. "People in this small town neither have traffic problems nor they have environmental problems." Parallel negative. Correct.
* Let's re-evaluate #22. "Freddie didn't have enough eggs... so he went to the supermarket." Result. Correct.
* Let's re-evaluate #23. "People should stop cutting down the trees or we will suffer a lot from air pollution." Warning. Correct.
* Let's re-evaluate #24. "Scarlett ironed all the clothes, washed the dishes and wiped the floor before she went to bed." List of actions. Correct.

Let's double check #5 and #8 again.
#5: "Benjamin could get the job easily for he was the only applicant..." (Reason).
#8: "Our maths teacher gave her a punishment for she was late..." (Reason).
Is it possible one is "so"?
#5: Benjamin could get the job easily... [result?] No, being the only applicant is the *reason* he gets it easily.
#8: Teacher gave punishment... [reason?] Being late is the reason.
So both use "for". This is acceptable.

Let's double check #1.
"He was very tired after a long working day, but he washed all the dishes in the kitchen."
Contrast: Tired vs Doing work. Yes, but is better than so. If it were "so", it would imply being tired makes you wash dishes, which isn't logical.

Let's double check #9.
"I didn't have enough money... so I borrowed some money."
Cause: No money. Effect: Borrowed. Yes, so.

Let's double check #17.
"Stop drinking too much coke... or you gain too much weight soon."
Warning. Yes, or.

Let's double check #19.
"Abigail neither took a shower nor she brushed her teeth..."
Standard grammar: "Neither took a shower nor brushed her teeth." The sentence structure in the image is slightly awkward ("nor she brushed"), but nor is the only partner for "neither".

Let's double check #21.
"People... neither have traffic problems nor they have environmental problems."
Again, slightly awkward phrasing ("nor they have"), but nor is the correct pair for "neither".

Final check of the list:
1. but
2. and
3. or
4. so
5. for
6. nor
7. and
8. for
9. so
10. but
11. or
12. nor
13. but
14. for
15. and
16. but
17. or
18. but
19. nor
20. for
21. nor
22. so
23. or
24. and

One small check on #11: "Either you finish the English project on time, ____ the teacher will give you a bad mark."
Structure: Either [positive action], or [negative consequence]. Yes, or.

One small check on #12: "James neither knew her telephone number ____ her home address."
Structure: Neither [A] nor [B]. Yes, nor.

Everything looks consistent.

Final Answer:
1. but
2. and
3. or
4. so
5. for
6. nor
7. and
8. for
9. so
10. but
11. or
12. nor
13. but
14. for
15. and
16. but
17. or
18. but
19. nor
20. for
21. nor
22. so
23. or
24. and