A compound sentence contains two or more main clauses that are usually joined by a coordinating conjunction (such as "and," "but," or "or"). Each clause can stand alone as a complete sentence.
In contrast, a complex sentence has one main clause and one or more subordinate clauses.
To summarize:
- Compound Sentence: Two or more main clauses (e.g., "I wanted to go for a walk, but it started to rain.")
- Complex Sentence: One main clause and at least one subordinate clause (e.g., "Although it was raining, I decided to go for a walk.")
So, the correct answer to your question is that a compound sentence has two main clauses.