Connection vs. Conjunction — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 4, 2024
Connection emphasizes relationships between ideas or elements, while conjunction focuses on linking words or phrases in grammar.
Difference Between Connection and Conjunction
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Connection and conjunction are fundamental concepts in both everyday communication and grammatical structure, yet they serve different purposes. A connection refers to the relationship or link between ideas, objects, or events, showcasing how one can influence or relate to another. On the other hand, a conjunction is a specific part of speech in grammar, used to connect words, phrases, or clauses, playing a pivotal role in building complex sentences and expressing relationships between ideas within a sentence.
While connections can be found in various contexts such as social networks, technology, and logical reasoning, emphasizing the broader links that form networks or relationships, conjunctions are strictly linguistic tools. They are categorized into coordinating, subordinating, and correlative, each serving to join elements in sentences with different nuances and for specific purposes.
Connections often imply a broader and sometimes abstract relationship that can involve physical links, like a bridge connecting two landmasses, or intangible links, like the connection between cause and effect in logical reasoning. Conjunctions, however, are concrete elements of language that have defined rules and functions within sentence structures, directly affecting how ideas are combined and how complex thoughts are communicated.
In the realm of digital technology, the term connection takes on a specific significance, referring to the links between devices and networks, enabling communication and data exchange. This contrasts with the grammatical role of conjunctions, which facilitate the flow of ideas within the written or spoken form, demonstrating the versatility of connections beyond linguistic applications.
Connections and conjunctions both facilitate relationships and linkages, yet their scopes differ significantly. Connections span a wide array of contexts, from emotional and social to technological, emphasizing the ways entities or ideas can be related or brought together. Conjunctions, while pivotal in language, focus on the syntactical, enhancing cohesion and coherence in communication.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A relationship or link between entities.
A word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause.
Context
Broad, including social, logical, or physical links.
Strictly linguistic, within sentences.
Types
Can be tangible or intangible.
Coordinating, subordinating, correlative.
Function
Establishes or signifies the relation between ideas or objects.
Links words, phrases, or clauses in sentences.
Examples
Emotional connections, network connections.
"And", "but", "or", "because", "although".
Compare with Definitions
Connection
A relationship or association between two or more things.
The connection between smoking and lung cancer is well-documented.
Conjunction
Introduces a dependent clause.
They were happy because they had finally arrived.
Connection
A feeling of understanding and ease of communication between people.
They felt an immediate connection on their first date.
Conjunction
Shows contrast, addition, cause, etc., within sentences.
Although it was raining, the game continued.
Connection
A scheduled link between two points of travel.
I missed my connection in Chicago and had to wait for the next flight.
Conjunction
A word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause.
She bought apples and oranges.
Connection
The state of being linked with others through communication channels.
A stable internet connection is crucial for online gaming.
Conjunction
Connects elements of equal grammatical rank.
John played football, and Maria watched.
Connection
The relationship in terms of cause and effect or sequence.
The detective explained the connection between the evidence and the suspect.
Conjunction
Pairs of conjunctions working together.
Either you leave now or stay forever.
Connection
The act of connecting.
Conjunction
The act of joining.
Connection
The state of being connected.
Conjunction
The state of being joined.
Connection
One that connects; a link
Made a connection between the two pipes.
Conjunction
A joint or simultaneous occurrence; concurrence
The conjunction of historical and economic forces that created a depression.
Connection
An association or relationship
An obvious connection between the two crimes.
Conjunction
One resulting from or embodying a union; a combination
"He is, in fact, a remarkable conjunction of talents" (Jerry Adler).
Connection
The logical or intelligible ordering of words or ideas; coherence.
Conjunction
The part of speech that serves to connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences.
Connection
Reference or relation to something else; context
In this connection, the agreement can be seen as a step toward peace.
Conjunction
Any of the words belonging to this part of speech, such as and, but, as, and because.
Connection
A person, especially one of influence or importance, with whom one is associated, as by kinship or common interests
Used her connections to land a job.
Conjunction
(Astronomy) The position of two celestial objects when they have the same celestial longitude. As viewed from Earth, two objects in conjunction will appear to be close to each other in the sky.
Connection
A conveyance or scheduled run providing continuing service between means of transportation
Missed my connection in Miami.
Conjunction
A compound proposition that has components joined by the word and or its symbol and is true only if both or all the components are true.
Connection
A physical link, such as by wire or fiber-optic cable, between two or more points in a telecommunications system
Established a connection to the internet.
Conjunction
The relationship between the components of a conjunction.
Connection
A means or channel of communication
Couldn't hear due to the bad phone connection.
Conjunction
The act of joining, or condition of being joined.
Connection
A drug dealer.
Conjunction
(grammar) A word used to join other words or phrases together into sentences. The specific conjunction used shows how the two joined parts are related.
Connection
A purchase of illegal drugs.
Conjunction
Cooccurrence; coincidence.
Connection
(uncountable) The act of connecting.
Conjunction
(astronomy) The alignment of two bodies in the solar system such that they have the same longitude when seen from Earth.
Connection
The point at which two or more things are connected.
The connection between overeating and obesity
My headache has no connection with me going out last night.
Conjunction
(astrology) An aspect in which planets are in close proximity to one another.
Connection
A feeling of understanding and ease of communication between two or more people.
As we were the only people in the room to laugh at the joke, I felt a connection between us.
Conjunction
(logic) The proposition resulting from the combination of two or more propositions using the ∧ () operator.
Connection
An established communications or transportation link.
Computers linked by a network connection
I was talking to him, but there was lightning and we lost the connection.
