Question
What is a compound sentence?
What is a complex sentence?
What is a complex sentence?
Answers
GPT-4o mini
A **compound sentence** is made up of two or more independent clauses that are joined by a coordinating conjunction (such as "and," "but," "or," "nor," "for," "so," or "yet") or a semicolon. Each clause in a compound sentence can stand alone as a complete sentence. For example:
- "I wanted to go for a walk, but it was raining."
A **complex sentence**, on the other hand, contains one independent clause and at least one dependent (or subordinate) clause. The dependent clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence and is often introduced by subordinating conjunctions such as "because," "although," "since," "when," or "if." For example:
- "Although it was raining, I decided to go for a walk."
In summary, a compound sentence links multiple complete thoughts, while a complex sentence combines a complete thought with an incomplete one that adds additional information.
- "I wanted to go for a walk, but it was raining."
A **complex sentence**, on the other hand, contains one independent clause and at least one dependent (or subordinate) clause. The dependent clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence and is often introduced by subordinating conjunctions such as "because," "although," "since," "when," or "if." For example:
- "Although it was raining, I decided to go for a walk."
In summary, a compound sentence links multiple complete thoughts, while a complex sentence combines a complete thought with an incomplete one that adds additional information.