26 · Phrases
Coordination inside phrases
Coordination joins two or more units that have the same place in a larger structure. The joined units are coordinates, and words such as and, or, and but are coordinators. The complete coordination then works as one larger unit.
The cat and the dog are coordinate noun phrases; together they fill the subject position.
Calm and patient are coordinate adjective phrases; together they premodify guide.
Test the alternatives in their shared place
- Bracket each complete coordinate and the coordinator between them.
- Try either coordinate in the whole coordination’s place.
- Check the larger job of the joined phrase, such as subject, premodifier, object, or adverbial.
Trying each coordinate separately reveals their shared position in these examples. The meaning may change because two coordinates together can describe a pair, sequence, or choice.
These examples join phrases of the same form, and each coordinate can fill the same place in the sentence. When two singular noun phrases are joined by and as a subject, they normally take a plural verb. That agreement is one visible result of treating the joined phrases as a unit.
Equal status does not promise interchangeable order.
Swapping the cat and the dog keeps the basic structure in a simple list, but fixed expressions, time order, and emphasis can make reversal awkward or change the meaning. Lesson 27 asks how a modifier’s scope can differ inside a coordination.
Ten sentences from this lesson, one decision at a time.