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2.12: Compound Sentences

  • Page ID
    52333
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    Reading Exercise

    Read these sentences about the history of San Diego. Identify the subject and verb in each sentence. How many subjects and verbs does each sentence have?

    • Spanish explorers sailed to San Diego in 1542, but the first residents were Kumeyaay people
    • In 1821, Mexico won independence from Spain, and San Diego became part of Mexico
    • In 1848, the United States won the Mexican-American War, so San Diego became part of the U.S.

    Notice the punctuation. Where is the comma?

    Answers

    • The subjects are "Spanish explorers" and "the first residents," the verbs are "sailed" and "were"
    • The subjects are "Mexico" and "San Diego," the verbs are "won" and "became"
    • The subjects are "the United States" and "San Diego," the verbs are "won" and "became"

    A group of words that has a subject and verb is called a clause. Two or more simple sentences (clauses) may be connected to make one sentence, using a comma and a coordinating conjunction. Coordinating conjunctions are also called FANBOYS. The FANBOYS are:

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

    When two or more clauses are connected with a FANBOYS, the sentence is called a compound sentence. A compound sentence must have two independent clauses (SV + SV) connected by a FANBOYS. Look at the sentences below. Identify the subjects and verbs. These are not compound sentences...

    • The San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park began in 1915
    • Every weekend we go to the beach and enjoy the water

    Answers

    • The subjects are "San Diego Zoo" and "Balboa Park," the verb is "began," this sentence has a compound subject
    • The subject is "we," the verbs are "go" and "enjoy," this sentence has a compound verb

    Video

    Watch this video for another explanation of compound sentences...

    Practice Compound Sentences

    Write five compound sentences about a place you know well. Label the subjects and verbs (there must be two subjects and two verbs in each sentence). Use the most common FANBOYS: "and," "but," "or," and "so"...


    2.12: Compound Sentences is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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