What does FANBOYS stand for?

For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So — the seven coordinating conjunctions. It is a useful memory aid, though "for" and "nor" are rare in student writing.

Can you start a sentence with because?

Yes, as long as the sentence finishes the thought: "Because the store was closed, we drove home." What does not work is stopping after the first clause.

Which grades are these questions for?

The bank spans first through eighth. Simple and/but/so questions are early elementary; correlative conjunctions and clause identification are fifth through eighth.

Conjunctions Worksheets

Conjunctions join words, phrases and whole sentences. The best practice is not labelling them but using them — taking two short sentences and making one better one.

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5th Grade Conjunctions Practice

Conjunctions

Circle the correct answer.

1.
Call me blank you get home.
whenorbut
2.
blank it was late, we kept working.
BecauseSoAlthough
3.
She stayed home blank she felt sick.
orbutbecause
4.
We will go blank the weather improves.
ifsoand

Write the correct word on each line.

5.
Neither the cat blank the dog wanted to come inside.
6.
Either you come with us blank you stay here.
7.
Both the science fair blank the concert are on Thursday.

Follow the directions for each sentence.

8.
She practiced every day, so she made the team. (circle the conjunction)

Rewrite each sentence following the directions in brackets.

9.
It started to rain. We went inside. (combine into one sentence using so)
10.
We can watch a movie. We can play a game. (combine into one sentence using either/or)
11.
The bus was late. We missed the first class. (combine into one sentence using because)
12.
I like pizza. My brother likes pasta. (combine into one sentence using but)
13.
She studied hard. She still found the test difficult. (combine into one sentence using although)

Each sentence has at least one mistake. Write the sentence correctly.

14.
I was tired but I finished the race.
15.
Because the store was closed. We drove home.

Conjunctions: the rules these questions test

Coordinating conjunctions join equals: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. When they link two complete sentences, a comma goes before them: I was tired, but I finished the race.
Subordinating conjunctions start a clause that cannot stand alone: because, although, since, when, if, before, after, while. "Because the store was closed" is not a sentence by itself.
When the dependent clause comes first, it takes a comma: Although she studied hard, she still found the test difficult. Reverse the order and the comma usually goes: She still found the test difficult although she studied hard.
Correlative conjunctions come in fixed pairs: either/or, neither/nor, both/and, not only/but also. Mixing them — "neither ... or" — is the standard error.

Questions parents and teachers ask

What does FANBOYS stand for?: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So — the seven coordinating conjunctions. It is a useful memory aid, though "for" and "nor" are rare in student writing.
Can you start a sentence with because?: Yes, as long as the sentence finishes the thought: "Because the store was closed, we drove home." What does not work is stopping after the first clause.
Which grades are these questions for?: The bank spans first through eighth. Simple and/but/so questions are early elementary; correlative conjunctions and clause identification are fifth through eighth.