Compound Sentences for intermediate learners
In this lesson, we will study compound sentences and learn how to create them by joining two or more independent clauses together.
What Are Compound Sentences?
Compound sentences are those that have at least two independent clauses. Take a look at the following examples:
I am sad but my friends seem happy.
As you can see, each sentence can be used separately and has its own subject and verb.
My mother wanted to read a book and I wanted to go to the amusement park.
She was sad and I could see it.
I have a little puppy and its name is Aco.
What Are Independent Clauses?
An independent clause has a meaning of its own and consists of a subject and a verb. It does not rely on any other clause to be complete. As it was mentioned above, compound sentences are made of at least two independent clauses which means that a compound sentence has two or more subjects and verbs. Take a look at the following examples:
As you can see, we have a subject and a verb for each sentence and each sentence can be used separately.
Here, the sentence is not compound because we have one subject and one of the sentences is incomplete without the other.
Uses
When we want to write fluently and to the point, we can use compound sentences. Study the following examples:
She is my friend. (Simple sentence 1)
Her name is Sarah. (Simple sentence 2)
She is my friend and her name is Sarah. (Compound sentence)
Punctuation
If the sentences are merely connected without any use of coordinating conjunctions, simply put a semicolon (;) between them. Take a look at the following example:
Ross is there; he's talking to that fat, old guy.
Tip!
It is useful to know that when we use coordinating conjunctions in order to connect two simple sentences, we just use a comma before them. Below is a list of some of the most common coordinating conjunctions:
She is my classmate ,
I like to have coffee,
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