yes, I think Johanna is right. The problem for us is that very often whereas gets very close to that coordinating conjunction continuum, esp. because we use a comma with it, perhaps. > ---------- > From: Johanna Rubba[SMTP:[log in to unmask]] > Reply To: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar > Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 1998 1:13 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Conjunctive Adverbs & Coordinating Conjunctions > > Isn't 'whereas' a subordinating conjunction? It seems to me that > clauses > begun by 'whereas' are set off by commas from neighboring clauses; a > 'whereas' clause standing alone is a fragment; and other sub. conjs. > also > cannot move around (except perhaps for 'though'). It seems very much > like > 'while' as a comparative sub. conjunction. > > Let's also not forget that grammatical categories are not watertight; > some > items fall on a continuum between one category and another, displaying > some properties of both but not all properties of either. > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Johanna Rubba Assistant Professor, Linguistics ~ > English Department, California Polytechnic State University ~ > San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 ~ > Tel. (805)-756-2184 Fax: (805)-756-6374 ~ > E-mail: [log in to unmask] ~ > Home page: http://www.calpoly.edu/~jrubba ~ > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >