FANBOYS
Joining Independent Clauses with Coordinators
FANBOYS is an acronym made from the first letter of each connective word below.
Before you begin, make sure that you know what an independent clause is.
FANBOYS
| COORDINATORS | ||
|---|---|---|
A coordinator joins like elements, such as, noun phrases, verb phrases, and so on. The coordinator expresses the relationship between the two elements, such as, reason (for) conjunction (and) negation (nor) contrast (but) disjunction (or) unexpected outcome (yet) result (so). |
||
| CONNECTOR | CLAUSE 1 | CLAUSE 2 |
FOR |
Fans love to watch Anna. |
She dances beautifully. |
AND |
She is a graceful dancer. |
People enjoy watching her. |
NOR |
She hasn't taken dance lessons. |
She doesn't need to. |
BUT |
Her technique is not well-developed. |
Her lines are extraordinary. |
OR |
She can fill an audience with joy. |
She can bring them to tears. |
YET |
Other dancers try to imitate her style. |
She is unique. |
SO |
She is young. |
She will perform for many more years. |
| CLAUSES |
|---|
A coordinator may coordinate parts of a clause (subclausal) or it may coordinate two independent clauses. In traditional grammar, the clause following the coordinator is called a dependent clause. In linguistic description, two finite clauses are coordinates of the coordinator. |
| COMPOUND SENTENCE / COORDINATE CLAUSES |
Fans love to watch Anna, for¹ she dances beautifully. |
She is a graceful dancer, and people enjoy watching her. |
She hasn't taken dance lessons, nor does she need to. |
Her technique is not well-developed, but her lines are extraordinary. |
She can fill an audience with joy, or she can bring them to tears. |
Other dancers try to imitate her style, yet she is unique. |
She is young, so she will perform for many more years. |
¹ for as a connector, is not commonly used in American English
bring to tears (expression ) – cause someone to feel something deeply, emotionally
well-developed (adj.) – brought to an advanced state
extraordinary (adj.) – exceptional, remarkable, amazing
imitate (v.) – mimic, perform or act like
lines (n.) – in dance, the outline of the body (silhouette); artistic lines created while dancing
technique (n.) – training; skills of a particular art
unique (adj.) – the only one, like no other
fan (n.) – something that someone waves in the air to create a cool current of air
fan (n.) – a person who is an admirer, a devotee, a follower; a sports fan
Also see Grammar Notes , Punctuation and Subject / Predicate.
Coordinators
Joining Like Structures
Elements and Clauses
| COORDINATED ELEMENTS | ||
|---|---|---|
A coordinator joins like elements from various categories: two nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, adjective phrases, adverb phrases, prepositional phrases, noun phrases, etc. |
||
| ELEMENT A | COORD | ELEMENT B |
She waved a fan (NP) |
and |
a feather. (NP) |
She lost her balance (VP) |
but |
did not fall. ( VP) |
Did she dance in the afternoon ( PP) |
or |
in the evening? ( PP) |
| COORDINATED CLAUSES | ||
|---|---|---|
A coordinator also joins clauses that are closely related (share a common idea). In traditional grammar, the main clause (A) is the independent clause, and the other (B) is the dependent clause. In linguistic description, the two finite clauses are coordinates of the coordinator. |
||
| CLAUSE A | COORD | CLAUSE B |
She waved a fan (CL) |
, and |
then she waved a feather. (CL) |
She lost her balance (CL) |
, but |
we did not notice it. (CL) |
Did she dance in the matineé (CL) |
, or |
did she cancel the performance? (CL) |
*The subject may be understood as in a command: Go! See sentence details.
See Grammar Notes (below) for various terms.
