1. Two independent clauses: A compound sentence must have two or more complete sentences (independent clauses) that can stand alone. These clauses must express complete thoughts and have a subject and a verb.
* Example: The rain poured down. The streets were flooded.
2. A coordinating conjunction: You need a coordinating conjunction to join the independent clauses. These conjunctions are:
* FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So.
3. Proper punctuation: Use a comma before the coordinating conjunction.
* Example: The rain poured down, and the streets were flooded.
Here's a simple example:
* Independent Clause 1: The sun was shining.
* Independent Clause 2: The birds were singing.
* Coordinating Conjunction: And
* Compound Sentence: The sun was shining, and the birds were singing.
Remember that a compound sentence is just one way to structure your writing. Use it when you want to connect two closely related ideas.