Teaching Simple and Compound Sentences with Conjunctions: Aligning with 3rd Grade Common Core Standards

Sentences in English are built from clauses—groups of words that include a subject and a verb and express a complete thought. One important type of sentence your child will learn about is called a compound sentence.

What is a Compound Sentence?

A compound sentence is made up of two or more independent clauses. These clauses are like mini-sentences because each can stand alone and make sense on its own. In a compound sentence, these clauses are connected by coordinating conjunctions like "and," "but," or "so." These conjunctions help link ideas that are related.

Spotting a Compound Sentence

You can easily identify a compound sentence by looking for these conjunctions that join the clauses together. For example:

- I really need to go to school, but I’m too sick to sit in class.

- He broke his leg, so he had to go to the ER.

In these examples, "but" and "so" are the coordinating conjunctions that connect the independent clauses.

Remember FANBOYS?

Remembering the word "FANBOYS" can help you recall these coordinating conjunctions: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So. These words are like links in a chain that hold two related ideas together in a compound sentence.

Punctuation Tip:

When using FANBOYS to connect two independent clauses, you should generally place a comma before the conjunction. This helps clarify where each idea starts and ends in the sentence. For example:

- Danny took the school bus, and I got a lift.

- Mary went to hang out with my friends, but my brother stayed in his room.

However, with "and," sometimes the comma isn't needed if the clauses are very short and closely related, like "Hattie likes painting and reading."

Why It Matters:

Understanding compound sentences helps children become better writers and communicators. It allows them to express more complex ideas in their writing and to understand how different parts of a sentence work together.

Practice Together:

You can practice identifying compound sentences with your child while reading together or discussing their schoolwork. Encourage them to look for those FANBOYS words and see how they connect ideas in what they read and write.

By helping your child understand compound sentences, you're supporting their development as confident and effective communicators in both spoken and written language.