improving english Vocabulary

Having a great English vocabulary doesn't just mean that you can understand lots of words and phrases: it also means that you can use these words and phrases and that you can remember them when you need them.
This is the difference between an active and a passive vocabulary. Generally, most people's passive vocabulary is far bigger than their active vocabulary, and the secret is to try and "activate" passive knowledge.
There are a number of ways that you can activate your passive vocabulary in English, ranging from simple five-minute activities to longer periods of study. Most activities work best if a) you have a good dictionary and b) you keep a vocabulary notebook.
Good English dictionaries
A good English dictionary should be up-to-date (no more than five years old!) and should be easy to understand. Make sure that the definitions are written in clear English. Pictures also help you to understand some words. I strongly recommend the Longman range of dictionaries, as there is good coverage of spoken and written English, British and American English, as well as clear example sentences.
Vocabulary notebooks
When you come across a new English word or phrase, make a note of it! Look up the meaning in the dictionary, making sure you are aware of any grammatical information. (For instance, if you are looking up a verb, check to see if the verb can be used in a passive form, if it is followed by any particular preposition, and so on.) Check also for the pronunciation and use of a word. Is it particularly formal or informal, or used in certain word partnerships? For example, we say "do housework", but "make an effort".
When you find a new word, check to see if you can use it in other ways. English is a flexible language – nouns, verbs and adjectives often share the same stem. For example, a house, to house, housing policy, and so on.
When you write down your new word in your notebook, try to include an example sentence in English.
Some people find it helpful to organise notebooks into themes. So rather than having a list of words without any obvious connection, you divide your notebook into themes, with one page containing words to do with the house, another page with words to do with jobs, and so on.

Quick English vocabulary booster activities

1. An English word a day
Choose a new word or phrase from your notebook and try to use it as often as possible in one day. Think of situations where you would need to use it, and write down a couple of example sentences. Go back to this word or phrase after a week, to make sure you still remember it.
Some people find index cards useful. You can write down the word on the card and carry it around with you for a day, taking it out of your pocket whenever you have a moment and trying to put it into a sentence.

2. Review
The next time you have a spare couple of minutes, flick through your notebook. You'll be surprised how much comes back to you! Choose a page where you have already stored a number of words and expressions, cover the page, and try to remember what you wrote. Then look at the page and see how many you remember.

3. One word at a time
When you read a page of a book or newspaper, decide you will only look up one word in a dictionary. When you write it down in your notebook, also make a note of any synonyms (words that mean the same) or the opposite of the new word.

4. English word building
Take a prefix (such as "en", or "pre") and make a list of all the words that can follow. (For example, encircle, enclose, enlist; prenatal, premature, pre-war.) Here are some more prefixes you can use:
dis, il, im, ir, pro, anti, de, un, con, re

Longer English vocabulary learning activities

1. Read
Read something that interests you. It could be a newspaper, a novel, a magazine, or even an English graded reader (a simplified book). Working page by page, underline the words or phrases that you don't know. Look up only those that are important for understanding, or which are repeated. Use a good dictionary, and make a note in your English vocabulary notebook.
2. Blitz
Focus on a theme, such as sport. Divide one page of your notebook into three columns. In the first column write down as many sports as you can think of. In the second, write down all the equipment you need for the sport. In the third, write down the scoring systems. You might end up with something that looks like this:
tennis racquet, ball, net umpire, love, linesman
football pitch, ball, goal posts referee, offside, penalty
You can use this method for many different themes: houses (rooms of house, furniture, styles); jobs (names of jobs, places where these jobs are done, characteristics of the job) and so on.
3. Word association
Write a key word in the middle of a page and draw a bubble around it. Then draw lines out from this word connected to smaller bubbles. In the smaller bubbles you can add words associated with the main word.
For example, you could write "email" in the middle of a page. Then the smaller bubbles could contain words such as "write", "compose", "receive", "delete", "reply" and so on.

