TKG English Learner's Dictionary

and

andconjunction

American /ænd/ British /ænd/ also /ənd/ the usual weak form; in fast speech often ən or just n, as in fish and chips And is nearly always unstressed and weak, ənd or ən. The strong form ænd is heard only when the word is stressed or said alone.
very commondefining vocabulary

And joins two things of the same kind, or adds one thing to another.

  1. joiningused to join two or more words, phrases, or parts of a sentence of the same kind

    In a list, and usually comes only before the last item (apples, pears, and oranges), though it may be repeated for emphasis (apples and pears and oranges). Two subjects joined by and take a plural verb: Kim and Sam are here. The parts joined should have the same form: reading and writing, not reading and to write.

    • We need eggs, milk, and bread.
    • Ana and Lee are cousins.
    • It was cold and wet all week.
    • He opened the window and looked out.

    Collocations

    phrase black and white, back and forth, now and then, bread and butter, up and down, ladies and gentlemen

    Compare or (or offers a choice between the things joined); but (but joins two things that go against each other)

  2. thenused between two actions to show that the second follows the first

    1. aused to show that the second thing happens because of the first

    2. bused after an order, a suggestion, or a warning to mean if you do this

  3. in numbersused between a whole number and a half or a quarter, between numbers that are added together, and inside numbers after hundred

    American speakers normally leave and out after hundred: three hundred twenty; British speakers keep it: three hundred and twenty. Between numbers being added, and is the everyday word; plus is used in mathematics.

    • About three hundred and fifty people came to the concert. (British; American English usually says three hundred fifty)
    • It is four and a half kilometers to the village.
    • Two and two make four.

  4. more and moreused between the same word said twice, to show that something goes on for a long time or keeps increasing

    Collocations

    phrase more and more, again and again, on and on, better and better, for hours and hours

  5. try andused to link two actions after go, come, and a few other verbs, and, after try, informally instead of to

    Try and is used mostly in the base form: try and stop me, but she tried to stop me. Go and see, come and look, and wait and see are used in all forms in speech.

    Collocations

    phrase try and, go and, come and, wait and see

  6. starting a sentenceused at the start of a sentence or question to add to, or continue, what was said before

    This is common in speech and in stories. Some teachers do not accept a sentence beginning with and in formal writing, so it is safer to avoid it there.

  7. nice and warmused after nice, good, or lovely to make the next adjective stronger

    informal

    Collocations

    phrase nice and warm, nice and easy, good and ready

Phrases

and so on

and other things of the same kind

Used at the end of a list to show that it could go on. And so forth means the same and is a little more formal.

Usage

In a list of three or more, a comma before and (red, white, and blue) is a matter of style: some writers use it, and others leave it out. Both are correct; choose one and keep to it.

Common mistakes

She likes reading and to swim. She likes reading and swimming.
The parts joined by and should have the same form.
Kim and Sam is coming. Kim and Sam are coming.
Two subjects joined by and take a plural verb.

For translators

Meaning across languages The then and so uses of and are often better translated with a separate word for then or so. The try and and nice and constructions rarely have a literal equivalent: translate try and see as try to see, and nice and warm as very warm.
Grammar trap English uses one and, before the last item, whether it joins nouns, adjectives, verbs, or clauses; some languages use different words for each or repeat the word. Two subjects joined by and take a plural verb: Kim and Sam are here.
Pronunciation trap In fast speech and is usually weak, sounding like uhnd, uhn, or just n; the d is often dropped, so bread and butter sounds like bread n butter. Stressing and every time sounds unnatural. The full, strong form is used for emphasis or when the word stands alone.