1. Coordination, Subordination, and Emphasis

2. Coordination and Subordination
As we’ve learned with the sentence types, ideas can be joined together by linking sentences together with a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS).
I kicked the ball, and I won the game.

3. Coordination and Subordination
We’ve also learned that we can link things together with a subordinating conjunction like the word “because.”
Because I kicked the ball, I won the game.

4. Coordination and Subordination
However, aside from just being options for combining sentences, these ways of linking ideas also communicate the importance of ideas.
When we link things together with coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS), we show the ideas are of equal importance.
However, when we link things together with subordinating conjunctions like the word “because,” We show that they are not of equal importance.

5. Coordination and Subordination
Read the two paragraphs on the following slides and see if you can see what the emphasis is.

6. Paragraph 1
While I love my car, it can be very temperamental at times. Even though I take very good care of it, the other morning it wouldn’t start and I had to take the bus to work. While I do like taking the bus, it isn’t the fastest way to get to work. Also, even though the ride was enjoyable, I was late for work. Even though I have a great relationship with my boss, and he understood my predicament, he did write me up for being late. All I can say is that it’s been an interesting day, and my car will definitely be in the shop for a while.

7. Paragraph 2
I love my car, even though it can be temperamental at times. I take very good care of it, even though the other morning it wouldn’t start and I had to take the bus to work. I do like taking the bus, although it isn’t the fastest way to get to work. The ride was enjoyable even if I was late for work. I have a great relationship with my boss, and he understood my predicament, even though he did write me up for being late. All I can say is that it’s been an interesting day, and my car will definitely be in the shop for a while.

8. What’s the Difference?
As you’ve probably noticed, both paragraphs tell the same story, but in paragraph 1, the story seems a bit more downbeat, and in paragraph 2, the story seems more upbeat.
This is because in the first paragraph, the upbeat ideas were put in the dependent clauses, and the downbeat ideas were put in the independent clauses, while in paragraph 2, the upbeat ideas were put in the independent clauses and the downbeat ideas were put in the dependent clauses.

9. What’s the Difference?
This should then show us that when we put ideas in a dependent clause, we deemphasizing them and when we put them in an independent clause, we are emphasizing them.
This then gives us a sentence-level tool for shaping the meaning we are trying to communicate and gives us another reason to learn the four sentence types that we’ve gone over already.