Grammar Notes 1: Compound sentences and commas splices!

Compound sentences A complete sentence contains a subject and a verb. Ex: I said yes. Two complete sentences joined together form a compound sentence. He asked if I was going, and I said yes.

Conjunctions These two complete sentences are joined with a conjunction, a word that connects two ideas. Ex:

In a compound sentence, a comma must come after the first complete sentence and before the conjunction. Now, read through your three paragraphs and find simple sentences that you can combine to make strong compound sentences. She put on a sweater, for it was cold outside. We are going hiking, and then we are camping out. I can’t whistle, nor can I sing. I wanted to go to the beach, but my parents said no. He can buy the book, or he can borrow it from the library. The path was dark, yet I still managed to find my way. My brother couldn’t sleep, so I read a book to him.

X Comma splice X Now, go back through your writing and check all of your compound sentences to see if you have any comma splices in there! If you forget your conjunction (FANBOYS), you are left with a comma splice. A comma splice is two complete sentences joined by a comma but that are missing a conjunction. She put on a sweater, it was cold outside. I wanted to go to the beach, my parents said no.

Simple sentences Some sentences don’t need a comma before the conjunction because the sentence on the end isn’t a complete sentence. Ex: I was excited to go and knew it’d be a great trip. Ex: The cookies were delicious but were kind of chewy. “knew it’d be a great trip” isn’t a complete sentence because there isn’t a subject and a verb. I was excited to go, and I knew it’d be a great trip.

Ex: I went to the park and my friend met me there. Comma or No Comma? Ex: I went to the park and my friend met me there. Answer: park, and my I love camping but not when it’s raining. Mary grows carrots in her garden but doesn’t grow cabbage. Alex broke his ankle so he couldn’t play football that afternoon. The book was exciting and was very funny. Maybe it was blue or maybe it was green. I love fishing and going on hiking trips.

Correct (C) or Comma Splice (CS)? I needed to go to the restroom, but I wasn’t sure where it was. I love my brother, he’s so fun to play with. Staying up late is fun, sometimes I’m tired the next day though. My grandmother’s house is old, it smells like an antique store. Jamey’s room is very clean, but mine is always messy. My dog sheds a lot of hair, so we have to brush him every night.

Strengthening Synonym Choose 8 weak or simple words in your writing, and replace them with stronger words that have the same meaning. Ex: glad  happy, relieved, joyful, excited Ex: scared  frightened, horrified, terrified Ex: said  whispered, shouted, explained

Check for: Compound sentences (that need commas) Simple sentences (that don’t need commas) Comma splices (that need FANBOYS) Weak words (that can be strengthened)