Do we have chemistry? No, not me and you. Jeff Anderson from Everyday Editing, is asking about compound sentences in Chapter 9.
-Compound sentences are made when two or more sentences are combined with a comma and a coordinating conjunction. Coordinating conjunctions can be remembered with the mnemonic FANBOYS: for and nor but or yet so. You can skip the coordinating conjunction if you use a semicolon (;).
Further information about the FANBOYS with a myriad of examples from Anderson and things I am currently reading.
For: connects a solution with a problem.
The dark scares us, for we don’t know what is waiting in the dark. – Alvin Schwartz, Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones
And: connects two ideas that go together.
Angeline would reveal no secrets now, and Damiana would reveal no secrets later. -Sharon Shinn, The Safe-Keeper’s Secret
I think that is from a children’s book but I don’t care. I am totally intrigued and will be looking that up in the library.
Nor: negative form of or.
He left and I never saw him again, nor did I regret it. – Dictionary.com example
But: connects two ideas that go against each other.
He tried to stare into her fiery gaze, but he couldn’t stop looking at the purple vein bulging in her forehead. – Brian Meehl, Out of Patience
Or: connects two choices.
Either the killer had been too exhausted to carry the third victim all the way to the water, or he had been spooked by someone approaching and dropped his burden. – Ann Rule, Green River, Running Red
Yet: connects two ideas that go against each other.
The path was dark, yet I slowly found my way. – google search on yet
So: connects a problem with a result.
Ray Bradbury said it best: “Your intuition knows what it wants to write, so get out of the way.” – Chris Baty, No Plot? No Problem!
Like all chemistry, compounding mixes two substances(sentences) for a result which is greater than the starting. Compound away.
T.A. Henry 