Combining Sentences

Commas and Coordinating Conjunctions

Remember the FANBOYS. Those are the coordinating conjunctions. A comma comes before a coordinating conjunction when two complete sentences are being combined. If a FANBOY is used within a single sentence, no comma is used.

Here is an example of a comma and a coordinating conjunction combining two sentences: 

My New Year's resolution will be to give up cake, for I hope to curtail this obsession.

In the sentence below, there is only one independent clause, so I do not use a comma.

My New Year's resolution is to give up cake and quit obsessing.

Semicolons and Conjunctive Adverbs

 Another common sentence patter is Ic; ca, cc.

ca stands for conjunctive adverb. Conjunctive adverbs are usually longer words than coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS), but not always. Some examples of conjunctive adverbs are these: however, furthermore, likewise, besides, instead, meanwhile, thus, similarly, also, otherwise.

This pattern is the same as the semicolon method in the previous presentation. The semicolon comes at the end of the first independent clause (complete sentence). The adverb introduces, and is part of,  the next independent clause. 

Here is an example of this sentence pattern:

I have thought about cake too much today; thus, I have made myself hungrier than normal.

I could also write it as two separate sentences:

I have thought about cake too much today. Thus, I have made myself hungrier than normal.

In conclusion, if I use a conjunctive adverb at the beginning of a sentence, I put a comma before it. If I attach that sentence to the end of another complete sentence, I use a semicolon between them.