How can i Enhance my Vocabulary

Easy Ways to Improve and Expand Your Vocabulary:
Seven Tips for Learning New Words

Communicate (speak and write) more clearly and concisely using these seven tips for learning new words... easy ways to improve and expand your vocabulary.

by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D. Looking for tips for improving your vocabulary? Whether you are trying to strengthen and broaden your vocabulary for school or personal growth, the key is a commitment to regularly learning new words. Why expand your knowledge and use of words? You'll be able to communicate (speak and write) more clearly and concisely, people will understand you more easily, and you will increase the perception (and reality) that you are an intelligent person. Besides, learning new words is a fun activity -- and one you can even do with the people around you. Challenge a friend, family member, or roommate to learn new words with you.

This article reviews seven easy ways to improve your vocabulary and learn new words.

1. Read, read, and read. The more you read -- especially novels and literary works, but also magazines and newspapers -- the more words you'll be exposed to. As you read and uncover new words, use a combination of attempting to derive meaning from the context of the sentence as well as from looking up the definition in a dictionary.

 2. Keep a dictionary and thesaurus handy. Use whatever versions you prefer -- in print, software, or online. When you uncover a new word, look it up in the dictionary to get both its pronunciation and its meaning(s). Next, go to the thesaurus and find similar words and phrases -- and their opposites (synonyms and antonyms, respectively) -- and learn the nuances among the words.

 3. Use a journal. It's a good idea to keep a running list of the new words you discover so that you can refer back to the list and slowly build them into your everyday vocabulary. Plus, keeping a journal of all your new words can provide positive reinforcement for learning even more words -- especially when you can see how many new words you've already learned.

 4. Learn a word a day. Using a word-a-day calendar or Website -- or developing your own list of words to learn -- is a great technique many people use to learn new words. This approach may be too rigid for some, so even if you do use this method, don't feel you must learn a new word every day. (Find some word-a-day Websites at the end of this article.)  

5. Go back to your roots. One of the most powerful tools for learning new words -- and for deciphering the meaning of other new words -- is studying Latin and Greek roots. Latin and Greek elements (prefixes, roots, and suffixes) are a significant part of the English language and a great tool for learning new words. (Follow these links for the sections of this site that provide English Vocabulary Derived from Latin and English Vocabulary Derived from Greek.)  

6. Play some games. Word games that challenge you and help you discover new meanings and new words are a great and fun tool in your quest for expanding your vocabulary. Examples include crossword puzzles, anagrams, word jumble, Scrabble, and Boggle. (Find some word-game Websites at the end of this article.)

 7. Engage in conversations. Simply talking with other people can help you learn discover new words. As with reading, once you hear a new word, remember to jot it down so that you can study it later -- and then slowly add the new word to your vocabulary.

Final Thoughts On Improving and Expanding Your Vocabulary

You hold the key to a better vocabulary. By using the tips outlined in this article, you should be well on your way to discovering and learning new words to expand your vocabulary and strengthen your use of the English language. Finally, remember that you must practice putting your new words into your writing and speaking or risk not retaining them in your brain. Use repetition exercises when you first learn a word -- and consider other learning techniques, such as index cards, recording yourself reciting your words, association games, and mnemonics.

Some Good Tips to write Eassy

The key words in the title are practical and exam. Last week I ran a “competition” to write an essay on aid and poverty. The essays I received were spectacularly good and I do suggest you check them out in the comments section. My one worry though was were they really practical essays in an exam. My essay, which you will find below, is I think much simpler than almost all the essays I received – and perhaps a more practical model for exams.
I should add that these are mostly band score 8.0 writing tips and are written especially for candidates who are aiming high. The moral is:

the road to band score 8.0 often means doing the simple things well

1. Read – write – read – write – read – write – read – write – read – write – read

What does this mean? It means that you should go back and read the paragraph you have just written before you start the next one. You may think that this is a waste of time. If so, you’d be wrong.

