Simple Compound Sentences Award Winning Teaching Compound Sentences What is a Compound Sentence

Compound Sentences at Grammar Songs by Melissa. What is compound sentence? More importantly, how can understanding and using compound sentences make me better writer? Let's get started! compound sentence is formed when two independent clauses are joined by using coordinating conjunction. What? know that may sound confusing, so let me explain. An independent clause is the exact same thing as complete sentence. Remember, complete sentence is made of subject and predicate. The subject tells who or what the sentence is about and the predicate tells what the subject does or is. So, an example of an independent clause or complete sentence could be, "Cullen ate pepperoni pizza." "Cullen" is who the sentence is about, and "ate pepperoni pizza" is what Cullen, the subject, did. What about compound sentence? Yeah, how do we make one of those? I'm getting to that! Basically compound sentence is formed when one independent clause, or complete sentence ,is joined to another independent clause, or complete sentence. This means that compound sentence would have total of two subjects and two predicates. The two sentences, or independent clauses, are joined together by using coordinating conjunction. The coordinating conjunction is like the glue of the sentence, holding it together. So, if go back to my original independent clause, "Cullen ate pepperoni pizza," can add another independent clause, "Nathan ate chocolate cake," to form compound sentence, "Cullen pepperoni pizza, and Nathan ate chocolate cake." Creating compound sentence allows me to express two ideas at once. So compound sentence is when you glue two sentences together! And the special kind of glue you need is called coordinating conjunction! Yes, that is great way to remember it! It is also important to note that comma should always be placed before the coordinating conjunction when forming compound sentence. Let's practice joining two independent clauses to form compound sentence. Sasha could go shopping. She could go to the dance. To combine these two independent clauses to form compound sentence, we need to choose coordinating conjunction to be the glue. Do you see coordinating conjunction that can combine these two ideas? Well, since Sasha can't do both activities at the same time, she will have to make choice. She will need to choose one thing or the other. Sasha could go shopping, or she could go to the dance. And since used coordinating conjunction, should place comma before "or" to punctuate properly. think I'll go to the dance! Yippee! Have fun! While sasha has fun at the dance, let's practice again. Tammy had the lucky ticket. She won million dollars. To combine these independent clauses to form compound sentence, we need to choose coordinating conjunction to be the glue. Do you see coordinating conjunction that will combine these two ideas? Well, since one event happened because of the other, "so" would be good choice. Tammy had the lucky ticket, so she won million dollars! And, since used coordinating conjunction, should place comma before "so" to punctuate properly. can't believe won! Congratulations Tammy! get it! know how to form compound sentence! get it too! Then why the long face? can make compound sentences, but still don't understand how they will make me better writer. Wow! You are certainly asking an excellent question! Let me show you. Let's read short paragraph Anni wrote about her school. Healthy Learning Academy is great school. The principal has high expectations. The teachers care. The students want to learn. They do their best. The school is very small. It offers many programs. Anni did great job writing about her school .Her paragraph has good information, but some of her sentences are short and choppy. We could help Anni combine some of her sentences, or independent clauses, to give her paragraph better flow. We want to help!! Great! We're going to need to "glue" some of these sentences together using coordinating conjunctions. Let's read Anni's paragraph again. We will look for ways to combine some of her sentences along the way. Healthy Learning Academy is great school. The principal has high expectations. The teachers care. know! "The teachers care," is short sentence. It only has three words. It is an independent clause, but it is short. Do you see way to glue it to another sentence by using conjunction? We could use "and!" The principal has high expectations, and the teachers care. Very good! Let's keep reading. The students want to learn. They do their best. know! "They do their best," is short sentence. It only has four words. Okay, do you see way to glue it to another sentence by using conjunction? We could use "so." The students want to learn, so they do their best. Excellent! Let's finish the paragraph. The school is very small. It offers many programs. Any ideas? I'm not sure! This one is little tricky, so relax and let me explain. Anni thinks it is important to let the reader know that her school offers many programs even though it is very small. These are opposite ideas. "But" and "yet" would both be good choices for combining these two sentences. "Yet" gives more of surprising element. The school is small, yet it offers many programs. That sounds great! Let's read Anni's new paragraph using compound sentences to see how it flows now. Let's write the complete sentences in black and the compound sentences in red. And don't forget the commas! thanks! Healthy Learning Academy is great school. The principal has high expectations, and the teachers care. The students want to learn, so they do their best. The school is very small yet it offers many programs. That sounds great! Thank you for helping me. I'm glad to show you how to use compound sentences, Anni, and I'm glad you are proud of your school. That was fun! And now understand why should use compound sentences when write! Very good! And don't forget the glue! Thank you for joining me at Grammar Songs by Melissa. Enjoy other related videos at GrammarSongs.com