Conjunctions, Prepositions and Determiners: Class 7 Study Guide
Small words hold sentences together. Using them correctly makes writing precise.
A conjunction joins words, phrases or clauses. Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, so, yet) join equal parts. Subordinating conjunctions (because, although, unless, while, until, since, if) introduce a dependent clause. Correlative pairs include either … or, neither … nor and both … and.
A preposition shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word: place (in, on, under, between), time (at, on, during, since) and direction (to, towards, across). Determiners (a, an, the, this, that, some, many, each, every) come before nouns.
Choosing the right preposition
| Use | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| at | exact time, small place | at 5 o'clock, at the gate |
| on | days, dates, surfaces | on Monday, on the table |
| in | months, years, enclosed spaces | in July, in the room |
| since | from a point in time | since 2020 |
| for | a length of time | for two hours |
| between / among | two / more than two | between two friends, among the crowd |
Articles and determiners
Use a before a consonant sound (a university) and an before a vowel sound (an hour). Use the for something specific or unique (the Sun). Use few/a few and little/a little carefully: 'a few' is positive (some), 'few' is negative (hardly any). Much goes with uncountable nouns, many with countable nouns.
Many or much?
Use the.
a or an.
Does it sound natural?
Joining ideas smoothly
Combine short sentences using conjunctions: She was tired. She finished her work. → Although she was tired, she finished her work. Avoid repeating and. Use unless for negative conditions (Unless you hurry, you will miss the bus = If you do not hurry…).
Worked example and common mistakes
Example: 'Neither Raj nor his sisters were present.' The verb agrees with the nearer subject. Common mistakes: using 'since' for a period (since two years), 'among' for two people and double negatives (I don't know nothing). Check your prepositions against a model sentence.
Check your understanding: model answers
1. since. 2. an. 3. Although it rained, we played.
✨ Key Takeaways
- Conjunctions join; prepositions show relationships.
- Use a before consonant sounds and an before vowel sounds.
- since = from a point; for = a period.
- Unless means if not.
💬 Questions for Discussion & Reflection
- Fill in: I have lived here ___ 2019.
- Choose: He is waiting for (a/an) hour.
- Join with 'although': It rained. We played.
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