A conjunction is a part of speech that joins two words, phrases, or clauses. Coordinating conjunctions (“for,” “and,” “nor,” “but,” “or,” “yet,” and “so”) join parts of equal importance. Subordinating conjunctions (“because,” “although,” “if,” “unless,” etc.) show a relationship between independent and dependent clauses. Now that we’ve gotten the grammar lesson out of the way, let’s talk about asyndeton, which throws conjunctions out the window. Asyndeton is a literary device in which a conjunction is deliberately omitted from a sentence. A writer might do this to create a sense of intensity or to produce a rhythmic tone. Note the rhythm of the asyndeton in the opening lines of “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…”