Coordinated Clause
Punctuation
A Comma vs. a Semicolon
| TWO INDEPENDENT CLAUSES SPECIFICALLY RELATED |
|---|
|
| COMMA |
Jack took a taxi, and Karen drove home. / Jack took a taxi and Karen drove home. |
Jack didn't want help, nor did he ask for it. |
Jack wanted to go late, but Karen wanted to go on time. |
Karen had to go, so she called a friend to
drive her home. |
A comma may be placed before a | TWO INDEPENDENT CLAUSES SOMEHOW RELATED |
|---|
|
| SEMICOLON |
Jack took a taxi; Karen drove home. (addition) |
Jack didn't want help; he didn't ask for it. (negative addition) |
Jack wanted to go late; Karen wanted to go on time. (contrast) |
Karen had to go; she called a friend to
drive her home. (result) |
A comma use – "In coordination, punctuation is commonly used to separate one coordinate from the next. The comma is the default mark; under certain conditions, however, a semicolon (but not a colon) is used instead… CaGEL (20 §3.2.1)
"Usually a comma immediately precedes the conjunction" (Azar 16-4)
heavy vs. light punctuation — "For some writers, this comma use is an example of "heavy" punctuation. These writers opt for "light" punctuation– no commas." (CaGEL 1727, 1746) (PEU 510.4)
Also see comma usage in Comma Series.
Coordinator / Subordinator
Similarities and Differences (properties)
1) Coordinators Join Grammatically Alike Elements
| EQUAL |
|---|
A coordinator coordinates elements of equal status; they must be syntactically alike. A coordinator joins like elements. (CaGEL 15.2.1.b) |
| COORDINATOR |
We went to a show, but Karen didn't feel well. clause + clause |
|
Karen called a taxi, and she left. clause + clause |
|
| UNEQUAL |
|---|
A subordinator subordinates an element that is not grammatically alike. (before, after, when, while) |
| SUBORDINATOR |
Karen had a headache when arriving. *clause + gerund |
Karen had a headache when she arrived. clause + clause |
Karen called a taxi before leaving. *clause + gerund |
Karen called a taxi before she left. clause + clause |
*nonfinite clause + finite clause (linguistic term)
coordinate (v.) – to place or class in the same order, rank, division, etc.
subordinate (v.) – to place or class in a lower order, rank, division, etc.
2) Coordinators Occur Mid-position (not initial-position)
| MID-POSITION CONNECTOR |
|---|
A coordinator or a subordinator may be placed between two like elements or structures. However, "a coordinator and its coordinate cannot be moved to front position." (CaGEL 15.2.1.d) |
| COORDINATOR |
Karen wanted leave the theater early, but we wanted to stay. |
Karen wanted to leave the theater, so she called a taxi. |
Karen wanted to leave, yet she stayed and watched the end of the show. |
Karen stayed until the end of the show, for she didn't want to upset us. |
| SUBORDINATOR |
Karen wanted to leave though the show hadn't ended. |
Karen wanted to leave because she had a headache. |
Karen called a taxi before she left the theater. (because, though, before, etc.) |
Karen called a taxi when the show ended. (at the moment that)
|
| INITIAL-POSITION CONNECTOR |
|---|
A coordinator does not take initial position ("fronting") in a sentence. This is a property of a subordinator. Therefore, for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so are NOT like subordinators in this aspect. |
| COORDINATOR |
*But we wanted to stay, Karen wanted to leave. |
*So she called a taxi, Karen wanted to leave. |
*Yet she stayed and talked, Karen wanted to leave. |
*For she didn't want to upset us, Karen stayed until the end of the show. |
| SUBORDINATOR |
Though the show hadn't ended, Karen wanted to leave. |
Because she had a headache, Karen wanted to leave. |
Before she left the theater, Karen called a taxi. |
When the show ended, Karen called a taxi.
