Compound Sentences vs Compound Predicates

​Epic Grammar Arena: Compound Sentence vs. Compound Predicate

By Rebecca Norris

Meet the Fighters

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​Compound Predicate

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Compound Sentence

Compound Sentence: The Legend

• has two independent clauses

• uses a comma + FANBOYS

• could be two sentences

• Sir FANBOYS must appear, or it's not legit

EXAMPLE: The dragon roared, and the villagers ran.

Compound Predicate: The Sneaky Ninja

• one subject

• two or more verbs/actions

• no comma needed unless listing 3+

• sneaks by quietly and fools 7th graders daily

EXAMPLE: The dragon roared and shook the ground.

Quick Comparison

1 subject
no comma needed
one sentence doing two things

Compound Predicate

2 subjects/clauses
comma + FANBOYS
two sentences glued

Compound Sentence

Memory Trick

​Use this trick to know the difference!

Compound Sentence = TWO sentences
Compound Predicate = ONE person doing TWO things

Multiple Choice

The dragon roared and shook the ground.

• compound sentence

• compound predicate

Multiple Choice

The dragon roared, and the villagers ran.

• compound sentence

• compound predicate

Multiple Choice

Hermione opened her book and took notes.

• compound sentence

• compound predicate

Multiple Choice

Hermione opened her book, and Harry stared at her.

• compound sentence

• compound predicate

Multiple Choice

The cat hissed and scratched the cushion.

• compound sentence

• compound predicate

Multiple Choice

The cat hissed, but the dog ignored it.

• compound sentence

• compound predicate

Open Ended

Liam opened the window, and he turned on the fan.

Compound sentence or compound predicate?

Open Ended

Maya washed the dishes and wiped the counter.

Compound sentence or compound predicate?

Open Ended

The princess climbed the tower and rescued the knight

Compound sentence or compound predicate?

Open Ended

The storm rolled in, and the sky turned dark.

Compound sentence or compound predicate?

Multiple Select

Click all the answers that are compound predicates.

• The knight sharpened his sword and polished his shield.

• The knight sharpened his sword, and the dragon laughed.

• The wizard sneezed and accidentally summoned a ghost.

• The ghost floated closer, and the students screamed.

• Maya baked cookies and burned them.

Open Ended

Rewrite this sentence as a compound predicate:

The princess opened the door, and she gasped.

Multiple Select

Click all the answers that are compound sentences.

• The knight sharpened his sword and polished his shield.

• The knight sharpened his sword, and the dragon laughed.

• The wizard sneezed and accidentally summoned a ghost.

• The ghost floated closer, and the students screamed.

• Maya baked cookies and burned them.

Open Ended

Rewrite this sentence as a compound sentence:

The students groaned and dropped their pencils.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is a compound predicate?

• The bear growled, and the campers ran.

• The bear growled and charged forward.

• The campers screamed, but they didn't move.

• The bear sat, and it waved.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is a compound sentence?

• The robot blinked and spun in circles.

• The robot blinked and malfunctioned.

• The robot blinked, and the lights flickered.

• The lights flickered and hummed.

Open Ended

Identify this sentence type:

The mermaid splashed and waved.

Open Ended

Identify this sentence type:

The mermaid splashed, and the sailors cheered.

Open Ended

Explain the difference between a compound sentence and a sentence with a compound predicate.