1. It’s important to link your paragraphs together – what more practical way to do that than just read what you have written?
2. It helps you with words for the next paragraph – it is good to repeat some words as this improves your coherence. Look at my sample essay to see how I repeat/reflect language. In one paragraph I talk about the short term, this makes it easy to move onto the long term in the next paragraph.
3. You may also want to check out my series of lessons on the process of writing IELTS essays – where you will find a much more detailed explanation of this,

2. Don’t be smart, be clear – select your best idea

One of my very first posts/articles on this site was headed “IELTS is not a test of intelligence”. While the post itself now looks a little old, the advice is still good. You are being tested on the quality of your English, not on the quality of your ideas.
This advice is particularly important for candidates who come from an academic background where they are used to being graded on quality and quantity of ideas. IELTS is different: it is quite possible to write a band 9.0 essay and not include some key ideas, let alone all the ideas.
The practical advice here is to select your best idea and write about that. That means not writing everything you know – leave some ideas out. Don’t worry if it is not your best explanation, worry about whether it is your clearest explanation.

3. Write about what you know – relax about ideas

This is a similar idea. IELTS is an international exam (that’s the “I” in IELTS) and the questions are written to be answered by anyone around the world. Some people stress about finding ideas. They shouldn’t. The ideas you need are generally simple (eg”I disagree”, “This is not a good idea”).
The practical solution is to think about what YOU know and what YOUR experience is. If you look at the question, this is what it tells you to do. If you come from Bonn, write about Bonn; if you come from Ulan Bator, write about Ulan Bator!

4. Examples are easier to write than explanations

In an exam you are under pressure. You want to make things as easy for yourself as possible. One practical idea to achieve this is to focus as much on examples as explanations when you write. Why?
It’s simply harder if you only think “because”. Some of the ideas may be very complex and, under pressure, it can be difficult to explain these with reasons. What may happen is that your sentences become too long and the ideas confused.
The practical bit is to concentrate as much on examples. This is a good idea as examples tend to be easier to write as you are simply describing situations. You should also note that the instructions tell you to use examples! All you need to do is make sure that your examples are relevant to the main idea.

5. Don’t write too much – the examiner is paid by the minute

There is no upper word limit I know of, but it really isn’t a good idea to write 350 words or more. Here’s why:

1. Examiners will only spend so much time looking at any essay. Write too much and they will read what you wrote “less carefully”. It is easier to read/grade a 300 word essay than a 400 word essay!
2. The more you write, the more likely you are to make language mistakes.
3. The more you write, the more likely you are to go off topic. The examiner won’t read/grade anything that doesn’t directly relate to the question.
4.  If you write less, you give yourself more time to choose the best words – and that’s what you are being graded on.
5. If you write less, you give yourself more time to go back and check what you have written.

6. Writer – know yourself

One of the most famous philosophical thoughts is “know yourself”. How does this apply to exam writing? Did Plato really have IELTS in mind when he wrote his dialogues? Well, no, but…
The idea is that you should check for your mistakes when you write. The practical part here is that you shouldn’t check for mistakes generally – that’s too hard and probably a waste of time in the exam. What isn’t a waste of time though is to look for mistakes you know you can correct – the ones you normally make!
The really practical thing is to have your own checklist in your head before you start writing.

7. See the whole essay in your head before you start writing

It’s very important that your essay is a whole – that all the bits fit together. If you don’t do that, you may lose significant marks for both coherence and task response.
This means planning of course. Planning bothers some people and bores others. There are different ways to do this, but at the very least have a map of your essay in your head.

8. Focus on the backbone of your essay

This is a related point. All the essay matters of course, but perhaps some bits matter more than others. I’d suggest the practical thing to do is concentrate on the backbone of your essay, the bits that help you write better and the examiner to understand better. The backbone is:

1.  The introduction: this should identify the question and outline your position. Don’t rush it as it is the first thing the examiner will read. First impressions count.
2. The first/topic sentences of each paragraph: these should be clear and to the point. They should identify exactly what that paragraph is about and show how it relates to the rest of the essay. The practical tip is to keep the detail/clever ideas for the body of the paragraph. Start off general and then build towards the specific.
3. The conclusion: this is the easiest part of the essay normally. Most often, all you need to do is go back to the introduction and rephrase it

Get these bits right and the rest of the essay tends to take care of itself.

