连同 / 及其: together with, and its…
连词 / conjunctions
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
Two written connectors to group items:
• 连同 = "together with, along with": B is handled with A, often followed by 一起/一并: 旧房子连同家具一起卖掉了.
• 及其 = 及 + 其 = "and its/their": 城市及其周边 (the city and its surroundings), 员工及其家属 (employees and their families).
及其 avoids repeating the noun: very economical in writing.
Examples
老房子连同院子里的大树，都被拆掉了。
Lǎo fángzi liántóng yuànzi lǐ de dà shù, dōu bèi chāi diào le.The old house was demolished, along with the big tree in the courtyard.
这项政策适用于农民工及其子女。
Zhè xiàng zhèngcè shìyòng yú nóngmíngōng jí qí zǐnǚ.This policy applies to migrant workers and their children.
请将申请表连同身份证复印件一并交上来。
Qǐng jiāng shēnqǐngbiǎo liántóng shēnfènzhèng fùyìnjiàn yíbìng jiāo shànglái.Please submit the application form together with a copy of your ID card.
Common mistakes
✗ 城市及它的周边 → ✓ 城市及其周边 (其 = its/their, written).
✗ 及其 without a possessive link: ✓ 老师及其学生 ("and his/her students"), but ✗ 苹果及其香蕉.