Conjunctions Worksheet for 12-Year-Olds — English Grammar Practice

Instructions

Welcome, Word Connector! Your mission is to master the power of conjunctions—the special words that link ideas, phrases, and sentences together. Strong conjunctions make your writing smooth and powerful. Follow the steps below to complete your training.

1. Read the explanation for each section carefully.
2. Complete the exercises in each part. Don't be afraid to try your best guess!
3. For an extra challenge, take on the optional "Challenge Quest" at the end.
4. Check your work against the Answer Key when you are finished.

Part 1: The FANBOYS Team (Coordinating Conjunctions)

Coordinating conjunctions connect two equal parts of a sentence. An easy way to remember them is the acronym FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So. Choose the best FANBOYS conjunction to complete each sentence.

1. I wanted to play video games, ______ I had to finish my homework first.
2. Would you rather have pizza ______ tacos for dinner?
3. She studied hard for the test, ______ she earned a perfect score.
4. He doesn't like broccoli, ______ does he like carrots.
5. The sun was shining, ______ it was still cold outside.

Part 2: Conjunction Detectives

Your next task is to find the conjunctions hiding in plain sight. Read each sentence below and circle or underline the conjunction. These might be FANBOYS or other types of connecting words.

1. We can go to the park after we clean the garage.
2. The dog barks whenever the mail carrier arrives.
3. I brought my umbrella because it looked like it was going to rain.
4. He was tired, but he stayed up to finish the book.
5. Although the movie was long, it was very exciting.

Part 3: Sentence Combiners

Good writers connect their ideas instead of using short, choppy sentences. Combine the two simple sentences into one smooth sentence using an appropriate conjunction. You might need to change the punctuation slightly!

Example: The team played well. They lost the game. → The team played well, but they lost the game.

1. She loves to draw. She wants to be an artist.
   Your combined sentence: ____________________________________________________________________


2. We could watch a movie. We could play a board game.
   Your combined sentence: ____________________________________________________________________


3. He missed the bus. He was late for school.
   Your combined sentence: ____________________________________________________________________

Part 4: Sorting the Connectors

There are different types of conjunctions for different jobs. Sort the conjunctions from the word bank into the correct categories below. Use each word only once.

1. Coordinating Conjunctions (The FANBOYS - they connect equal parts)

• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________

2. Subordinating Conjunctions (They connect a main idea to a less important one)

• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________

3. Correlative Conjunctions (They work in pairs)

• ____________________
• ____________________

Challenge Quest (Optional)

Time to show off your skills! Write a short paragraph (3-5 sentences) about a dream vacation. Your paragraph must use at least four different conjunctions from the list below. Underline the conjunctions you use.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Answer Key

Part 1: The FANBOYS Team

1. I wanted to play video games, but I had to finish my homework first.
2. Would you rather have pizza or tacos for dinner?
3. She studied hard for the test, so she earned a perfect score.
4. He doesn't like broccoli, nor does he like carrots.
5. The sun was shining, yet it was still cold outside. ("But" is also an acceptable answer.)

Part 2: Conjunction Detectives

1. after
2. whenever
3. because
4. but
5. Although

Part 3: Sentence Combiners

(Note: Similar answers using other appropriate conjunctions are also correct.)

1. She loves to draw, so she wants to be an artist. (or "and she wants...")
2. We could watch a movie, or we could play a board game.
3. He missed the bus, so he was late for school. (or "He was late for school because he missed the bus.")

Part 4: Sorting the Connectors

1. Coordinating Conjunctions

• and
• but
• so

2. Subordinating Conjunctions

• although
• because
• if
• since
• while

3. Correlative Conjunctions

• either/or
• not only/but also

Challenge Quest (Optional)

(Answers will vary. The goal is a coherent paragraph that correctly uses and underlines at least four conjunctions from the list.)

Example Answer: For my dream vacation, I would want to go to Japan because the culture is so fascinating. If I went, I would want to see Mount Fuji and explore the city of Tokyo. I would bring a good camera, so I could take pictures while I explored the ancient temples. It would be an amazing trip, but it would also be very expensive.