Coordinating Conjunctions Hooking up words phases and clauses

Coordinating Conjunctions “Hooking up words, phases, and clauses l l AND OR NOR BUT l l l SO For YET

Each time you use a coordinating conjunction there is a rule that governs whether or not you need punctuation The Rules Are:

Each Part of the Rule Means Something l l l S = Could stand alone as a sentence NS= Could not stand Alone as a sentence CC= Coordinating conjunction …= Listed Item ; = semicolon , = comma

S cc NS. l If what appears before the coordinating conjunction could stand as a sentence but what comes after could not, no punctuation is needed. l I went to the mall with John and Chandria. S cc NS l

NS cc S. If what comes before the coordinating conjunction cannot stand alone as a sentence but what comes after could, no punctuation is needed. l Endira and Steve went to the mall. l NS cc S l

If neither what comes before nor what comes after the coordinating conjunction could stand alone as a sentence, no punctuation is needed l My favorite movies are Shrek and Hidalgo. NS cc NS.

S, cc S. l l If what comes before the coordinating conjunction and what comes after the coordinating conjunction can stand alone as a sentence, put a comma after the first “sentence” and before the coordinating conjunction. Physics is a very hard course, I know I can pass if I study hard.

S (with a comma); cc S. If you have a sentence on both sides of the coordinating conjunction and the first sentence has a comma in it, use a semicolon before the coordination conjunction.

When I get home from school, I’m really tired; so I usually take a nap. S; cc S.

When you join two sentences without using a coordinating conjunction, use a semicolon to separate the two sentences l The administration suspended Juan for six weeks; that is completely unfair.

…, …, cc… l When you list three or more items, put a comma after each item leading up to the coordinating conjunction. l I like vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream.