Compound and Complex Sentences

Front

What is a compound sentence?

Back

A compound sentence is a sentence that contains at least two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (e.g., and, but, or).

Front

What is a complex sentence?

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A complex sentence is a sentence that contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Front

What is an independent clause?

Back

An independent clause is a group of words that can stand alone as a sentence. It has a subject and a verb.

Front

What is a dependent clause?

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A dependent clause is a group of words that cannot stand alone as a sentence. It has a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought.

Front

Identify the coordinating conjunction in this sentence: 'I wanted to go for a walk, but it started to rain.'

Back

The coordinating conjunction is 'but'.

Front

What punctuation is used to separate independent clauses in a compound sentence?

Back

A comma is used before the coordinating conjunction to separate independent clauses.

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Example of a compound sentence.

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I wanted to play outside, and my brother wanted to stay inside.

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Example of a complex sentence.

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Although it was raining, we decided to go for a hike.

Front

What is the role of a subordinating conjunction in a complex sentence?

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A subordinating conjunction introduces a dependent clause and shows the relationship between the dependent clause and the independent clause.

Front

List some common subordinating conjunctions.

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Some common subordinating conjunctions include: although, because, since, unless, and while.