The particle is a part of speech giving modal or emotional emphasis to other words or groups of words or clauses. A particle may join one part of the sentence to another (connecting particles). Particles have no independent function in the sentence.
According to their meaning particles fall under the following main groups:
1. Limiting particles: only, just, but, alone, solely, merely, barely, etc.
I only wanted to make you speak.
2. Intensifying particles: simply, still, just, yet, all, but, only, quite, even, etc.
He just did dislike him.
3. Connecting particles: too, also.
Soames, too, was silent.
4. Negative particles: not, never.
No, he was not afraid of that.
Almost all the particles are homonymous with other parts of speech, chiefly with adverbs (simply), but also with conjunctions (but), pronouns (all), and adjectives (only). The particles else, solely, merely have no homonyms.
The conjunction is a part of speech which denotes connections between objects and phenomena. It connects parts of the sentence, clauses, and sentences.
Sadie brought them in and went back to the door.
According to their morphological structure conjunctions are divided into the following groups:
(1) simple conjunctions (and, or, but, till, after, that, so, where, when, etc.).
Some of the simple conjunctions are homonymous with prepositions, adverbs, and pronouns.
(2) derivative conjunctions (until, unless, etc.).
(3) compound conjunctions (however, whereas, wherever, etc.). These conjunctions are few.
(4) composite conjunctions (as well as, as long as, in case, for fear (that), on the ground that, for the reason that, etc.).
Some conjunctions are used in pairs (correlatively): both... and, either... or, not only... but (also), neither... nor, whether... or.
Her son had not only come home, but he had come home a good person.
As to their function conjunctions fall under two classes:
(1) coordinating conjunctions;
(2) subordinating conjunctions.
Coordinating conjunctions join coordinate clauses in a compound sentence (a), or homogeneous parts in a simple sentence (b), or homogeneous subordinate clauses in a complex sentence (c), or independent sentences (d).
(a) He had said he would stay quiet in the hall, but he simply couldn’t any
more; and crossing the gravel of the drive he lay down on the grass beyond.
(Galsworthy)
(b) He opened his eyes and stared quietly at the pure sky. (Wilson)
(c) Hers was that common insularity of mind that makes human creatures
believe that their color, creed, and politics are best and right and that other
human creatures scattered over the world are less fortunately placed than they.
(London)
(d) Fabermacher wasted no time on a comedy of errors, and Havi-land
apologized for his mistake. But he was not as impressed as Erik had wanted
him to be.
Coordinating conjunctions.
The meaning of conjunctions is closely connected with the relations they express. Thus the classes of coordinating conjunctions according to their meaning correspond to different types of compound sentences.
There are four different kinds of coordinating conjunctions.
1. Copulative conjunctions: and, nor, as well as, both ... and, not only ... but (also)f neither... nor. Copulative conjunctions chiefly denote that one statement or fact is simply added to another (nor and neither express that relation in the negative sense).
His whole face was colourless rock; his eye was both spark and flint.
2. Disjunctive conjunctions: or, either... or, or else, else.
Disjunctive conjunctions offer some choice between one statement and another.
Worning road... or they had hidden.
3. Adversative conjunctions: but, while, whereas. Adversative conjunctions show that one statement or fact is contrasted with or set against another.
His nerves had become blunted, numb, while his mind was filled with weird visions and delicious dreams.
4. Causative-consecutive conjunctions: so, for. Causative-consecutive conjunctions denote consequence, result, or reason. By these conjunctions one statement or fact is inferred or proved from another.
His eyes mast have had in them something of George Forsyte’s sardonic look;
for her gloved hand crisped the folds of her frock, her eyebrows rose, her face went stony.
Subordinating conjunctions may introduce subject clauses, object clauses, predicative clauses, adverbial clauses, and attributive clauses
He looked to the south and knew that somewhere beyond those blue hills lay the Great Bear Lake.
