FANBOYS and Punctuation

I am very happy we discussed compound sentences and using a comma before FANBOYS. Now that I think about it I think I only used commas before for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so if I thought it was necessary. I never thought of them always needing a comma if they were used as a conjunction between two sentences. The lesson was really straightforward and I think I now understand how to punctuate these sentences. I was also interested in learning what a comma splice is because you hear people talk about them but I never really understood what they were. I understand now that they occur when two sentences are connected only with a comma and the FANBOYS are left out. However, I am not exactly sure what a complex sentence is now. I know the difference between simple and compound but what is complex?

Our discussion on the second half of Cordeira’s article I felt was more interesting than the first. It really brought out the teachers in our classroom. You could see how different we were in our teaching styles. Some thought it would be better to let students explore punctuation completely on their own and to not correct it because then they will never learn how to use it but rather will just correct whatever you say is wrong. Others like myself thought there had to be some line you draw as a teacher when you do correct them. How will they ever learn if they keep making the same mistake? It is important to let students explore with the language but at a point shouldn’t we step in and do our jobs as teachers and actually teach something? I was really frustrated with the article because the author kept saying punctuation is a “negotiation between the writer and reader” but then turned around and said there must be a common reference for the rules of punctuation. Is punctuation solely up to the author or do some forms of punctuation need to follow the rule?

My question for this week is, can you give me an example of a complex sentence, and what exactly makes it different from a compound sentence?