|
Coordinators do not permit "fronting". (CaGEL 15.2.1.d)
? borderline usage (requires special context) / * not used
theatre (BrEng) theater (USEng)
3) Coordinators Permit Clause Reversal "Reversibility"
| CLAUSE A + CLAUSE B |
|---|
The elements joined by a coordinator are reversible, except so, for and yet. That is, the order of the coordinates (clauses) does not affect meaning, interpretation or acceptability of the sentence. |
| COORDINATOR |
Karen wanted to leave, for it was late. (for – reason) |
Karen wanted leave, and we wanted to stay. |
Karen didn't want to walk, nor did she want to take a taxi. |
Karen wanted leave, but we wanted to stay. |
Karen wanted to walk, or she wanted to take a taxi. |
Karen wanted leave early, yet she stayed late. |
Karen wanted to leave, so she called a taxi. |
| SUBORDINATOR |
Karen called a taxi before she left. (After/ Before/ When, etc.) |
Karen walked though she was tired. |
Karen called a taxi because she needed to leave. (Because / though) |
| CLAUSE B + CLAUSE A |
|---|
The elements joined by a subordinator are NOT reversible. That is, the order of the clauses affects the interpretation or makes the sentence unacceptable. → Note that for, so, and yet are like subordinators in this aspect. |
| COORDINATOR |
*It was late, for she wanted to leave. |
Karen wanted to stay, and we wanted leave. |
Karen didn't want to take a taxi, nor did she want to walk. |
We wanted to stay, but Karen wanted to leave. |
Karen wanted to take a taxi, or she wanted to walk. |
?Karen stayed late, yet she wanted to leave early. |
*Karen called a taxi, so she wanted to leave. |
| SUBORDINATOR |
*Karen left before she called a taxi. |
*Karen was tired though she walked. |
*Karen needed to leave because she called a taxi. |
? borderline usage (requires special context) / * not used
Common Mistakes
Focus and Solutions
| FOCUS | SOLUTION |
|---|---|
*We went food shopping, and bought dinner. (clause + phrase)
*We bought meat, and vegetables. (noun + noun) |
We went food shopping and bought dinner. We went food shopping, and we bought dinner. We bought meat and vegetables. A comma is not placed before and when joining two similar sentence elements (verb phrases, noun phrases, adjective phrases, adverb phrases, etc.).
|
*We went food shopping and he washed the car. (clause + clause) Place a comma before "and" when joining two independent clauses – both elements have a subject and a verb.
|
We went food shopping, and he washed the car. (comma + and) A comma is placed before and when joining two independent clauses that are closely related in meaning. |
We bought meat, vegetables, and fruit. (OK – items in a series) |
We bought meat, vegetables and fruit We bought meat, vegetables, and fruit. (the Oxford comma)
|
*Leave your luggage with your responsibility. (?)
|
You may leave your luggage, but it is your responsibility to watch it.
|
Coordinators
Beginning a sentence with And, So or But
The Miracle Puppy (article without punctuation)
An old cage with five puppies was left outside of an Oklahoma animal shelter but the animal shelter was overcrowded and the puppies were very weak. There was no more room for five puppies so they had to euthanize (kill) them.
All of the puppies except one died. In fact, they euthanized one puppy twice but he wouldn't die so instead they decided he was a miracle puppy and found him a good home!
Two Options
| MID-SENTENCE | AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SENTENCE |
|---|---|
For some writers, a coordinator (and, but, so, or, yet) is only used between two independent clauses (separated by a comma.) That is, a "conjunction" is not used at the beginning of a sentence. Grammarians (scholars in language use) do not support this restricted use. (See comments below.) |
For other writers, including journalists and academic writers, a coordinator or "conjunction" is used both between two clauses and at the beginning of a sentence. Read the comments below from well-known grammarians. |
The animal shelter was overcrowded, and the puppies were very weak. |
The animal shelter was overcrowded. And the puppies were very weak. (emphasis) |
There was no more room for five puppies, so they had to euthanize them. kill |
There was no more room for five puppies. So they had to euthanize them. (emphasis) |
They euthanized one puppy twice, but he wouldn't die. (contrast) |
They euthanized one puppy twice. But he wouldn't die. (emphasis) |
The vet decided he was a miracle puppy, and he found him a good home! |
So the vet decided he was a miracle puppy. And he found him a good home! |
Pop-Q "but" | The miracle puppy's story.
