Compoun Sentences

2. Compound Sentences

A compound sentence is two or more independent clauses joined together. There are three ways to join the clauses:

2.1 With Coordinator

A compound sentence can be formed as follows:

         Independent clause, + coordinator + independent clause

         “Salt water boils at a higher temperature than freshwater, so food cooks faster in salt water”

There are seven coordinators, which are also called coordinating conjunctions. You can remember them by the phrase FAN BOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So)

The following sentences illustrate the meanings of the seven FAN BOYS coordinators. (Punctuation note: there is a comma after the first independent clause.)

Coordinators (Coordinating Conjunctions)

To add a reason
for	Japanese people live longer than most other nationalities, for they eat healthful diets.
To add a similar, equal idea
and	They eat a lot of fish and vegetables, and they eat lightly
To add a negative equal idea
nor	They do not eat a lot of red meat, nor do they eat many dairy products. Note: Nor means “and not.” It joins two negative independent clauses. Notice that question word order is used after nor.
To add an opposite idea
but	Diet is one factor in how long people live, but it is not the only factor.
To add an alternative possibility
or	However, people should limit the amount of animal fat in their diet, or they risk getting heart disease.
To add an unexpected or surprising continuation
yet	Cigarette smoking is a factor in longevity, yet Japanese and other long-lived Asians have a very high rate of tobacco use.
To add an expected result
so	Doctors say that stress is another longevity factor, so try to avoid stress if you wish to live a longer life.

But and yet have similar meanings: They both signal that an opposite idea is coming. But is preferred when the two clauses are direct opposites. When the second clause is an unexpected or surprising continuation because of information given in the first clause, yet is preferred. (But is acceptable for both meanings; yet for only one meaning.) Compare:

I want to study art, but my parents want me to study engineering (direct opposite)

I am very bad at math, yet my parents want me to study engineering. (very surprising)

Practice 1. Which coordinator would you use to connect the two clauses in these sentences? Write either but or yet in the blank space.

1    a.  Too much sun damages the skin, _________ many people still do not use sunscreen.

      b.  Too much sun damages the skin, _________ too little sun also causes health problems.

2    a.  The company’s sales increased last year, _________ its profits declined.

      b. The company moved its marketing division to Phoenix _________ the operations division stayed in Boston.

3    a.  Population growth has slowed in most developing countries, _________ it has not slowed enough to avoid serious problems.

      b.  The fertility rate in India has decreased from 6 to 3 births per female, _________ India’s population is expanding at the rate of 18 million per year.

2.2 With a conjunctive adverb

A second way to form a compound sentence is as follows:

         Independent clauses; + conjunctive adverb, + independent clause

         Salt water boils at a higher temperature than freshwater; therefore, food cooks faster in salt water

Punctuation note: Put a semicolon before and a comma after the conjunctive adverb. The following chart lists common conjunctive and adverbs and a few transition signals.

Conjunctive Adverbs

To add a similar, equal idea
also besides furthermore in addition moreover as well too	Community colleges offer preparation for many occupations; also/ besides/ furthermore/ in addition/ moreover, they prepare students to transfer to a four-year college or university. Community colleges offer preparation for many occupations; they prepare students to transfer to a four-year college or university as well. Community colleges offer preparation for many occupations; they prepare students to transfer to a four-year college or university, too.
To add an unexpected or surprising continuation
however nevertheless nonetheless still	The cost of attending a community college is low; however/ nevertheless/ nonetheless/ still, many students need financial aid.
To add a complete contrast
on the other hand in contrast		Tuition at a community college is low; on the other hand/ in contrast, tuition at private schools is high.
To give an alternative possibility
otherwise	Students must take final exams; otherwise, they will receive a grade of incomplete.
To add an expected result
accordingly as a result consequently hence therefore thus	Native and nonnative English speakers have different needs; accordingly/ as a result/ consequently/ hence/ therefore/ thus, most schools provide separate English classes for each group.
To support
for example for instance	Most colleges now have a writing requirement for graduation; for example/ for instance, students at my college must pass a writing test before they register for their final semester.

2.3 With a semicolon

A third way to form a compound sentence is to connect the two independent clauses with a semicolon alone:

Poland was the first Easter European country to turn away from communism; others soon followed.

This kind of compound sentence is possible only when the two independent clauses are closely related in meaning. If they are not closely related, they should be written as two simple sentences, each ending with a period.

Practice 2. Place a semicolon between the two independent clauses in the following compound sentences.

1.       The practice of yoga strengthens the body and promotes flexibility it also strengthens the mind and refreshes the soul.

2.       Motherhood causes some women to quit their jobs others continue working despite having young children to care for.

3.       Three hundred guests attended his wedding two attended his funeral.

3. Complex Sentences

A complex sentence contains one independent clause and one (or more) dependent clause(s). In a complex sentence, one idea is generally more important than the other. We place the more important idea in the independent clause and the less important idea in the dependent clause.

There are three kinds of dependent clauses: adverb, adjective, and noun.

3.1 Complex Sentences with Adverb Clauses

An adverb clause acts like an adverb; that is, it tells where, when, why, and how. An adverb clause begins with a subordinator, such as when, while, because, although, if, so, or that. It can come before or after an independent clause.

Although women in the United States could own property, they could not vote until 1920.

A citizen can vote in the United States when he or she is 18 years old.

3.2 Complex Sentences with adjective Clauses

An adjective clauses acts like an adjective; that is, it describes a noun or pronoun. An adjective clause begins with a relative pronoun, such as who, whom, which, whose, or that, or with a relative adverb, such as where or when. It follows the noun or pronoun it describes.

Men who are not married are called bachelors.

Last year we vacationed in Cozumel, which features excellent scuba diving.

3.3 Complex Sentences with Noun Clause

A noun clauses begins with a wh- question word, that, whether, and sometimes if. A noun clause acts like a noun; it can be either the subject or an object of the independent clause.

That there is a hole in the ozone layer of Earth’s atmosphere is well known.

Scientists know what caused it.

Practice 3. Underline the independent clause of each sentence with a solid line and underline the dependent clause with a broken line.

1.       Because the cost of education is rising, many students must work part-time.

2.       When students from other countries come to the United States, they often suffer from culture shock.

3.       Because financial aid is difficult to obtain, many students have to work part-time.

4.       Please tell me where the student union is.

5.       Engineers, who have an aptitude for drafting and mechanics, must also be artistic and imaginative.

6.       While the contractor follows the blueprint, the engineer checks the construction in progress.

7.       Since the blueprint presents the details of the engineer’s plans, it must be interpreted accurately by the contractor.

8.       Students should declare a major by their junior year unless they have not made up their minds.

9.       Even though students declare a major now, they can change it later.

10.   The government says that inflation is holding steady.