Coordinating Conjunctions
Since commas are becoming our best friends, let's talk about coordinating conjunctions on this fine Friday!
Meet the FANBOYS...
For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So. These are the coordinating conjunctions--or FANBOYS. Their job is to provide smooth transitions between words, phrases, and clauses.
The new Star Wars trailer was released yesterday, so it was an exciting day.
The Ewoks are cute, but they're not cuddly.
Alex is watching A New Hope in the living room, and Angela is watching Empire Strikes Back in the kitchen.
We can either cosplay as Jedi or Han Solo for Comic Con.
Margie wears only Star Wars and Lord of the Rings t-shirts to school.
Wait...what's going on with the commas??
Commas and coordinating conjunctions follow a few simple patterns.
- USE a comma before (always before) a coordinating conjunction when (1) you're combining two independent clauses, or (2) you're connecting multiple (3 or more) items in a list.
When I was a kid, I thought Han Solo was cool, but Leia was totally my hero. (two independent clauses)
Sarah's favorite Star Wars movies are A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. (list)
First, an independent clause (also known as a main clause) contains a subject, a verb, and complete idea. This means it's a complete sentence on its own. It's savvy and autonomous. For example...
Daisy loves to dance.
This is an independent clause because it stands alone. It has a subject (Daisy), a verb (loves), and a complete idea.
If we combine it with another independent clause, we'd include a transition. (Otherwise you'd have a comma splice, and comma splices create sadness. Don't comma splice.)
Daisy loves to dance, but Marco prefers to play the guitar.
Now, "Marco prefers to play the guitar" is also an independent clause (subject, verb, and complete idea), so we include the FANBOY "but" to create a transition. Since these are two independent clauses, we use a comma before the FANBOY.
Star Wars is the best, and Amelia agrees with me.
When NOT to use a comma with a FANBOY
The third pattern for coordinating conjunctions is when NOT to use commas. If you are combining two items, you don't use a comma with the FANBOY.
I think I'll either be Han Solo or Leia Organa for Halloween.
The cat thinks Star Wars and Harry Potter are great napping movies.
No comma is used with the FANBOYS here because the pieces combined by the coordinating conjunctions are not independent clauses (nor are they lists of 3 or more items).
"I think I'll either be Han Solo" doesn't stand by itself. It has a subject (I) and a verb (to be), but it's not a complete idea. Neither is "Leia Organa for Halloween" an independent clause. Thus, we combine the two items with a coordinating conjunction to make a transition, but we don't use a comma.
The easiest way to think about commas and coordinating conjunctions (especially with the wily one, "And") is to check for independent clauses.
I can't get over the new Rogue One trailer. BUT
A New Hope will always be my favorite Star Wars movie.
Do you have a subject, verb, and a complete idea on BOTH sides of that FANBOY? Then use a comma.
I can't get over the new Rogue One trailer, but A New Hope will always be my favorite Star Wars movie.
Resources:
Grammar Bytes! Coordinating Conjunctions
Grammar Girl: Weird Coordinating Conjunctions
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