Grammar Notes
Terms and Comments on Usage
| TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR | LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
In traditional grammar, a conjunction and a coordinating conjunction differ in that a conjunction joins grammatically alike subclausal elements, whereas a coordinating conjunction joins grammatically alike clausal elements. (Azar ) (PEU 510.1-2) |
In linguistic description, "coordination is the relation between elements of equal syntactic status, and as such contrast with subordination [unequal syntactic structure]." (CaGEL "Properties of prototypical coordinators" 15 §2.1) |
conjunction – is a term for a word that joins two like elements, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or phrases (but not clauses).
|
conjunction – is a logic function of A + B "both"; ("and" and sometimes "or") Caffeine is found in coffee and tea. Caffeine is found in coffee or tea. ("both"). |
coordinating conjunctions —for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so — join independent clauses. The resulting construction is a compound sentence.
|
coordinators — and, but, or, and nor— join a variety of syntactically alike structures both subclausal (NP, VP, AdjP, Adv, etc.P) and clausal. symmetric constructions – He got up and he poured some coffee. (Clause + Clause) conditional constructions with and – Look at it and you'll see what I mean. (CaGEL 15 §2.2.2.4) |
yet and so – In traditional grammar, yet and so are coordinating conjunctions. In linguistic description, they are connective adverbs, but they may be regarded as "marginal members of the coordinator category" when used in combination with a coordinator: He took a taxi, and so he arrived early. He took a taxi, and yet he arrived late. (CaGEL 15 §2.10) |
connective adverbs — so (result) and yet (contrary to expectation)— join a subordinate clause which may be of unequal syntactic status; do not allow reversible clause position; and may be fronted. (CaGEL 15 §2.10) for, only and so+that are borderline connectors / prepositions (which take clausal complements) Huddleston and Pullum (CaGEL) call them "problematic". He called a taxi, for he wanted to go home; He wanted to call a taxi, only (except) he had no phone number; He called a taxi, so that he could go home. (CaGEL 15 §2.11) |
compound sentence– In traditional grammar, the joining of two independent clauses is called a compound sentence. |
In current linguistic description, "compound" is limited to the joining of two words: sweetheart, blackbird, copycat, egghead, socio-economic, etc.) See Hyphens compounds. |
CATEGORIES: NP –noun phrase; N – noun; VP – verb phrase; V – verb; PP – prepositional phrase; P – preposition; AdvP – adverb phrase; Adv – adverb; AdjP– adjective phrase; Adj – adjective: Clause – nonfinite / finite
What grammarians have to say about beginning a sentence with and or but:
and. 3 There is a persistent belief that it is improper to begin a sentence with And, but this prohibition has been cheerfully ignored by standard authors from Anglo-Saxon times onwards. An initial And is a useful aid to writers as the narrative continues. The OED provides examples from the 9c. to the 19c. ... — Fowler's Modern English Usage (52)
but. 2 Used at the beginning of a sentence. The widespread public belief that But should not be used at the beginning of a sentence seems to be unshakable. Yet it has no foundation. In certain kinds of compound sentences, but is used to introduce a balancing statement of the nature of an exception, objection, limitation or contrast to what has gone before; sometimes, in its weakest form, merely expressing disconnection, or emphasizing the introduction of a distinct or independent fact. In such circumstances, but is most commonly placed after a semi-colon, but it can legitimately be placed at the beginning of a sentence and frequently is. — Fowler's Modern English Usage (121)
and 1. Everybody agrees that it's all right to begin a sentence with and, and nearly everybody admits to having been taught at some time in the past that the practice was wrong. Most of us think the prohibition goes back to our early school days. Bailey 1984 points out that the prohibition is probably meant to correct the tendency of children to string together independent clause or simple declarative sentences with ands... — Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage (93)
but 1. Part of the folklore of usage is the belief that there something wrong in beginning a sentence with but: "Many of us were taught that no sentence should begin with but. If that's what you learned, unlearn it — there is no stronger word at the start. It announces total contrast with what has gone before, and the reader is primed for the change." — Zinsser 1976 (Several more quotes and examples are included.) — Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage ( 211)
