SAT Grammar: FANBOYS Conjunctions

The SAT exam is filled with grammar rules that students need to understand. One of the items that shows up most often on the exam and run-on sentences.

The typical run-on sentence occurs when you combine two complete sentences with a comma:

Complete sentence, Complete sentence

As an example:

I was frustrated with the policies of the our city, I decided to run for mayor.

Alternatively, the writer may just ignore the comma altogether and write:

Complete sentence Complete sentence

For example:

I was frustrated with the policies of our city I decided to run for mayor.

How do you correct this? There are a number of ways.

  1. Use a period:

    • Complete sentence. Complete sentence

      • I was frustrated with the policies of our city. I decided to run for mayor.

  2. Use a semicolon

    • Complete sentence; Complete sentence

      • I was frustrated with the policies of our city; I decided to run for mayor.

  3. Change the wording

    1. Create a dependent clause

      • Incomplete sentence, complete sentence

        • Because I was frustrated with the policies of our city, I decided to run for mayor.

    2. Use a relative clause (who, which, that)

    3. Use a noun phrase set off by commas

    4. Use a modifier

    5. Use and to join verbs

  4. Use a coordinating conjunction

    • Complete sentence comma coordination conjunction complete sentence

      • I was frustrated with the policies of our city, so I decided to run for mayor.


The focus of this blog post is to talk about the coordinating conjunctions.

These conjunctions can be identified by using the mnemonic FANBOYS

  • F: For

  • A: And

  • N: Nor

    B: But

  • O: Or

  • Y: Yet

    S: So

The two most common ones that show up on the SAT exam are and and but.

Note that a FANBOYS conjunction should be used after a comma. Sometimes the exam writers will incorporate a FANBOY conjunction after a semicolon. This would not be an appropriate use of a FANBOY conjunction.


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