Hi, I'm Ashley and here's Mia.
In this video, we'll learn about compound-complex sentences. Let's go.
First, let's review some things you already know about sentences.
So, you know that a sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought,
a clause is a group of words that contains both a subject and a predicate,
and an independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence. Both of these sentences are
called simple sentences because they contain only one independent clause. "We set up a tent." "We
camped in the yard." If we join them together with a comma and coordinating conjunction,
"We set up a tent, and we camped in the yard," we have a compound sentence.
Remember, a compound sentence contains two independent clauses, so there are two subjects,
two predicates, and they're joined together with the comma and coordinating conjunction.
All right, a couple more things to review real quick. You've learned
that a subordinating conjunction joins a dependent clause to an independent clause,
and a dependent clause is a clause that cannot stand alone
as a sentence. It has a subject and verb, but it begins with a subordinating conjunction,
and that's why it is often called a subordinate clause. So, you've learned that a complex sentence
contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause, like in the sentence
"When the sun is shining, Josh likes to play outside." It has one independent clause
and one dependent clause beginning with the subordinating conjunction "when."
Okay, so let's take an inventory of what we know. There is a simple sentence with just one
independent clause. There's the compound sentence with two independent clauses.
And then there's the complex sentence with one independent and at least one dependent clause.
All right, you ready to learn one more? It's called a compound-complex sentence.
Like the name suggests, it's a combination of two sentence types.
Let's start with just one independent clause, like "My family walked along the beach."
We can add another independent clause, like "We got sand all over our feet," by joining
it with a coordinating conjunction. All right, that makes a compound sentence. But then we can
add a dependent clause, like "After we ate dinner," to the beginning of our sentence.
Wow, there are three clauses in this sentence. Okay, read it with me. "After we ate dinner,
my family walked along the beach, and we got sand all over our feet." This is an
example of a compound-complex sentence. It has two independent clauses
joined with a comma and coordinating conjunction, and it also has a dependent clause added to it.
So now we know that a compound-complex sentence contains two independent clauses
joined by a comma and coordinating conjunction (that's the part that makes it compound), and
it also has at least one dependent clause (that's the part that makes it complex).
Here’s another example. We can start with the complex sentence "Since my sister loves art,
we gave her a paint set for her birthday." Then we make it compound by adding "and she has made
some beautiful creations." Now we have two independent clauses joined by a comma and
coordinating conjunction, and we have a dependent clause, so it's a compound-complex sentence.
We'll practice another way. Let’s start by thinking of a dependent clause.
It'll need a subject and a verb, like "I played," and then it will need to begin with
a subordinating conjunction, like "before." Now let's think of two independent clauses,
two things I might have done before I played. Maybe "I finished my work" and "I did my chores."
If we put the dependent clause with just one independent clause, like "Before I played,
I finished my work," we would have a complex sentence.
But if we join the two independent clauses with the dependent clause,
"Before I played, I finished my work, and I did my chores," we have a compound-complex sentence.
Okay, let's do it again. This time, our dependent clause can be "Because I like cake."
Now let's think of two independent clauses, two things I might have done "because I like cake."
Maybe "I learned to bake," and "I began collecting cake recipes." If we put all
three clauses together, we form a compound-complex sentence: "Because I like cake, I learned to bake,
and I began collecting cake recipes." It has two independent clauses and one dependent clause.
Let's see if we can spot the compound-complex sentence.
Is it number one: "I wear my coat, and I bundle up"? Number two: "When the weather is cold,
I wear my coat"? Or number three: "When the weather is cold, I wear my coat, and I bundle up"?
If you said number three, you are correct. It has two independent clauses,
one dependent clause. Number one is a compound sentence because it has two independent clauses,
and number two is a complex sentence because it has one dependent and one independent clause.
Let's review. In this lesson, we learned that a compound-complex sentence contains at least
one dependent clause and two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.
For example: "When Mia starts her day, she smiles and she remembers to always be clever."