Compound Sentences
COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
Learning Goal:
You will be able to form compound
sentences with coordinating conjunctions
Simple V. Compound Sentences
• The most basic kind of sentence, a simple sentence, consists of a single
independent clause—one subject and one verb.
• Many college students major in psychology.
• Many other students major in business.
• A compound sentence is made up of two or more simple sentences
(independent clauses).
Using Coordinating Conjunctions
• One way to create a compound sentence is by joining two simple sentences
with a coordinating conjunction preceded by a comma.
• Many college students major in psychology, but many other students major
in business.
• In a compound sentence, there is a complete sentence on each side of the
coordinating sentence.
• When you use a coordinating conjunction to join two simple sentences into a
compound sentence, always place a comma before the coordinating
conjunction.
FANBOYS
These 7 coordinating
conjunctions are the only
words that can correctly
join two independent
clauses with a comma.
for
and
nor
but
or
yet
so
Practice #1: Underline the coordinating conjunction in each
compound sentence. Then, bracket the two simple sentences.
EX: [I do not like the unnecessary delays], nor [do I like
lame excuses].
1. Speech is silver, but silence is golden.
2.I fought the law, and the law won.
3.The house was dark, so she didn’t ring the doorbell.
4.He decided to sign the contract, for he did not want to lose the
job.
5.They will not surrender, and they will not agree to a cease-fire.
6.I could order the chicken fajitas, or I could order chili.
Coordinating conjunctions join two ideas of equal importance and
describe the relationship between the two ideas, showing how and why
the ideas are connected. Different coordinating conjunctions have
different meanings.
• To indicate addition, use and.
• Edgar Allan Poe wrote horror fiction in the nineteenth century, and
Stephen King writes horror fiction today.
• To indicate contrast or contradiction, use but or yet.
• Poe wrote short stories, but King writes both stories and novels.
• Poe died young, yet his stories live on.
• To indicate a cause-and-effect connection, use so or for.
• I liked Carrie, so I decided to read King’s other novels.
• Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” is a chilling tale, for it is about a horrible
murder.
• To present alternatives, use or.
• I have to finish Cujo, or I won’t be able to sleep.
• To eliminate alternatives, use nor.
• I have not read The Green Mile, nor have I seen the movie.
Practice #2: Fill in the most logical coordinating conjunction.
• EX: The meteorologist predicted sun, _ so___ we planned a trip to the beach.
1. Katya does not eat meat, ________ does she eat dairy products.
2. Malik planned to stay single, ________ then he met Alyssa.
3. The Russells wanted to save money on their heating bill, ________ they sealed cracks around
their windows.
4. Some students buy textbooks online, ________ prices may be lower there than in the campus
bookstore.
5. Campers can stay in wooden cabins, ________ they can sleep in their own tents.
6. Dexter is an excellent cook, ________ he never cleans up the kitchen.
7. Every morning, Alex goes to the gym, ________ his wife works out at home with Wii Fit.
8. Tony hates the sight of blood, ________ his favorite shows are crime dramas.
9. On Sunday afternoons, I work around the house, ________ I relax in the backyard.
10.Good used cars can be inexpensive, ________ they often cost less to insure than new cars.
Practice #3:
(1) George Jenkins, Sampson Davis, and Rameck Hunt agreed to go to college to
become doctors, ________ they promised to help each other succeed. (2) The odds
were against them, ________ they lived in inner-city neighborhoods decimated by
drugs and violence. (3) They did not have many opportunities, ________ did they
have many positive role models. (4) Two of them were involved in crime, ________
one spent time in jail. (5) Fortunately, all three were accepted at University High, a
school for gifted students, ________ they never would have met one another. (6)
They did not make a big deal of their pact, ________ all took it seriously. (7) None of
them wanted to disappoint the others, ________ they all worked hard to make their
dream a reality. (8) The young men’s success was a result of their intelligence and
determination, ________ it was also a result of their loyal friendship. (9) Jenkins,
Davis, and Hunt hoped that their story would inspire others, ________ they wrote a
book called The Pact about their promise. (10) They also started The Three Doctors
foundation, ________ they wanted to create opportunities for inner-city youths.
Practice #4: Using the coordinating conjunction provided, add a
complete independent clause to each sentence in the following pairs to
create two different compound sentences. Remember that each
coordinating conjunction indicates a different relationship between
ideas.
• Example:
• They married at eighteen, and they had ten children.
• They married at eighteen, so they had to grow up together.
Practice #5:
Americans love the freedom and independence of driving a car. They also love movies. Drivein movies were a popular form of entertainment in the 1950s. Today, only a few drive-ins
remain. Not surprisingly, the United States was the home of the first drive-in movie theater.
The first drive-in opened in New Jersey in 1934. The second one, Shankweiler’s Drive-In in
Orefield, Pennsylvania, opened the same year. Today, the first drive-in no longer exists. There
are not many other drive-in theaters in New Jersey. However, Shankweiler’s is still open for
business. Fans of drive-ins can still go there. Shankweiler’s Drive-In still has the in-car
speakers that moviegoers used to hang in their car windows. They are rarely used. Instead,
drive-in visitors simply turn on the car radio to hear the movie sound. Shankweiler’s
broadcasts movie soundtracks on FM stereo. Anyone with a car, a love of movies, and a sense
of history should make a trip to Shankweiler’s Drive-In.
COMPOUND SENTENCES USING SEMICOLONS
Learning Goal:
You will be able to form compound sentences using semicolons. Goal:
You will be able to form compound sentences with semicolons.
• Last week we learned how to form compound sentences using a comma and
coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS).
• Another way to create a compound sentence is by joining two simple sentences
(independent clauses) with a semicolon.
• The Democrats held their convention in Boston; the Republicans held their convention in
New York.
• Semicolons are used to show a close connection or strong contrast between two
ideas.
• A semicolon can join two complete sentences. It cannot join a sentence and a
fragment.
• Incorrect: Because New York City has excellent public transportation; it was a good choice
for the convention.
• Correct: New York City has excellent public transportation; it was a good choice for the
convention.
What is wrong with these examples?
1.
“Mary eats steamed crabs; They taste great to her!”
• The word “They” is capitalized and should not be.
2. “Haley hit the ball hard; and she hit it far!”
• Do NOT use a conjunction after a semicolon. If a conjunction is used, a comma should be
the punctuation mark separating the two sentences.
Practice #1: Identify each sentence as correctly joined (C) or
incorrectly joined (I).
1. ______ He slept through his alarm; luckily, his first
class was cancelled.
2. ______ Tripping over the dog; I dropped my cup.
3. ______ We practiced every day after school and all
Saturday; however, we lost the game.