AP English Language and Composition Flashcards: Sentence development and modifiers (coordination and subordination)
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 11 cards to help you master important concepts.
What is coordination in a sentence?
Coordination is the joining of clauses of equal importance, typically using coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) or a semicolon to create balance between ideas.
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What is coordination in a sentence?
Coordination is the joining of clauses of equal importance, typically using coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) or a semicolon to create balance between ideas.
How does subordination help a writer convey a specific relationship between ideas?
Subordination establishes a clear hierarchy, allowing a writer to emphasize one idea over another and specify relationships such as cause-and-effect, contrast, or condition.
What is a misplaced or dangling modifier?
It is a phrase or clause that is not clearly or logically connected to the word it is intended to modify, often creating ambiguity or unintended humor.
What stylistic goals do writers achieve by varying their use of coordination and subordination?
Writers use coordination and subordination to create sentence variety, which impacts the rhythm, pace, and emphasis of their writing to better engage the reader.
What is the primary effect of using coordination to join two ideas?
Coordination creates balance and suggests an equal relationship between ideas, treating both parts of the sentence with similar importance.
Combine these two sentences using subordination to emphasize the loss: "The team practiced hard. They lost the championship game."
An effective combination is: "Although the team practiced hard, they lost the championship game."
What is subordination in a sentence?
Subordination joins a less important idea (dependent clause) to a more important one (independent clause) to create a hierarchy and show complex relationships like cause or contrast.
What are the seven coordinating conjunctions, often remembered by the acronym FANBOYS?
The seven coordinating conjunctions are: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, and So.
What is the overall purpose of analyzing coordination and subordination in a text?
The purpose is to explain how a writer's strategic arrangement of clauses and phrases within sentences contributes to the overall meaning and stylistic effect of their work.
Correct the dangling modifier in this sentence: "Having finished the assignment, the TV was turned on."
A correct version is: "Having finished the assignment, he turned on the TV." The modifier now correctly describes the subject 'he'.
Combine these two sentences using coordination: "The team practiced hard. They lost the championship game."
An effective combination is: "The team practiced hard, but they lost the championship game."