Does order of a conjunction also change its meaning? [closed]

Question

Consider the following two phrases:

Just a phone call away if absent

vs

If absent, just a phone call away

Is one of them grammatically incorrect, or would the order change the meaning? Which is more polite?

Answer 1

Both are correct, and the meanings are coterminous. The difference would not be connotation, but nuance and whether it is fitting for the situation. Use the one that puts most relevant information first, especially if you are in a situation requiring courtesy and tact.

In situations where your example fits, I'd use the one with the comma because it calms the listener first by raising a likely-existing concern and ends by giving hope-filled information.

You are asking about reversing clauses, using word orders with and without a comma. This is a known and common practice, and therefore both are equally fine to use.

From University of Oregon:

In our usual speech patterns, we sometimes place the dependent clause before the independent clause for emphasis. In that case, we tend to pause to let the listener know that we have changed the usual order. So, in writing we place a comma after the dependent clause when the order is reversed.

Examples:

Because I had so much work to do, I decided to postpone our date for the movies.

While there were still many passes to traverse, I was determined to get through the mountains.

Although the mountains were beautiful, the night sky was even more breathtaking.

Of course, both of your examples are incomplete sentences and seem to lack a subject and main verb. So, minimum-complete sentence examples from your Question could look like this:

Use a preceding sentence as context:

You needn't worry. We're just a phone call away if absent.

You needn't worry. If absent, we're just a phone call away. (friendlier IMHO)

Make both clauses clearer: (better for a note on the front door of a small store)

We're just a phone call away if we're not here.

If we're not here, we're just a phone call away. (friendlier IMHO)