A conjunction, then, is a
word that conjoins, or joins together something. Before you can fully
comprehend the nature and office of this sort of words, it is requisite
that you should know what is meant by a sentence, a simple sentence, and
a compound sentence, for conjunctions are chiefly used to connect
sentences.
A SENTENCE is an assemblage of words forming complete sense.
A SIMPLE SENTENCE contains but one subject, or nominative, and one verb
which agrees with that nominative; as, "_Wheat grows_ in the field."
You perceive that this sentence contains several words besides the
nominative and the verb, and you will often see a simple sentence
containing many parts of speech; but, if it has only one nominative and
one _finite_ verb, (that is, a verb _not_ in the infinitive mood,) it is
a simple sentence, though it is longer than many compound sentences.
A COMPOUND SENTENCE is composed of two or more simple sentences
connected together; as, "_Wheat grows_ in the field, and _men reap_ it."
This sentence is compound, because it is formed of two simple sentences
joined together by the word _and_; which word, on account of its
connecting power, is called a conjunction.
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