USING CONJUNCTIONS Coordinating conjunctions are words that connect

USING CONJUNCTIONS

Coordinating conjunctions are words that connect words, phrases, and clauses. There are seven of them: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS). Circle the coordinating conjunction in each example sentence: 1. I must ask you to leave, for you have offended me. 2. Someone stole my wallet and my i. Pod! 3. I don’t know what happened last night, nor do I care. 4. Pickles are tasty but very sour. 5. You had better give back my cell phone, or I will borrow someone else’s phone and call the cops. 6. Her vampire boyfriend loves her, yet he also wants to kill her. Weird. 7. I was out of hair gel, so I just used my little sister’s glue stick. Circle the coordinating conjunctions in this passage from The Outsiders by S. E. Hilton: 8. There was another column about just Darry and Soda and me: how Darry worked on two jobs at once and made good at both of them, and about his outstanding record at school; it mentioned Sodapop dropping out of school so we could stay together, and that I made the honor roll at school all the time and might be a famous track star. Wordplay – Just for fun! DESCRAMBLER: Try to sort out the five scrambled words below: COTA PASKE GGILGY FNKDELU USEQONIT

Subordinating conjunctions begin a subordinate (dependent) clause and connect it to an independent clause. Circle the subordinating conjunction in each example sentence: 1. Whenever I watch a scary movie, I always have nightmares afterwards. 2. You have to pay extra if you want unlimited texting. 3. My friends are exhausted because they went to a late movie last night. 4. Although she broke her leg last year, she’s back on the team this season. 5. I’m going to starve to death unless I eat something soon. 6. As I was opening the door, I heard a terrifying scream from inside. Circle the subordinating conjunctions in these passages from The Outsiders by S. E. Hilton: 7. I couldn’t tell her that Soda had bawled all night long after they came and got Mickey Mouse. I had cried, too, if you want to know the truth, because Soda never really wanted anything except a horse, and he’d lost his. 8. You know how it is, when you wake up in a strange place and you wonder where in the world you are, until memory comes rushing over you like a wave. Wordplay – Just for fun! EIGHT BALL: Create as many words as you can using three or more of the letters below (at least one eight-letter word is possible): N R S A C P A E

Read the following excerpt from The Outsiders by S. E. Hilton. Then answer the four questions below: (a) Dally cussed under his breath and nearly tore out the transmission of the T-bird as we roared out of the Dairy Queen. (b) I felt sorry for Dally. (c) He meant it when he said he didn’t care about his parents. (d) But he and the rest of the gang knew Johnny cared. 1. Circle a coordinating conjunction in sentence (a). 2. Underline a subordinating conjunction in sentence (a). 3. Underline a subordinating conjunction in sentence (c). 4. Circle a coordinating conjunction in sentence (d). Using the proper proofreading marks, correct the six errors in this excerpt: A panic was rising in me. As I listened to Johnnys quiet voice go on and on. “Johnny! I nearly screamed. “What are we gonna do? They put you in they electric chair for killing people, ” I was shaking. Wordplay – Just for fun! FIXER-ROOTER: How many words can you think of that have the same prefix, suffix, or root as the multisyllabic word below? UNWITTINGLY UN / WIT / ING / LY (without knowledge or not by design)

Conjunctive adverbs relate two independent clauses by showing cause and effect, sequence, comparison, or contrast. A conjunctive adverb can be used as a transition—at the beginning of a sentence followed by a comma—or as an interruption in the middle of an independent clause—with commas before and after it. Circle the four conjunctive adverbs in the following paragraph: 1. Katherine hated horror movies; however, she wanted to be an actress, and the only acting job she could get was the role of a screaming girl in a gory slasher flick. She took the job. Nevertheless, she continued looking for better roles. In the end, the slasher flick turned out to be a huge hit. Consequently, Katherine had all the acting work she wanted. Add any necessary commas to the following sentences: 2. 3. 4. 5. My parents however wouldn’t let me go to the dance. Instead I think we should go to the park and play soccer. I don’t have any money; furthermore I don’t really want that phone. Therefore one should never run with scissors. Wordplay – Just for fun! FOUR-LETTER WORDS: Take the four-letter word below and change one letter to make a new four-letter word (keep it clean!) Then take that word and change one letter to make a new word. Then take that word and… You get the picture. RULE