9. Don’t just practice whole essays

The best way to learn to write essays is to write essays? True or false? My answer is a bit of both.
Yes, you do need to practise writing complete essays, but it may be a mistake to do only that. The different part of essays require slightly different skills. To write an introduction, you need to be able to paraphrase the question. To write a body paragraph, you need to be able to explain ideas. To write a conclusion, you need to be able summarise.
The practical suggestion is to practise writing introductions, body paragraphs and conclusions separately. Focus on skills.

 10. Focus on the question and refocus on the question

I have left this one to last as it is for me the most important idea. Essays go wrong for different reasons. Some of these you may not be able to avoid: the quality of your English may not be good enough yet. The one mistake you can always avoid is that you didn’t answer the question. Too many essays go wrong because candidates didn’t read and think about the question properly.
The practical suggestion: before you write each paragraph, refer back to the question to remind yourself about what you are meant to write about.
It is very easy to get carried away in exams. You may start off on topic, then you have a “good idea” as you write. So you write about that. Sadly, that “good idea” may not fully relate to the question. Big problem.

My sample essay on poverty and aid

This essay which you can download below is intended to be an example of the ideas in this post.

• It is fairly simple in structure.
• It focuses clearly on the question
• I left many of my best ideas out. I concentrated on what I could explain clearly.
• It comes in at only just over 300 words.

English Grammer Synthesis

Combine the following sentences using an appropriate conjunction.
1. He is snobbish. I like him.
2. My mother attended the wedding. My father attended the wedding.
3. He has walked five miles. It is possible that he is tired.
4. I went to the shop. I bought a watch.
5. You must be quiet. You must leave the room.
6. The prisoner fell down on his knees. He begged for mercy.
7. I left home early. I could not get to work on time.
8. Azim works hard. Kabir works harder.
9. You must start at once. You will be late.
10. You are not interested in this offer. I know it.

Answers

1. Though he is snobbish, I like him.
2. Both my mother and father attended the wedding. / Both my parents attended the wedding.
3. He has walked five miles, so he must be tired. / He must be tired because he has walked five miles.
4. I went to the shop and bought a watch.
5. You must be quiet or you must leave the room.
6. The prisoner fell down on his knees and begged for mercy.
7. Though / although I left home early, I could not get to work on time.
8. Azim works hard but Kabir works harder. / Kabir works harder than Azim.
9. You must start at once or you will be late.
10. I know that you are not interested in this offer.

Learn English Interjections

What Are Interjections?

Interjections are words used to express strong feeling or sudden emotion. They are included in a sentence (usually at the start) to express a sentiment such as surprise, disgust, joy, excitement, or enthusiasm.

An interjection is not grammatically related to any other part of the sentence.

Examples of interjections (shaded):

• Hey! Get off that floor!
• Oh, that is a surprise.
• Good! Now we can move on.
• Jeepers, that was close.

Yes and No

Introductory expressions such as yes, no, indeed, and well are also classed as interjections.

Examples:

• Indeed, this is not the first time the stand has collapsed.
• Yes, I do intend to cover the bet.
• I'm sure I don't know half the people who come to my house. Indeed, for all I hear, I shouldn't like to. (Oscar Wilde)
• Well, it's 1 a.m. Better go home and spend some quality time with the kids. (Homer Simpson)

Phew!

Some interjections are sounds.