Beginning a sentence with a conjunction. There is a widespread belief — one with no historical or grammatical foundation — that it is an error to begin a sentence with a conjunction such as and, but, or so. In fact, a substantial percentage (often as many as 10 percent) of the sentences in first-rate writing begin with conjunctions. It has been so for centuries, and even the most conservative grammarians have followed this practice. Charles Allen Lloyd's 1938 words fairly sum up the situation as it stands even today: "Next to the groundless notion that it is incorrect to end an English sentence with a preposition, perhaps the most wide-spread of the many false beliefs about the use of our language is the equally groundless notion that it is incorrect to begin one with 'but' or 'and'. — The Chicago Manual of Style (5.191)
Beginning a sentence with and or some other coordinating conjunction (but, or or nor) can be an effective means—if not overused— of giving special attention to the thought that follows the conjunction. No comma should follow the conjunction at the start of a new sentence unless a parenthetical element occurs at that point. (Gregg 1101)
Resources
- Azar, Betty Schrampfer, and Stacy A. Hagen. Understanding and Using English Grammar. White Plains, NY: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print. (16-4)
- Fowler's Modern English Usage. Ed. R. W. Burchfield. Rev. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Print.
- Huddleston, Rodney and Geoffrey K. Pullum, et al. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (CaGEL) . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Print.
- Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1994.Print.
- The Chicago Manual of Style. (CMOS) 15th edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. Print. <www.chicagomanualofstyle.org>
- Sabin, William A., The Gregg Reference Manual:A manual of Style, Grammar, Usage, and Formatting. 11th ed. New York: McGraw–Hill, 2011. Print.
- Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage (PEU). 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.
Practice 1
Agent James
Complete the sentence with a connector.
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button.
Practice 2
When Jack is Back
Read for Errors
After a long day, Jack comes home and relaxes for a while. He is usually very talkative, but rather tired. He talks about his activities constantly and in detail. He never asks about my day nor my problems. Then he asks for a glass of water or for a cold soda.
I tell him he can get it himself or do me a favor in the future. He laughs and I tell him I'm serious. He tells me that I'm a nerd, and so I tell him I am leaving. I tell him that but I get him his soda anyway. I'm fourteen now, and yet my big brother treats me like a little kid.
do a favor (expression) – perform an act of kindness
soda (n.) – soft drink; soda pop, a cola, lemon or other sweetened carbonated drink
Is the sentence punctuated correctly?
- Select correct or incorrect.
- Check your repose by clicking the "Check" button to the left or the "Check All" button at the end.
Practice 3
Laptops On Fire
Read for Errors
I heard news on the radio about a fire and my family saw it on the television. They said it was caused by an exploding computer but I didn't understand how. The fire chief called in all his men but he ordered them to stay back. The building became engulfed in flames so they stood by. The police wanted to inspect the scene of the fire and the fire chief did too. They needed to examine everything for they did not think it was an accident.
The police could not find the source of the fire nor could the fire chief. Either someone set the fire or caused the fire accidentally so they brought in the K-9 unit. Not only did the dogs find the source of the fire but they also found the burned-out computer. The fire chief wanted to close the case yet the police asked to keep it open.
They said – "they" is an example of impersonal pronoun use.
call in (v.) – order to come (to a work location)
engulfed (adj.) – surrounded, covered
inspect the scene (v.) – examine, look very carefully at the details where something happened
source (n.) – the cause of something, the place where it starts
set fire (v.p.) – start a fire; set the fire (past tense) started the fire
K-9 unit – a special canine (dog) search team
close the case (v.p.) – officially end the investigation, end the search for the cause
Edit for errors
- Edit the sentence in the text box. Punctuate the sentences by adding periods and commas. Do not add any words.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button.