Conjunctions

The spider had eight legs. It crawled slowly.

Would the conjunction be but or and.

I think it should be:

The spider had eight legs but it crawled slowly.

Please help me clarify this for my daughter.

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by Smileyjo

The spider had eight legs. It crawled slowly.

Would the conjunction be but or and.

I think it should be:

The spider had eight legs but it crawled slowly.

Please help me clarify this for my daughter.

The conjunction should be and. The but clause should contradict in some way what came before. Just because the spider had eight legs that doesn't mean it would be fast.

:)

[RonBee]

P.S. "The spider had eight legs" is certainly an odd sentence. After all, all spiders have eight legs. Also, the two sentences in question don't seem to be related. Perhaps you can provide some context for them?

:)

How about:

Having eight legs, the spider crawled slowly.

It makes language sense to me, but from a scientific view, it may be wrong.

Originally Posted by RonBee

P.S. "The spider had eight legs" is certainly an odd sentence. After all, all spiders have eight legs. Also, the two sentences in question don't seem to be related. Perhaps you can provide some context for them?

:)

Thank's for your help. It's part of my 9 year old daughter's literacy homework.

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by Smileyjo

Thank's for your help. It's part of my 9 year old daughter's literacy homework.

Thank you. Understanding context is always helpful.

After careful consideration, I have rethought my original advice. I wouldn't use and, but or any other conjunction. Some sentences just cannot be logically joined in any fashion. You shouldn't force them together. It creates an unhappy union.

:wink:

[RonBee]

• Do spiders crawl or do they scurry?
  What if the spider is in a hurry?
  :wink:

• The furry little spider in hunger mood
  Moved about looking for food.

:)