Thanks for the suggestions!

I had tried Bill Spruiell's trick, as I was certain that the
misunderstanding must surround subordinating so (that).  I think I am
reaching them, slowly.    Somehow, the combined power of the internet
backing me up has overcome the Yale education-- hers, not mine.

I truly appreciate the different approaches.  I am new to the forum and
enjoying the discussions.

Best,
Nathalia

On Thu, Mar 12, 2015 at 12:43 AM, Spruiell, William C <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> Nathalia,
>
> One additional trick for approaching this (although Til's "therefore test"
> is the easiest for most students) is to distinguish coordinating "so" from
> subordinating "so (that)" -- we don't always say or write the 'that' after
> the second one, but we can always add it. Using Til's sentences and adding
> 'that':
>
> (Works) I went to bed early so that I could get a good night's sleep
> (Ick.)      It is very hot outside today, so that I'm not going to wear a
> jacket
>
> This won't work, however, if you have ESL students (since it relies on
> native-speaker instincts) and also becomes less effective if the sentence
> is long (since readers get hazy on what the earlier part of the sentence
> was).
>
> Bill Spruiell
> Central Michigan University
> ________________________________________
> From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [
> [log in to unmask]] on behalf of Turner, Tildon L. [
> [log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2015 12:08 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Compound Sentences and Coordinating Conjunctions
>
> Hi Nathalia,
>
> There is no mystery.  The students were misinformed.  It is always
> stressful as a teacher to have students who have received inadequate or
> erroneous instruction of any kind.  The mnemonic is FANBOYS not FANBOY.
> The "S" makes all the difference.  "So" is the only coordinating
> conjunction that indicates material implicature, effectively carrying the
> meaning of "therefore".  In the college setting in which I teach, I can be
> forceful about blaming poor previous instruction for difficulties some
> students have and can dissuade them from continuing to use incorrect
> grammar.  I appreciate the fact that you may not have such a luxury with
> younger students.  However, they need to be weaned of the misunderstanding
> regarding "so".
> Perhaps the students only think of "so" in its adverbial usage such as: "I
> went to bed early so I could get a good night's sleep", which of course
> does not require a comma.  They need to become comfortable with a compound
> like "It is very hot outside today, so I'm not going to wear a jacket",
> which typically does take a comma.
>
>
> All the best,
>
> Til
>
>
> Til Turner
> Languages and Literature
> Northern Virginia Community College
> www.englishiskillingme.com
> Ph: 703.323.3269
>
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [
> [log in to unmask]] on behalf of Nathalia Hardy [
> [log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2015 8:17 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Compound Sentences and Coordinating Conjunctions
>
> I am hoping you could help me solve a bit of a mystery.  Some of my
> students have been taught that "so" is not a coordinating conjunction and
> should not be used to join two independent clauses.  Unfortunately, none of
> them can explain this other than to say "their teacher said so."  These are
> seventh and eighth grade students.  They have been taught the mnemonic
> device FANBOY to remember the coordinating conjunctions and are holding
> firm in their "understanding."  Am I missing something?
>
> Best,
>
> Nathalia Hardy
>
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-- 
Nathalia S. A. Hardy

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