Examples:

• Phew! I am not trying that again.
• Humph! I knew that last week. 
• Mmmm, my compliments to the chef.
• Ah! Don't say you agree with me. When people agree with me, I always feel that I must be wrong. (Oscar Wilde)

Learn English Determiners

In the midst of all the nouns, pronouns, adjectives and articles a student is expected to learn, the determiner is often left by the wayside, untaught or taught incorrectly. The determiner is an important noun modifier which provides introduces and provides context to a noun, often in terms of quantity and possession. Determiners in English precede a noun or noun phrase and include articles, demonstratives, quantifiers and possessives.

Determiners in English

There are many different determiners in the English language.

Articles

Articles are among the most common of the determiners. A, an, and the all express the definiteness and specificity of a noun.
For example, “the” is a definite article, meaning the person using the word is referring to a specific one. On the other hand, “a” or “an” are indefinite articles.

• The dog is barking too loudly.
• A student returned the book.

Demonstratives

Demonstratives, such as this, that, these and those, require a frame of reference in which an individual can point out the entities referred to by a speaker or a writer.

• Do you want this piece of chicken?
• I don't want to go to that movie.

Quantifiers

Quantifiers, such as all, few, and many, point out how much or how little of something is being indicated.

• He took all the books.
• Few of the children wanted to go to the zoo.

Possessives

When referring to an entity that belongs to another, you can use possessives. My, your, their, and its are a few examples.

• Is this your car?
• The dog growled and showed its teeth.

There are many other types of determiners. For instance, cardinal numbers, the numbers that are written out in English, are also included in the class of determiners. Determiners are generally split into two groups—definite determiners and indefinite determiners.

Function of a Determiners

A determiner can take on a number of different meanings and roles in a sentence. The determiner is used in every case to clarify the noun.

• They may be used to demonstrate or define something or someone.

Quantifiers state how many of a thing, in number or expression. A determiner is used to show that the noun indicated is a specific one (that one), not an unspecific one (any).

• They may also state the differences between nouns.

While determiners may have a number of other functions, most of them are related to these two key areas. The list of determiners only numbers about 50 words, and all of these words are commonly used by most individuals. Determiners are not difficult to get the grasp of when contrasted with adjectives, and do not take too long for native English speakers to grasp. After all, how many times have you had trouble deciding whether to say “the” or “a”?

Determining Determiners

How should you choose which determiner to use? For those who were raised speaking the English language, determining the determiner to use is second-nature, since determiners are so often used in front of nouns.
Like the basic parts of speech, determiners are so ingrained into the English language that using them is simple. The same goes for most Indo-European languages (for instance, Romance languages such as Spanish and the Germanic languages such as German).
However, the languages of other countries may not use determiners, or may have sets of rules very different than the English language does. For these individuals, learning how and where to use determiners can be rather difficult.

Determiners and Adjectives

Until recently, English teaching in schools did not take determiners into account. Many determiners were simply lumped into the category of “adjectives,” which works for some but certainly not for all.

• Adjectives have primarily three functions: they modify noun phrases, or complement the object or subject of a sentence.
• The function of a determiner is to express proximity, relationship, quantity, and definiteness.

Determiners are not gradable as are adjectives. For example, a person may be angry, angrier, or the angriest. A person can not be “her-est” or “the-est.”
Determiners are usually necessary (or obligatory) in a sentence, whereas adjectives are not.
Adjectives, unlike determiners, cannot have corresponding pronouns.
Adjectives and determiners are distinct from one another and cannot simply be lumped into the same category.

Learn English Grammer Conjuctions

A conjunction connects two or more sentences, clauses, or parts of clauses. Some of the most common conjunctions in English are and, because, but, for, nor, so, until, when, and yet. 
The two main types of conjunctions are coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions. There are also correlative conjunctions, copulative conjunctions, adversative conjunctions, disjunctive conjunctions, and final conjunctions.

Coordinating conjunctions

A coordinating conjunction is a conjunction that links two words, phrases, clauses, or sentences that are grammatically equivalent. The six words most commonly used as coordinating conjunctions can be remembered with the mnemonic device FANBOYS—for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
Let’s look at a few examples:

We have a porcupine and a kangaroo. [And links two listed elements that are grammatically equivalent.]

