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- A simple sentence has just one clause.
- A compound sentence joins simple sentences together, using words like and, but or so.
- A complex sentence joins clauses together using words like after, because, who, where and whenever.
What is the difference between a compound and a complex sentence?
Difference Between Compound and Complex Sentences
- There are two independent clauses in a compound sentence that are joined using a coordinator. ...
- There are two or more clauses in a complex sentence with one essentially an independent clause while there can be one or more dependent clauses.
- Complex sentences are for reflecting relationships or conveying ideas.
What is the difference between complex and compound sentences?
What are some examples of a compound and complex sentence?
- When I grow up, I want to be a ballerina, and my mom is proud of me.
- I will get to watch television, but first, I have to clean up the dishes after we finish eating.
- We won the game, but my uniform was muddy because it rained the entire time.
What are 20 examples of compound sentences?
What are 10 examples of compound sentences?
- I like coffee. Mary likes tea. → I like coffee, and Mary likes tea.
- Mary went to work. John went to the party. I went home. → Mary went to work, but John went to the party, and I went home.
- Our car broke down. We came last. → Our car broke down; we came last.
What are 10 examples of complex sentences?
What are 10 examples of complex sentence? 10 Complex Sentences in English. Although my friends begged me, I chose not to go to the reunion. Many people enjoyed the movie; however, Alex did not. Although the farmer is ready, the ground is still too wet to plow. If the ozone layer collapses, the global community will suffer.
What is a complex and compound sentence examples?
Example: Because the soup was too cold, I warmed it in the microwave. A compound-complex sentence is comprised of at least two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses. Example: Though Mitchell prefers watching romantic films, he rented the latest spy thriller, and he enjoyed it very much.
What is complex complex sentence?
A complex sentence is a sentence that contains an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, but a dependent clause even though it has a subject and a verb cannot stand alone.
What are 5 examples of complex compound sentences?
Compound Complex Sentences ExamplesWhen I grow up, I want to be a ballerina, and my mom is proud of me.I will get to watch television, but first, I have to clean up the dishes after we finish eating.We won the game, but my uniform was muddy because it rained the entire time.More items...
What are 10 examples of complex sentences?
30 Complex Sentences ExamplesAli wants to attend this meeting but her family issues restrained him.As soon as Adam leaves the class, I will start reading loud.Even though we were rich, we drive antique cars.He cannot come with you, he have to go to office.He didn't want to go to the dentist, though he is very sick.More items...
Which is the compound sentence?
As learnt in sentence construction, a compound sentence has two or more separate clauses connected by a semicolon and coordinating conjunction. A compound sentence comprises two or more basic phrases joined together. There are no dependent clauses in a compound sentence.
What is complex sentence give example?
A complex sentence is a sentence that contains an independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses. We use complex sentences when we want to provide more information to support our point. For example, "because he didn't do his homework on time, he didn't get a treat after dinner."
What are 20 examples of compound sentences?
Compound SentencesI like coffee. Mary likes tea. → I like coffee, and Mary likes tea.Mary went to work. John went to the party. I went home. → Mary went to work, but John went to the party, and I went home.Our car broke down. We came last. → Our car broke down; we came last.
What are 50 examples of compound sentences?
50 Useful Examples of Compound SentencesI want to see the movie; it's about a girl who plays soccer.She is not sure if she will succeed; she has no experience.They didn't like the food; they left the restaurant.She is good at sports; she works as a trainer.He was taking pictures of the game; he had a good camera.More items...•
What is compound complex?
What Is a Compound-Complex Sentence? In English grammar, a compound-complex sentence is a type of sentence that contains at least three clauses—two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses—which equates to three sets of subjects and verbs.
Why do we use complex sentences?
Complex sentences help connect one idea with another by showing relationships between clauses (Powers, 2015). Combining clauses into one sentence strengthens the whole idea, which either an independent or dependent clause is unable to do. Among the instances you should use complex sentences include:
What is a coordinating conjunction in a complex sentence?
