Compound Sentences — Joining with And/But/So

Combine two sentences using conjunctions.

Use with a student — free
Fill-in
so

Drop here

but

Drop here

and

Drop here

or

Drop here

I was hungry ___ I made a sandwich.
It was late ___ we went home.
The store was closed ___ we came back later.
It rained ___ the game was cancelled.
She likes cats ___ she is allergic.
He tried hard ___ he didn't win.
She wanted pizza ___ they were out.
He is small ___ he is strong.
We went to the park ___ played soccer.
I have a dog ___ a cat.
I washed the dishes ___ swept the floor.
We can walk ___ we can ride.

0/12 sorted

Demo — these marks stay on this screen.Save these marks to a student, free →Sign in

How to run it

Read the whole sentence with each candidate conjunction rather than reasoning about it abstractly. She likes cats but she is allergic sounds right and she likes cats so she is allergic does not, and the ear settles it faster than a rule does. Group the answers afterwards — four so, four but, three and, one or — and ask what the sos have in common. Twelve minutes covers the set with that grouping step.

Cueing ladder

Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.

  1. Step 1IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
  2. Step 2HintStress the part of the sentence that changes, or point to the word ending.Log as cued
  3. Step 3Sentence starterSay the first half of the sentence and let the student finish it.Log as cued
  4. Step 4ModelSay the correct form in the whole sentence; the student repeats it.Log as cued

Adjust it

Easier

Give a sentence starter every time, and do fewer cards.

Harder

Ask for a new sentence of the student's own with the same form, with no card to lean on.

Matching IEP goal

Given sentence cards, Student will produce the target grammatical form in sentences in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than an indirect cue.

Send it home through the parent portal →

About this activity

Twelve sentences with the conjunction removed: I was hungry ___ I made a sandwich (so). She likes cats ___ she is allergic (but). We went to the park ___ played soccer (and). We can walk ___ we can ride (or). Unlike a combining task, this one gives both halves and asks only for the connector, which isolates the choice and makes the reasoning visible.

What to listen for

Watch the but items. He is small ___ he is strong requires noticing that the two facts are in tension, and a student who chooses and has missed the contrast rather than the grammar. Notice whether so is being used for sequence rather than cause — we went to the park so played soccer is a sequencing error that looks like a conjunction error.

Carrying it home

Leave the conjunction out of your own sentence and let the child fill it in. It rained ___ the game was cancelled works in a car and takes five seconds.

What's in this activity

  • so
  • but
  • and
  • or

Questions

How is this different from the sentence-building board?
That one asks the student to combine two sentences; this one supplies the combined sentence and asks only for the connector. This is the easier of the two and a good starting point.
Is it free?
Yes, no account needed.
What grades is it for?
Second through fifth.

Use this board with your caseload

With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.

Track progress free

Free for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.