A conjunctive adverb can be used as a transition at the beginning of a sentence followed by a comma. Coordinating and subordinating conjunctions should NOT be used as transitions with commas afterward. Decide if the following sentences are correct or not (answer CORRECT or WRONG): 1. 2. 3. 4. But, Jack fell down the hill and was seriously injured. However, you might want to ask your parents first. Meanwhile, the car was slowly filling up with muddy water. Because, that species of animal is almost extinct. In the following examples, choose the conjunction or conjunctive adverb that makes the most sense in context: 5. I usually don’t like sports cars; (furthermore / therefore / however), the new Ford Shelby GT 500 is pretty awesome. 6. That super-hero movie looks really good, (so / but / or) we should go see it this weekend. 7. (Even though / Because / Before) I didn’t do my homework, I ended up getting an F on the test. Wordplay – Just for fun! RHYME THYME: Time to think like a rapper. How many rhymes can you come up with for the following word? DESIGN

Avoid using two conjunctions that have the same meaning or function. How would you correct the following sentences? 1. 2. 3. 4. Because she was cool, so I asked her to go to prom with me. While the band was playing, meanwhile he was too busy texting to listen. I need to finish this essay, and also I should study for the quiz. Even though it’s cold, nevertheless I still want to go skiing. Decide if the following sentences are correct or not (answer CORRECT or WRONG): 5. 6. 7. 8. Because, that song is getting really old. The storm made the waves too choppy to surf; furthermore, my surfboard was still broken. But my laptop has a virus, however. I love this book therefore the movie is going to be awesome! Wordplay – Just for fun! ANAGRAM: Rearrange the letters in the nonsense phrase below to create new words that actually make sense. BEST DRUDGERY STAGS (Hint: four score)

If you use a conjunctive adverb between two independent clauses, put a semi-colon after the first independent clause and a comma after the conjunctive adverb. If the conjunctive adverb interrupts a single independent clause, put commas before and after it. Add the necessary punctuation to the following sentences: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. The book however was much better than the movie. My car needs a new transmission furthermore the brake pads need to be replaced. Afterwards we should all go out for ice cream. This is an awesome class in fact I think it’s my favorite class ever! Dinosaurs for example lived millions of years ago. You wash the dishes meanwhile I will sit and watch TV. The shooting therefore was completely justified. Instead I say we go camping this weekend. Wordplay – Just for fun! FOUR-LETTER WORDS: Take the four-letter word below and change one letter to make a new four-letter word (keep it clean!) Then take that word and change one letter to make a new word. Then take that word and… You get the picture. COAX

How would you correct the following example sentences? 1. 2. 3. 4. I love The Outsiders in fact I think it is the best book I’ve ever read! But I’m not going on that ride; however, it looks way too scary. Because, I’ve had a cold all spring, and I’m getting sick of it. I don’t really want to read this book, so I’ll do it anyway because it’s for a grade. In the following examples, choose the conjunction or conjunctive adverb that makes the most sense in context: 5. It’s important to go to every practice; (otherwise / therefore / however), you won’t be able to do your best during the game. 6. I’m not going to bail you out, (and / but / nor) will I lie to cover for you. 7. (After / If / Even though) you want to make the cheerleading squad, you need to be good at gymnastics. 8. I love this phone, (but / so / and) it’s even on sale right now! Wordplay – Just for fun! DESCRAMBLER: Try to sort out the five scrambled words below: MWOE YACRR ITBARB TIWSTRE PDOURCTS

In the following example sentences from The Outsiders by S. E. Hilton, is the underlined word a coordinating conjunction or a subordinating conjunction? 1. We all had the money to get it—it only costs a quarter if you’re not in a car—but Dally hated to do things the legal way. 2. Dally merely looked at her and kept his feet where they were. 3. When Steve’s cousin from Kansas came down, Dally was decent to her and watched his swearing. 4. He cocked one eyebrow up and the other down, which he always does when something puzzles him or bothers him. 5. Soda just held him and pushed Johnny’s hair back out of his eyes. 6. No wonder Johnny was hurt because his parents didn’t want him. Identify the conjunctive adverb in each example sentence: 7. Don’t forget to replace the batteries once a month; otherwise, the device will stop working when you need it most. 8. It’s not your fault; therefore, you shouldn’t feel guilty. 9. Also, I’d like to try skydiving.