You see yet do not hear. [Yet links two grammatically equivalent actions (see and do not hear) performed by you.]

We bathed the dog, but we couldn’t get him clean. [But links two independent clauses.]

Coordinating correlative conjunctions

Some correlative conjunctions (see below for full definition) can function as joint coordinating conjunctions. For example, neither and nor in this sentence introduce grammatically equal elements, so they work together as coordinating conjunctions:

Neither Joe nor John has any idea what he’s talking about.

Coordinating conjunctions and commas

For coordinating conjunctions, comma use depends on the nature of the linked elements. If a coordinating conjunction joins two independent clauses, it usually should be preceded by a comma (e.g., We bathed the dog, but we couldn’t get him clean). If a coordinating conjunction links two listed elements, it doesn’t need a comma (e.g., We have a porcupine and a kangaroo).

Subordinating conjunctions

A subordinating conjunction is a conjunction that links a dependent clause (also known as a subordinate clause) to an independent clause—for example:

The city recommends everyone stay inside because the winds could be dangerous.

In this sentence, because links a dependent clause (because the winds could be dangerous) to the main clause (The city recommends everyone stay inside). We know this is subordinating because because the winds could be dangerous could not normally stand alone as a sentence.
Here are some of the most common subordinating conjunctions:

after albeit although as because before except if once since

that though unless until when whenever where whether while

Some phrases also function as subordinating conjunctions. Here are some of the most common ones:

as if as far as as long as as well as even if even though

that inasmuch as in order to in order that so that such that

Other types

Adversative conjunctions

Adversative conjunctions (sometimes known as contrasting conjunctions) are coordinating conjunctions used to express comparisons or contrasts. The element introduced by the adversative conjunction usually qualifies or expresses a caveat with regard to the main clause of the sentence. The most common adversative clauses are but and yet, but still, however, albeit, although, and others are also sometimes adversative.
Let’s look at a few examples of adversative conjunctions:

He’s a shy but loving little boy. [Naples News]

Here, the phrase but loving creates a contrast to what is expected from the adjective shy.

It is a living part of my spiritual life, yet I don’t know if one would call me a religious artist. [Houston Chronicle]

In this sentence, the independent clause introduced by yet adds information to qualify what was expressed in the main clause.

This technology, although not a foolproof way to monitor abusers, might give victims advance warning that danger is approaching. [Hartford Courant]

And in this sentence, the conjunction although introduces information in contrast to the main clause.

Correlative conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions are two or more conjunctions used to link structurally identical parts of a sentence. Here are the most common pairs of correlative conjunctions:

either–or	both–and
neither–nor	not only–but also
if–then	whether–or

Elements linked by correlative conjunctions must have parallel grammatical construction. For example, this is technically incorrect (the conjunctions are underlined):

You’re either going to love his work or hate it. [Thousand Oaks Acorn]

For such a construction to be correct, what follows either and what follows or must be syntactically equivalent. A diagram of this example sentence would look like,

[Subject] either [auxiliary verb phrase] [verb] [object] or [verb] [object].”

The segment following either has an element (the auxiliary verb phrase going to) that the segment following or doesn’t have, so the two segments are not parallel. There are two possibilities for correcting this sentence:

You’re going to either love his work or hate it.

Either you’re going to love his work, or you’re going to hate it.

With sentences this short, correlative conjunctions are usually easy to use correctly. But using more complicated constructions involving correlatives such as not only–but also and if —then can be tricker.
Here’s another technically flawed use of correlative conjunctions:

TTL Inc. is a socially responsible company that is not only known for innovations in engineering but also for its widespread support of education. [UA News]

Here, the verb known should precede not only, as the phrase following but also has no parallel verb.
From the same article, here’s an example of correct correlative conjunction use:

TTL’s passion for advanced education is seen not only in the hours dedicated to volunteering and guest lecturing, but also through endowed scholarships for prospective engineers at The University of Alabama.