Conjunction
A place where multiple things meet
Connection
(transport) A transfer from one transportation vehicle to another in scheduled transportation service
The bus was late so he missed his connection at Penn Station and had to wait six hours for the next train.
Conjunction
The act of conjoining, or the state of being conjoined, united, or associated; union; association; league.
He will unite the white rose and the red:Smille heaven upon his fair conjunction.
Man can effect no great matter by his personal strength but as he acts in society and conjunction with others.
Connection
A kinship relationship between people.
Conjunction
A connective or connecting word; an indeclinable word which serves to join together sentences, clauses of a sentence, or words; as, and, but, if.
Though all conjunctions conjoin sentences, yet, with respect to the sense, some are conjunctive and some disjunctive.
Connection
An individual who is related to oneself, through either family or business.
I have some connections in Lancashire.
Conjunction
The temporal property of two things happening at the same time;
The interval determining the coincidence gate is adjustable
Connection
(mathematics) A set of sets that contains the empty set, all one-element sets for any element that is included in any of the sets, and the union of any group of sets that are elements where the intersections of those sets is non-empty.
Conjunction
The state of being joined together
Connection
Coherence; lack of disjointedness
Conjunction
An uninflected function word that serves to conjoin words or phrases or clauses or sentences
Connection
The description for a Methodist denomination as a whole, as opposed to its constituent churches, circuits, districts and conferences.
Conjunction
The grammatical relation between linguistic units (words or phrases or clauses) that are connected by a conjunction
Connection
(slang) A drug dealer.
Conjunction
(astronomy) apparent meeting or passing of two or more celestial bodies in the same degree of the zodiac
Connection
The act of connecting, or the state of being connected; the act or process of bringing two things into contact; junction; union; as, the connection between church and state is inescapable; the connection of pipes of different diameters requires an adapter.
Conjunction
Something that joins or connects
Connection
That which connects or joins together; bond; tie.
Connection
Any relationship between things or events; association; alliance; as, a causal connection between interest rates and stock prices.
He [Algazel] denied the possibility of a known connection between cause and effect.
The eternal and inseparable connection between virtue and happiness.
Any sort of connection which is perceived or imagined between two or more things.
Connection
The persons or things that are connected; as, a business connection; the Methodist connection.
Men elevated by powerful connection.
At the head of a strong parliamentary connection.
Whose names, forces, connections, and characters were perfectly known to him.
Connection
Something that connects other objects.
Connection
Usually plural) an acquaintance or acquaintances who are influential or in a position of power and to whom you are connected in some way (as by family or friendship); as, he has powerful connections.
Connection
A communications channel; as, my cell phone had a bad connection.
Connection
A vehicle in which one may continue a journey after debarking from another vehicle; the departing vehicle of a connection{9}; as, my connection leaves four hours after my arrival; I missed my connection.
Connection
The scheduled arrival of one vehicle and departure of a second, sufficiently close in time and place to allow the departing vehicle serve as a means of continuing a journey begun or continued in the first vehicle; as, we can get a connection at Newark to continue on to Paris; - most commonly used of airplanes, trains, and buses arriving and departing at the same terminal.
Connection
The transfer of a passenger from one vehicle to another to continue a journey; as, the connection was made in Copenhagen; - most commonly of scheduled transportation on common carriers.
Connection
A vendor who can supply desired materials at a favorable price, or under conditions when other sources are unavailable; as, to get a bargain from one's connection in the jewelry trade; to have connections for the purchase of marijuana; - often used in the pl..
Connection
The process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination.
Connection
A relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it);
There was a connection between eating that pickle and having that nightmare
Connection
The state of being connected;
The connection between church and state is inescapable
Connection
An instrumentality that connects;
He soldered the connection
He didn't have the right connector between the amplifier and the speakers
Connection
(usually plural) a person who is influential and to whom you are connected in some way (as by family or friendship);
He has powerful connections
Connection
The process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination;
Conditioning is a form of learning by association
Connection
A connecting shape
Connection
A supplier (especially of narcotics)
Connection
Shifting from one form of transportation to another;
The plane was late and he missed his connection in Atlanta
Connection
The act of bringing two things into contact (especially for communication);
The joining of hands around the table
There was a connection via the internet
Common Curiosities
Are all connections linguistic?
No, connections can be social, logical, or physical, not just linguistic.
What is a conjunction?
A part of speech used to connect words, phrases, or clauses within a sentence.
Can a conjunction form a connection in a sentence?
Yes, conjunctions form grammatical connections, linking ideas within the sentence structure.
What is a connection?
A link or relationship between two or more entities, which can be tangible or intangible.
Can connections exist without direct contact?
Yes, connections can be abstract, such as the connection between cause and effect.
How do conjunctions affect sentence structure?
Conjunctions can change the flow and complexity of sentences by linking different parts.
Are conjunctions always words?
Yes, in the context of grammar, conjunctions are words.
Can a phrase act as a conjunction?
Some phrases can function similarly to conjunctions, but true conjunctions are single words.
Is a connection the same as a relationship?
Yes, in many contexts, a connection refers to a type of relationship.
Can two ideas be connected without a conjunction?
Yes, ideas can be connected through meaning or context without explicit conjunctions.
What makes a connection strong?
Factors like relevance, frequency of interaction, or shared values can strengthen a connection.
Why are conjunctions important in language?
They are crucial for creating complex sentences and expressing nuanced relationships between ideas.
Can connections change over time?
Yes, connections can evolve, strengthen, or weaken over time.
How do coordinating conjunctions differ from subordinating?
Coordinating conjunctions connect equal parts, while subordinating introduce dependence.
Are digital connections physical?
While based on physical infrastructure, digital connections often refer to intangible data exchange.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
