Our last video broke down three different sentence structures: simple, compound and complex. You can find the link in the description below if you’d like to review these.
Before we go into what a compound-complex sentence is, we’ll need to quickly review what a compound sentence is and what a complex sentence is.
We know that a compound sentence is a combination of two or more independent clauses joined together by a coordinating conjunction.
Here’s an example of a compound sentence: ‘Stevie is tall and Kevin is short.’
Here’s the coordinating conjunction, and here are our two independent clauses. Remember, they’re independent clauses because they each make sense on their own- they have a subject and a verb.
Now to complex sentences. You’ll remember that a complex sentence is made up of an independent clause and a dependent clause. Dependent clauses are not completed thoughts.
Here's a complex sentence: ‘Because it was so hot, Tim went to the beach.’
Here is the independent clause-it’s a completed thought. Here is the dependent clause- it’s not a completed thought.
Now let’s move on to compound-complex sentences. Just as the name suggests, they are a combination of a compound and a complex sentence.
What does that mean? It means that it has at least two independent clauses, just like a compound sentence. And it has at least one dependent clause, just like a complex sentence.
Here’s an example of a compound-complex sentence: Belinda must be at work early today because there is an important meeting, but she is feeling sick.
Here are the two independent clauses. There are both completed thoughts, and here’s the coordinating conjunction. Here is the dependent clause. It’s not a completed thought.
In each of the following sentences, see if you can identify the two independent clauses and the single dependent clause.
Pause here until you’re finished.
Here are the independent clauses… and here are the dependent clauses.
Pause here until you’re finished.
Here are the independent clauses… and here are the dependent clauses.
Have a go at writing your own compound-complex sentence.
And remember, using a variety of sentence structures helps makes our writing more engaging for the reader.