As complex sentences have a main clause and subordinate clause, it follows that the clauses are unequal. A coordinating conjunction is required to ensure that the inequality between these clauses stays. Common coordinating conjunctions include if, when, since, because, while, and after.
Why are complex sentences less error prone?
Compared to other sentence types, complex sentences are less error-prone as the clauses have an established relationship. Below are two of the most common errors that occur when writing complex sentences.
What is sentence sprawl?
Sentence sprawl occurs when too many equally weighted phrases and clauses are placed in a single sentence, which produces tiresome sentences. Usually, it happens when many subordinate or coordinate clauses are placed together in one sentence (Rivas, 2020).
What is a dependent clause?
Also known as a subordinate clause, a dependent clause is a group of words that does not convey a complete thought or idea. It needs a main clause for it to be considered as a complete sentence. While they can be finite, dependent clauses do not require a tense, as it gets its time reference from the main clause. Dependent clauses usually start with a subordinator word such as “when,” “if” or “which.” Similarly, in the complex sentence above, the subordinate clause was “ while I was sleeping.”
What is a good sentence for "after taking a bath"?
A better complex sentence would be, “I need to dry the towel after taking a bath.”
What is the order of sentences in English?
Sentences traditionally contain a subject, a verb, and an object. Typically, the order is Subject-Verb-Object, where the subject performs the action (verb) to the object. Babbel Magazine notes that 41% of languages use the S-V-O pattern when creating sentences. However, an even bigger number of languages (47.5%) commonly use the Subject-Object-Verb syntax (S-O-V) instead (Devlin, 2018). For non-native English speakers more inclined to use S-O-V, this may take some time getting used to.
What is the difference between a complex sentence and a compound sentence?
Main Difference: The difference between Compound and Complex Sentences is that Compound sentence is a sentence that has multiple independent clauses, but no dependent clause. Complex sentence is a sentence that has one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
What is a complex sentence?
A complex sentence is made up of an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses connected to it. A dependent clause is a clause that does not express a complete thought. Examples of dependent clauses: In complex sentences, the clauses are connected by subordinating conjunctions.
How is an independent clause joined with a dependent clause?
An independent clause is joined with one or more dependent clause by a subordinating conjunction to form a complex sentence. Complex sentence: He realized that the bus was late while he was waiting at the bus station.
How many coordinating conjunctions are there in a compound sentence?
In a compound sentence, the clauses are connected by a coordinating conjunction. There are only seven coordinating conjunctions in English. They are, For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet and So. Look at the examples below to understand the formation of a compound sentence before.
How to construct a complex sentence?
You can construct a complex sentence by including the dependent clause first, followed by the independent clause.
When to use a comma in a dependent clause?
Note that a comma should be used at the end of the dependent clause if you are writing the dependent clause first. However, if you are including the independent clause first, a comma should not be used. You can observe this difference in the two examples above.
How many independent clauses are in a complex sentence?
Complex Sentence: A complex sentence contains only one independent clause.
What is a compound complex sentence?
As the name suggests, a mixture of compound and complex sentences makes a compound – complex sentence. A compound – complex sentence has more than one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses joined by the same coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS).
What does it mean when a sentence has a compound subject?
A simple sentence can have a compound subject, that means two different people or things are doing the same action.
What is the conjunction in a sentence that makes it a compound predicate?
In these sentences, the two verb phrases are linked together by the coordinating conjunction “ and”, this is what makes this simple sentence have a compound predicate. The conjunctions in these sentences are connecting the verb phrases so it means that this is a complete thought. So we know that these groups of words can stand on their own because they have a subject, verb, and a complete thought.
Why is "mom" and "daddy" a compound subject?
In the second sentence, “Mom” and “Dad” are linked together by the coordinating conjunction “and” being the reason why we call it a simple sentence with compound subjects because there are two or more people or things doing the same action. The conjunctions connected the subjects so this is a complete thought. Coordinating conjunctions can be remembered by the famous acronym FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So).
