Pure and functional conjunctions
As with postpositions, conjunctions are also pure or functional. Pure conjunctions are not used in any other function; they only link: va, ammo, lekin, biroq. Functional conjunctions do different jobs depending on the sentence: in one sentence they can be a conjunction, in another a postposition, particle or modal word. For example, in “Lola bilan Gulnora rasm chizdi” (Lola and Gulnora drew a picture) “bilan” is a conjunction used in place of “va”, while in “Bo‘yoq bilan chizdi” (He drew with paint) it is a postposition showing the instrument. When “ham” is repeated, it is a conjunction (Choy ham, non ham tayyor — Both the tea and the bread are ready); when it comes alone and adds emphasis, it is a particle (Ukam ham keldi — My brother came too).
Which function is “bilan”?: the teacher says sentences and you say whether “bilan” is a postposition or a conjunction.