Writing Better English for ESL Learners

3. If only the money today.


4. I would be so grateful if.


5. Tom wouldn’t have left you there if.


6. Would you help the old woman if?


7. If , the kitchen would be painted by now.


8. If , we would have arranged a party for
   her.


9. If you had earned a few dollars more,.


10. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful surprise if?

Conjunctions

In this part you will be dealing with conjunctions. They are used to combine

two sentences into one—a compound sentence. Some conjunctions have an

adverbial usage, but here you will encounter them as they are used in everyday

language: as words that combine two phrases or sentences into one.

If the combined sentences each have a subject and a verb, separate the sen-

tences with a comma:

John is a doctor, and Mary is a lawyer.

John is a doctor and works in Chicago.

If the combined sentences begin with a conjunction, separate them with a

comma:

If you work hard, you can have a good life.

When using howeveror therefore, you should separate the combined sen-

tences with a semicolon:

His hands were tied; however, he continued to struggle to get free.

There’s a storm coming; therefore we have to stay alert.

38 Writing Better English