Grammar: Compound Sentences – SS1 English Lesson Note (Second Term)

A compound sentence is a sentence that has at least two independent clauses joined by a comma and a conjunction, or by a semicolon. An independent clause is a clause that has a subject and verb and forms a complete thought.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• define a compound sentence and an independent clause;
• name the seven coordinators using the mnemonic FANBOYS;
• identify the independent clauses in a compound sentence;
• explain how a coordinator adds meaning to a sentence;
• join independent clauses with a semicolon and explain the effect.

What does a compound sentence look like?

An example of a compound sentence is, ‘This house is too expensive, and that house is too small.’ This sentence is compound because it has two independent clauses, ‘This house is too expensive’ and ‘that house is too small’, joined by a comma and the conjunction ‘and.’

Which words join independent clauses?

When independent clauses are joined with coordinators (also called coordinating conjunctions), commas and semicolons, they do more than just join the clauses. They add meaning and flow to your writing. The coordinators you can use to join independent clauses are:

• For
• And
• Nor
• But
• Or
• Yet
• So

Note that they form the handy mnemonic FANBOYS. The three you will use most often are ‘and,’ ‘but’ and ‘or.’

How do coordinators add meaning?

Here is an example of a sentence with a coordinator:

Example 1: ‘I think you’d enjoy the party, but I don’t mind if you stay home.’

In this sentence, the coordinator ‘but’ shows a clear relationship between the two independent clauses. The speaker suggests that the person being addressed would enjoy the party, but is not expected to go if they prefer to stay home.

Without the coordinator ‘but,’ the relationship isn’t apparent, which makes the writing choppy and the meaning less clear:

Example 2: ‘I think you’d enjoy the party. I don’t mind if you stay home.’

How does a semicolon join independent clauses?

You can also join independent clauses with a semicolon (;), which looks something like a cross between a colon and a comma. A semicolon adds an abrupt pause and creates a different kind of effect, as shown below:

Example 3: ‘He said he didn’t mind if I stayed home; it soon became clear he wasn’t being honest.’

Use a semicolon when the independent clauses are related but contrast in a way that you want to stand out. In the sentence above, the first clause makes the person sound honest when he says he doesn’t mind if the speaker stays home. In the second clause, the speaker tells you that he was not honest.

You could just as easily have written the sentence using a coordinating conjunction:

Example 4: ‘He said he didn’t mind if I stayed home, but it soon became clear he wasn’t being honest.’

The sentence still means the same as before, but using the coordinator ‘but’ softens the impact of the second clause.

Evaluation

1. What is a compound sentence?
2. What is an independent clause?
3. List the seven coordinators in FANBOYS.
4. Write out the two independent clauses in this sentence: ‘This house is too expensive, and that house is too small.’
5. How does the effect of a semicolon differ from the effect of ‘but’ in Examples 3 and 4?

Assignment

Write two compound sentences of your own. Join the clauses in the first with a comma and a coordinator. Join the clauses in the second with a semicolon. Underline the independent clauses in each sentence.