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Detailed Conjunctions

The document outlines a lesson on conjunctions, dividing it into four sections focusing on coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs, and relative pronouns. Each section provides definitions, examples, and teaching strategies to help students understand their usage and avoid common errors. The goal is to enhance students' grasp of sentence structure and clarity in writing.

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Maria antonieth Collamat
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6 views7 pages

Detailed Conjunctions

The document outlines a lesson on conjunctions, dividing it into four sections focusing on coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs, and relative pronouns. Each section provides definitions, examples, and teaching strategies to help students understand their usage and avoid common errors. The goal is to enhance students' grasp of sentence structure and clarity in writing.

Uploaded by

Maria antonieth Collamat
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Here’s how you can divide the detailed text of Lesson 1: When Teaching

about Conjunctions into four reporters, while retaining the original content:

Reporter 1: Coordinating Conjunctions and FANBOYS

1. Introduction to Coordinating Conjunctions:

According to Benjamin and Berger (2010), students are somewhat familiar


with the term “conjunction,” but the word “coordinating” throws them. They
get even more confused when “subordinating conjunctions” enter the scene.
Benjamin and Berger also claimed that even English teachers get heartsick
at the terms "coordinating" and "subordinating" in front of conjunctions.

Coordinating conjunctions are licensed to join independent clauses to create


compound sentences, and some coordinating conjunctions—most commonly
and, but, or, nor—can join words and phrases together within a clause.
Coordinating conjunctions usually require a comma when doing the heavy
lifting of fastening independent clauses together to create a compound
sentence. A common misconception is that a long sentence is a run-on
sentence, but it's actually the improper joining of clauses that creates a run-
on.

One useful mnemonic for teaching coordinating conjunctions is FANBOYS


(For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So). While FANBOYS is a reliable tool, "for" as a
coordinating conjunction might confuse students because it's not commonly
used in modern speech but does appear frequently in literary texts.

The comma is generally needed when coordinating conjunctions join


independent clauses. However, when clauses are short or there’s no risk of
misreading, the comma can sometimes be omitted.
2. Visualizing Coordinating Conjunctions:

To help students remember the importance of coordinating conjunctions,


Benjamin and Berger (2010) suggested using the "weight lifter visual" to
demonstrate the concept of a coordinating conjunction’s role in creating a
compound sentence. The weight lifter holding a barbell represents the
comma with the coordinating conjunction, while the lifter with a dumbbell
represents the conjunction joining words or phrases within a clause—no
comma required in this case.

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Reporter 2: Subordinating Conjunctions and Sentence Structure

1. Introduction to Subordinating Conjunctions:

Subordinating conjunctions, unlike coordinating conjunctions, join dependent


(subordinate) clauses to independent clauses, creating complex sentences.
Subordinating conjunctions include words like as, although, after, because,
before, if, until, unless, while, when, since.

These conjunctions can appear at the beginning of a sentence or between


clauses. When the subordinating conjunction starts the sentence, a comma is
needed before the main clause (e.g., "Because it was raining, we stayed
inside"). When it comes after the main clause, a comma is not needed (e.g.,
"We stayed inside because it was raining").
2. Understanding Clauses:

Benjamin and Berger (2010) emphasized the importance of teaching


students what a clause is before diving into subordinating conjunctions. A
clause is a subject-predicate pair. It is essential to help students identify
whether a sentence contains one clause or multiple clauses, as this affects
how the clauses should be joined. Some students struggle with this concept,
so teachers should take time to explain the distinctions between a clause
and a phrase and between a clause and a complete sentence.

Examples of clauses that are complete sentences and clauses that are not:

Complete sentence: Dogs bark.

Incomplete sentence with a coordinating conjunction: And dogs bark.

Incomplete sentence with a subordinating conjunction: If dogs bark.

Incomplete sentence with a relative pronoun: When dogs bark.

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Reporter 3: Conjunctive Adverbs and Their Usage

1. Introduction to Conjunctive Adverbs:

Conjunctive adverbs like however, moreover, furthermore, therefore,


consequently, thus serve to link ideas between clauses or sentences. Unlike
coordinating conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs move within their own
clauses and are usually accompanied by commas.

Conjunctive adverbs can be placed at the beginning, middle, or end of a


sentence. When used in the middle of a sentence, conjunctive adverbs
require commas on both sides (e.g., "The weather, however, was perfect for
a hike").

2. Punctuation with Conjunctive Adverbs:

When a conjunctive adverb is used to connect two independent clauses, it


requires a semicolon before it and a comma after (e.g., "I wanted to go for a
walk; however, it started raining"). Incorrect punctuation is a common error,
so students must be shown how to use these punctuation rules properly.

Examples:

"We wanted to play outside; however, it started raining."

"The results, therefore, were inconclusive."


"She studied for hours; consequently, she passed the exam."

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Reporter 4: Relative Pronouns and Sentence Clarity

1. Introduction to Relative Pronouns:

Relative pronouns such as that, which, when, who, whom, what, where, why,
how, whichever, whatever can join clauses and often introduce relative
clauses. Relative pronouns are important in sentence construction as they
clarify or provide additional information about the subject or object of the
sentence.

Examples:

"The book that I read was fascinating."

"She is the one who won the competition."


2. Avoiding Sentence Fragments:

Benjamin and Berger (2010) warned that many sentence fragments begin
with relative pronouns. These fragments occur when a clause introduced by
a relative pronoun is not properly linked to an independent clause. For
instance, "Which was surprising" or "Who arrived late" are fragments unless
joined to independent clauses like, "The news, which was surprising, shocked
everyone."

3. Correcting Fragmentation:

Teach students to always attach dependent clauses introduced by relative


pronouns to independent clauses. Show them how these pronouns function
to ensure sentence clarity and completeness.

4. Common Error Awareness:

Students often overuse or misuse relative pronouns, leading to sentence


fragments. Teachers should encourage proper usage and make students
aware of the importance of maintaining clarity in their writing.

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This detailed division will allow each reporter to focus on a specific aspect of
conjunctions, giving a clear structure for teaching students about these
essential grammatical elements.

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