Conjunctions - FANBOYS

Joining Two Similar Thoughts

FANBOYS is an acronym for the words most commonly used to join two independent clauses.
acronym = a word formed from the initial letters letters of words

FANBOYS

CONNECTOR	CLAUSE 1	CLAUSE 2	JOINED WITH A COMMA & CONNECTOR	MEANING
FOR	He couldn't go home.	He had no place to go.	*He couldn't go home , for he had no place to go.	because
AND	I took a taxi.	She drove home.	I took a taxi , and she drove home.	addition
NOR	He didn't want help.	He didn't ask for it	He didn't want help, nor did he ask for it.	and not
BUT	I wanted to go late.	She wanted to go on time.	I wanted to go late, but she wanted to go on time.	contrast
OR	She cooked dinner.	He took her out to a restaurant.	She cooked dinner, or he took her out to a restaurant.	either
YET	She owned a car.	She didn't know how to drive it.	She owned a car, yet she didn't know how to drive it.	though
SO	She had to go.	She called a friend to drive her.	She had to go, so she called a friend to drive her.	result

*Note: "For" as a connector, is uncommonly used in spoken American English.

Conjunctions vs. Coordinating Conjunctions

CONJUNCTIONS			COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
A conjunction joins a phrase to an independent clause.			A coordinating conjunction joins two independent clauses.
INDEPENDENT CLAUSE	CONJ.	PHRASE	INDEPENDENT CLAUSE	COORD.	INDEPENDENT CLAUSE
She danced	and	waved a fan.	She danced	, and	he played a flute.
She played the piano	but	preferred dancing.	She played the piano	, but	we preferred dancing.

Note: A complete sentence (an independent clause) requires a subject and a verb. The exception is in a command such as "Stop!" The subject is understood to be "You stop!"

Common Mistakes

ERROR	FIX
We went food shopping, and bought dinner. (clause + phrase) A comma is used to join two independent clauses: "and bought dinner" does not have a subject; therefore, it is not an independent clause.	We went food shopping and bought dinner. (remove comma) We went food shopping, and we bought dinner. (add a subject)
We bought meat, and vegetables. (clause with two object nouns) A commas is used to separate a list of items – meat, vegetables, milk and cheese – or to separate two independent clauses – We bought meat, and they bought vegetables.	We bought meat and vegetables. (Remove comma.)
We went food shopping and he washed the car. (clause + clause) Since each clause has its own subject and verb, the clauses should be separated with a comma.	We went food shopping, and he washed the car. (Add a comma.)

ERROR

FIX

We went food shopping, and bought dinner. (clause + phrase)

A comma is used to join two independent clauses: "and bought dinner" does not have a subject; therefore, it is not an independent clause.

We went food shopping and bought dinner. (remove comma)

We went food shopping, and we bought dinner. (add a subject)

We bought meat, and vegetables. (clause with two object nouns)

A commas is used to separate a list of items – meat, vegetables, milk and cheese – or to separate two independent clauses – We bought meat, and they bought vegetables.

We bought meat and vegetables. (Remove comma.)

We went food shopping and he washed the car. (clause + clause)

Since each clause has its own subject and verb, the clauses should be separated with a comma.

We went food shopping, and he washed the car. (Add a comma.)

Note: A complete sentence (an independent clause) requires a subject and a verb. The exception is in a command such as "Stop!" The subject is understood: "You stop!"

Practice

Laptops On Fire

Edit the text in the box. Punctuate the following sentences by adding periods (.) and commas (,). Do not add any words.
.Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button to the right.

#	YOUR RESPONSE	ANSWER CHECK
1.	I heard the news about a fire on the radio and my family saw it on the television. EDIT 1: I heard the news about a fire on the radio and my family saw it on the television.
2.	They said it was caused by an exploding computer but I didn't understand how. EDIT 2: They said it was caused by an exploding computer but I didn't understand how.
3.	The fire chief called in all his men but he pulled them back. EDIT 3: The fire chief called in all his men but he pulled them back.
4.	The building became engulfed in flames so they stood by. EDIT 4: The building became engulfed in flames so they stood by.
5.	The police wanted to inspect the scene of the fire and the fire chief did too. EDIT 5: The police wanted to inspect the scene of the fire and the fire chief did too.
6.	They needed to examine everything for they did not think it was an accident. EDIT 6: They needed to examine everything for they did not think it was an accident.
7.	The police could not find the source of the fire nor could the fire chief. EDIT 7: The police could not find the source of the fire nor could the fire chief.
8.	Either someone set the fire or someone caused the fire accidentally. EDIT 7: Either someone set the fire or someone caused the fire accidentally.
9.	Not only did the dogs find the source of the fire but they also found the burned-out computer. EDIT 9: Not only did the dogs find the source of the fire but they also found the burned-out computer.
10.	The fire chief wanted to close the case yet the police needed to keep it open. EDIT 10: The fire chief wanted to close the case yet the police needed to keep it open.

Index Grammar-Quizzes | Previous Connector Summary | Next Contrasts

Located in: * Adverb Summary ** Conditional Summary ***Punctuation Summary

Grammar-Quizzes.com

PRACTICE ON POINTS OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR

Connectors