Commas and correlative conjunctions

a.  Use no comma when the parallel segments are in the same clause—for example:

It was either really stupid or really brave.

Our diversity is not only a challenge but also a gift.

b.  Use a comma when the two parallel phrases are in separate clauses—for example:

If there’s a truly monumental disaster, then appoint the two last presidents to lend a hand. [WSJ]

c.  But even when two correlative conjunctions are in the same clause, it’s often acceptable to insert a comma before the second conjunction either to create a natural-sounding pause, or to prevent confusion.

Copulative conjunctions

Copulative conjunctions (also known as additive conjunctions) are coordinating conjunctions used to denote addition. The conjunction indicates that the second word, phrase, clause, or sentence contains an additional fact that is related to the earlier word, phrase, clause, or sentence. Some of the most common copulative conjunctions are and, also, as well as, moreover, no less, and plus.
Some copulative conjunctions may be used to start sentences—for example:

My kangaroo can sing. And she’s not too bad. Moreover, she won a Grammy last year. Plus, she’s a pretty good dancer.

In the last two sentences, moreover and plus come close to becoming adverbs modifying the main verbs of their sentences (won and the contracted is). Such adverbial copulative conjunctions should be set off by commas. And does not need to be set apart.
And is the only copulative conjunction that can be used to introduce a second independent clause within a sentence—for example:

We ate lunch, and we took a nap.

Using any other copulative conjunction in place of and would turn this into a run-on sentence.

Disjunctive conjunctions

Disjunctive conjunctions are conjunctions used to separate two or more mutually exclusive options presented in a sentence. When a disjunctive conjunction is used, it usually indicates either that only one of the elements joined by the conjunctions is true, or that none of the elements are true. The conjunctions most commonly used disjunctively are but, either, else, neither, nor, or, other, and otherwise.
Some disjunctive conjunctions are coordinating conjunctions—for example, the either and the or in this sentence:

Poetry is usually either cheap or free.

Here, either and or indicate that poetry is usually one or the other (cheap or free) but not both. Disjunctive pronouns separate these options.
Other disjunctive conjunctions don’t need to be coordinated. For example, the or in this sentence functions on its own:

I might use papier-mà¢ché, or I might use some kind of wood.

The or separates two options, only one of which can be true.
And in this sentence, the neither and the nor are used to indicate that neither option is true:

Neither he nor his lawyer could be reached for comment.

Final conjunctions

Final conjunctions (also known as illative conjunctions) are coordinating conjunctions used to introduce clauses or phrases that draw inferences or conclusions from earlier ones. Some of the most common final conjunctions (some of which are phrases) are as a consequence, consequently, for, hence, so, so that, so then, thus, and therefore.
Some final conjunctions introduce phrases within sentences. For example, this sentence has two:

In turn, this causes other asset prices to fall in those nations, thus worsening their banking systems, and hence leading to credit contraction and capital flight. [NY Times]

The phrase introduced by hence draws an inference from the phrase introduced by thus, which in turn draws an inference from the main clause.
Some final conjunctions introduce clauses within sentences—for example:

Equalize the tax laws so that employer-provided health insurance and individually owned health insurance have the same tax benefits. [Wall Street Journal]

Here, the clause introduced by so that infers what will occur should the action proposed in the imperative-mood main clause come to pass.
A final conjunction may also be used to start a sentence that draws a conclusion from the preceding sentence—for example:

Good writing is always about clarity and insight, precision and accuracy. Therefore, this confusing name calls into question the very quality of the writing instruction that will be given in the new department. [Inside Higher Ed]

The second sentence, introduced by the final conjunction therefore, draws a conclusion from the first sentence.
And here’s one more example:

Our current system provides individuals with little market power in the purchase of health insurance. As a result, they typically pay exorbitant premiums. [The New Republic]

Here, the sentence beginning with as a result shows what the conditions described in the first sentence lead to.