Practice: Compound Sentences with Coordinate Conjunctions

Choosing Coordinate Conjunctions

First, read the following excerpt about motivation to study from how-to-study.com.

If you find that you lack motivation to study, welcome to the club. Just about every student experiences this problem at one time or another. Motivation is important for good studying. When you are motivated, you will find it easy to stay focused over a period of time. When you are not motivated, you will not only find it difficult to stay focused, but you will find it difficult to get started in the first place.

Here are some ways to increase your motivation to study.

  1. Reward yourself for studying. For example, after a successful study session, have a treat like a nice big ice cream cone. Go crazy and add some cherries and nuts.
  2. Study with your friends. Don't make it party time, but you can have fun as you do this.
  3. Remind yourself of your long-term goals. Achievement of your goals likely requires educational success. Educational success requires studying.
  4. Eliminate distractions. If you are surrounded by things you would rather do than study, you will probably do those things instead of studying.
  5. Develop interest in what you have to study. This will make studying more enjoyable.
  6. Take breaks. When you feel that you need to take a break, try to stop at a point where it is logical to stop. This will make it easier for you to resume studying after your break.
  7. Establish a comfortable environment. You will be more inclined to study if you feel comfortable.
  8. Establish reasonable goals for a study session. You probably won't get very far if you look at your study session as "mission impossible."
  9. Use a motivational poster. Place the poster where you can see it as you study. The poster should include positive words and a picture depicting success. You can buy one or even make your own. You can also read inspirational stories about real people who have achieved success through effort.
  10. Just do it. Once you do, you will feel a lot better than if you are worried about getting it done.

Whenever you experience difficulty sitting down to study, follow the suggestions above to motivate you to do what you have to do.

from "Study Skills Articles and Study Tips, Improve Study Habits, Teaching Tips." Study Skills Articles and Study Tips, Improve Study Habits, Teaching Tips. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2012. <http://www.how-to-study.com/>.

 

 

Next, for each of the following sentences, choose the coordinate conjunction that makes the most sense.

 

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You should reward yourself for studying, ____ you can choose a fun reward.

 
 
 
 
 

 

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You can study with friends, ____ you must focus on studying not socializing.
 
 
 
 
 
  

 

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You should not study for four hours in a row, ___ should you study all night long.

 
 
 
 
  

 

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It is important to develop an interest in your studies, ____ you will learn more.

 
 
 
 
  

 

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Students should eliminate distractions, ____ they can focus on their course work.

 
 
 
 
  

 

 

Punctuation with Coordinate Conjunctions

First, read the following excerpt about note-taking from the Virginia Tech website.

 

Note taking and in-class skills

 

Adequate notes are a necessary adjunct to efficient study and learning in college. Think over the following suggestions and improve your note- taking system where needed.

Listen actively - if possible think before you write - but don't get behind.

Be open minded about points you disagree on. Don't let arguing interfere with your note-taking.

Raise questions if appropriate.

Develop and use a standard method of note-taking including punctuation, abbreviations, margins, etc.

Take and keep notes in a large notebook. The only merit to a small notebook is ease of carrying and that is not your main objective. A large notebook allows you to adequately indent and use an outline form.

Leave a few spaces blank as you move from one point to the next so that you can fill in additional points later if necessary. Your objective is to take helpful notes, not to save paper.

Do not try to take down everything that the lecturer says. It is impossible in the first place and unnecessary in the second place because not everything is of equal importance. Spend more time listening and attempt to take down the main points. If you are writing as fast as you can, you cannot be as discriminating a listener. There may be some times, however, when it is more important to write than to think.

Listen for cues as to important points, transition form one point to the next, repetition of points for emphasis, changes in voice inflections, enumeration of a series of points, etc.

Many lecturers attempt to present a few major points and several minor points in a lecture. The rest is explanatory material and samples. Try to see the main points and do not get lost in a barrage of minor points which do not seem related to each other. The relationship is there if you will listen for it. Be alert to cues about what the professor thinks is important.

 

from "Note Taking and In-class Skills." Note Taking. Virginia Tech, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2012. <http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/notetake.html>.

 

Next, determine if the following sentences are punctuated correctly.

 

A comma is required before a coordinate conjunction when it joins two independent clauses to form a compound sentence. Each clause must have a subject and verb and express a complete thought in order to be independent. Hint: The examples may or may not be compound sentences.

 

 

learning activity Click the card deck to view a card. Drag the card from the bottom to the correct category. You may need to identify prepositional phrases, subjects, and verbs to determine if the sentences are compound or not.
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