Compound Sentences

FANBOYS and semi-colons

Mrs. Warren, I wrote my paper of the week.

I left it at home.

Mrs. Warren, I wrote my paper of the week, but I left it at home.

Mentor Text

•Every day was a happy day, and every night was peaceful. E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web

•You can pick your friends, but you’re stuck with family. Jeff Foxworthy, You Might be a Redneck If…

• “Mom says finishing everything on his own plate is one thing, but Dad usually finishes everything on everyone else’s plates, too.” Confessions of Closet Catholic by Sarah Littman

• “I think about going in my room now, but it smells like the inside of an old lunch bag in there.” Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

• “He tried to stare into her fiery gaze, but he couldn’t stop looking at the purple vein bulging in her forehead.” Out of Patience by Brian Meehl

• “The dark scares us, for we don’t know what is waiting in the dark.” Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones

by Alvin Schwartz

• “I could remember every detail of the whole night, but it had the unreal quality of a dream.” The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

• “He flails and tries to swim away, but the current is too powerful.” All in One Piece by Cecilia Tishy

Semi-colons

I no longer attempt to speak to him; I have resigned myself to his silence.

Livia Bitton-Jackson, I have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust

The surprising thing about Melinda Alice was her power; no one trusted her, but no one avoided her either.

Judith Gorog, “Those Three Wishes”

Mentor text with omissionsfrom Nancy Farmer, The House of the Scorpion

He could be courteous and helpful on the surface. You never knew what was going on underneath.

He could be courteous and helpful on the surface, but you never knew what was going on underneath.

His voice wasn’t loud. It commanded instant attention.

Maria had insulted him in front of everyone. He intended to make her pay.

Practice ExampleCreate compound sentences

1. Last night my mom baked salmon for dinner. Today the house reeks.

2. Shelley has always been afraid of the water. She jumped in the pool anyway.