What is compound predicate?
A simple sentence can have a compound predicate that means the subject or subjects of the sentence are doing two or more different things or actions.
What is a simple sentence?
A simple sentence is a group of words that has a subject, a verb, and delivers a complete thought. Another name for a simple sentence is an independent clause.
Can a compound sentence be a conjunction?
These are two independent clauses and can stand on their own; however, to form a compound sentence we will add a conjunction.
How to create a complex sentence?
A writer creates a complex sentence by joining an independent clause (or “complete thought”) and a dependent clause (a.k.a. subordinate clause). First, let’s define “dependent clause.”. It cannot stand alone as a complete sentence (even though it may contain a subject and a verb), and it begins with a subordinating conjunction (because, when, ...
How do writers create compound sentences?
A writer creates a compound sentence by joining two complete thoughts (meaning each thought has a subject and verb, and the thoughts could stand all on their own—otherwise known as “independent clauses”).
What are some examples of conjunctive adverbs?
Side Note: Some other examples of conjunctive adverbs are however, moreover, therefore, thus, consequently, furthermore, and unfortunately.
Do you put a comma after a dependent clause?
Side Note: If a dependent clause comes first, a comma should follow it. No comma needed if the independent clause comes first (unless you’re trying to show contrast between the two clauses).
How many independent clauses are in a compound sentence?
A compound sentence contains two independent clauses that are connected by a conjunction. A compound-complex sentence not only has two independent clauses, but it also contains at least one dependent clause.
How many clauses are there in the first sentence?
In the first sentence, there are two clauses: The drumline won state finals and they earned a trip to Disney World.
What is a conjunction in a sentence?
Clue: A conjunction is a transitional word that connects two or more thoughts or phrases. Example conjunctions include: but, and, or, for, so, nor, and yet.
Is an independent clause a complete thought?
Clue: An independent clause has its own subject and verb, and it is a complete thought. A dependent clause may have its own subject and verb, but it is not a complete thought.
Is the first sentence a compound sentence?
Both can stand alone as a sentence. Since they are both independent clauses, and a conjunction connects them, the first sentence is a compound sentence.
What is a complex sentence?
A complex sentence is a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. It works best when you need to provide more information to explain or modify your sentence’s main point. Complex sentences are easy to spot as they often use subordinating conjunctions like because, since, or until to connect clauses.
Why is one sentence complete but not the other?
However, both clauses contain a subject and a verb, so why is one a complete sentence but not the other? The short answer is that dependent clauses always start with subordinating conjunctions. In a way, these subordinating conjunctions turn independent clauses into dependent ones.
What is conditional sentence?
One of the most common types of complex sentences are conditional sentences, which discuss imaginary situations, often using an if-then structure. In conditional sentences, one clause is true only if both clauses are true. “If you’re always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” —Maya Angelou.
What is dependent clause?
Dependent clauses, also known as subordinate clauses, are clauses that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. Without an independent clause, a dependent clause is just a sentence fragment. Incorrect: When I grow up. Correct: When I grow up, I’ll use complete sentences. One of the most common types of complex sentences are conditional sentences, ...
What does "alone" mean in a sentence?
Alone, this independent clause means that you must remain at school forever. Now, let’s add a dependent clause to make a complex sentence that clarifies things further: You cannot leave the school until the bell rings.
Do you use commas in complex sentences?
Although conditional sentences get complicated, complex sentences in general have fairly easy grammar rules. As long as you’re using the right subordinate conjunction, you only have to worry about commas in complex sentences. Whether or not to use a common depends on which clause comes first:
Can you combine two simple sentences to make one complex sentence?
Any sentence with more than one clause—including complex sentences—cannot be simple sentences. Interestingly, you can sometimes combine two simple sentences to create one complex sentence, as long as you add a subordinate conjunction. Troy ate a giant cookie. He got a stomach ache.
