Compound-complex sentences

You know that sentence 1 is a compound sentence:

1. Martha left me a note but I can’t find it.

You also know that sentence2 is a complex sentence:

2. She answered him impatiently when he questioned her credentials.

Like all compound sentences, sentence 1 contains at least two complete sentences joined by a coordinating conjunction, in this case but. And like all complex sentences, sentence 2 contains a main clause with at least one dependent clause; the dependent clause begins with a subordinating conjunction, in this case when.

But what about this next sentence?

3. I’ll leave a message for the plumber but I’m not sure that he’ll get it.

You won’t be surprised to learn that sentences such as sentence 3, which are both compound (two clauses connected with but) and complex (two clauses connected with that), are called compound-complex sentences. These are sentences that contain at least two main clauses, and at least one of the main clauses has at least one dependent clause.

Quick tip

A compound-complex sentence is a combination of a compound and a complex sentence: it has at least two main clauses and at least one dependent clause. Example: His friends were always there for William, and he appreciated the help that they often gave him.

Here are some more examples of compound-complex sentences, with the complete sentences in bold and the dependent clauses underlined:

4. While the house looked nice from the outside, the floors were sagging and the walls were crumbling.

5. The woman who lives next door is very friendly but I forgot her name.

6. I thanked him for his efforts but he insisted that he hadn’t minded.

7. If we don’t hurry, we’ll have to see a different movie, or we’ll have to come back later.

Answers

Answers

اخر الاخبار

اخبار العتبة العباسية المقدسة

سماحة السيد الصافي يكرم عددًا من عوائل الشهداء ضمن فعاليات مهرجان روح النبوة النسوي العالمي الثامن

إحدى أمهات الشهداء: نعتز بتضحيات أبنائنا ونفتخر بشهادتهم دفاعًا عن الدين والمقدسات

ضمن فعاليات مهرجان روح النبوة… عرض فيلم يوثق نشاطات الشعب النسوية في العتبة العباسية المقدسة

فعاليات مهرجان روح النبوة الثقافي تشهد تقديم أوبريت الثقلين القرآني

المزيد

الآخبار الصحية

ماذا يحدث لجسمك عند تناول الوجبات السريعة يوميا؟

لصحة عظام المرأة.. الشاي أفضل أم القهوة؟

لبناء العضلات وإنقاص الوزن.. ما أفضل توقيت لتناول البيض؟

أطعمة صحية تساعد على التعافي من "الإنفلونزا الخارقة"

المزيد

الآخبار التكنلوجية

دراسة تكشف قدرة الحيتان على سماع الأصوات منخفضة وعالية التردد من مسافة بعيدة

تجربة جديدة: الأسفلت المدعوم بالطحالب يقاوم الحفر ويقلل الانبعاثات الكربونية

تسريبات تكشف ملامح أول هاتف قابل للطي من "أبل"

رصد نوع نادر من القطط في تايلاند للمرة الأولى منذ عقود

المزيد

مواضيع ذات صلة

Case and agreement Conclusion

Case

English NP structure (continued)

Recursive rules

Adjectives and Adjective Phrases (AP)

Complements and adjuncts of N

Lexical entries and well-formed clauses Conclusion

Further notes on English Phrase Structure

Uniqueness of oblique arguments

Well-formedness conditions

Subcategorization

Selectional restrictions