FANBOYS Worksheet

      A Compound sentence is a sentence that has two simple sentences joined together. When a compound sentence is joined together with a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet so), add a comma before a coordinating conjunction.

Hint:  not all conjunctions join two simple sentences (independent clauses). If they are not joining two simple sentences, do not use a comma.

Examples of Comma Rule:

Jordan broke his arm, so he had to go to the hospital.
My dog chased a rabbit around the yard, but he couldn’t catch it.

Amelia opened her locker and grabbed her books for class.

Directions: Underline the FANBOYS in the sentence. If it is joining 2 sentences, insert a comma BEFORE the coordinating conjunction. If it is not joining 2 sentences, do not insert a comma.  On the line after the sentence, write S if it is a simple sentence or C if it is a compound sentence.

Exercises

1.    Roberta likes going to school but she does not like math class.  _______

2.    Jed and Joey put hot fudge and whipped cream on their ice cream.  _______

3.    Betty likes to eat pizza but she likes spaghetti better.  _______

4.    Eli sat down to do his homework but his sister ate it.   _______

5.    Snoopy went to his dog house to eat and take a nap.  _______

6.    Linus lost his blanket and started to cry.  _______

7.    Charlie Brown wanted to ask Lucy a question but she was too busy.  _______

8.    Students are eating spaghetti or deli subs today.  _______

9.    Sponge Bob took his notebook to class but he forgot his pencil.   _______

10. Sally went fishing last Saturday but we didn't catch anything.  _______

Writing Compound Sentences

Write 3 separate, simple sentences.

1.    __________________________________________________________________________

2.    __________________________________________________________________________

3.    __________________________________________________________________________

Using the sentences above, make them into compound sentences.

4.    __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

5.    __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

6.    __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

In the following passage from The Giver by Lois Lowry, highlight every compound sentence.  Watch out, some sentences have a compound predicate (2 verbs for the same subject.)

It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened. No. Wrong word, Jonas thought. Frightened meant that deep, sickening feeling of something terrible about to happen. Frightened was the way he had felt a year ago when an unidentified aircraft had overflown the community twice. He had seen it both times. Squinting toward the sky, he had seen the sleek jet, almost a blur at its high speed, go past, and a second later heard the blast of sound that followed. Then one more time, a moment later, from the opposite direction, the same plane.

At first, he had been only fascinated. He had never seen aircraft so close, for it was against the rules for Pilots to fly over the community. Occasionally, when supplies were delivered by cargo planes to the landing field across the river, the children rode their bicycles to the riverbank and watched, intrigued, the unloading and then the takeoff directed to the west, always away from the community.

But the aircraft a year ago had been different. It was not a squat, fat-bellied cargo plane but a needle-nosed single-pilot jet. Jonas, looking around anxiously, had seen others--adults as well as children--stop what they were doing and wait, confused, for an explanation of the frightening event.