What Is a Compound Sentence? | Example & Definition
A compound sentence consists of two independent clauses (i.e., two simple sentences) joined by a comma and coordinating conjunction or a semicolon (e.g., “I went to the store, and Marcus cooked dinner”).
Compound sentences are one of the four sentence structures in English. The others are simple sentences, complex sentences, and compound-complex sentences.
What is a compound sentence?
A compound sentence is made up of two independent clauses (a group of words with a subject and a verb that can stand on its own as a sentence). The two independent clauses are always joined by a comma and coordinating conjunction (e.g., “and,” “or,” “but”) or a semicolon (;).
Remember that in a compound sentence, each part of the sentence could stand on its own if the comma and coordinating conjunction or the semicolon were removed.
How to create compound sentences
Compound sentences are always formed by joining two simple sentences. The sentences can be joined in two ways:
Use a comma and coordinating conjunction
There are seven coordinating conjunctions in English. They are often remembered with the mnemonic device FANBOYS:
- For
- And
- Nor
- But
- Or
- Yet
- So
Any of these can be used to create a compound sentence, though “for,” “yet,” and “nor” are relatively less common. The choice of a coordinating conjunction depends on the relationship you want to express between the two independent clauses.
Just because you see a coordinating conjunction does not mean the sentence is compound.
Coordinating conjunctions can also be used in other ways, such as joining a compound subject or compound predicate.
Simple sentences | Compound sentences |
---|---|
Nella and Carlos are eating lunch. | Nella is eating lunch, and Carlos is in a meeting. |
We can go to the park or watch a movie. | We can go to the park, or we can watch a movie. |
Use a semicolon
Instead of using a comma and coordinating conjunction, you can use a semicolon in compound sentences. A semicolon indicates that the two sentences are related, but, unlike a coordinating conjunction, it does not give information about what that relationship is.
Note that the word following the semicolon is not capitalized (unless it is a proper noun).
Semicolons are often used along with conjunctive adverbs (e.g., “however,” “as a result”) to give more information about the relationship between the two clauses.
Compound vs complex sentences
Sentence structure is determined by the number and type of clauses in a sentence. English has two clause types:
- Independent clauses can stand on their own as a sentence.
- Dependent clauses cannot stand on their own as a sentence. They begin with a dependent clause marker, either a subordinating conjunction (e.g., “until,” “if,”) or a relative pronoun (e.g., “that,” “which,” “who”).
The table below shows the components of the four different sentence structures.
Type | Components | Example |
---|---|---|
Simple | One independent clause | Teresa passed the test. |
Compound | Two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction or semicolon | Teresa passed the test, but Avi failed it. |
Complex | One independent clause and one or more dependent clauses | Avi failed the test because she didn’t study. |
Compound-complex | Two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses | Teresa passed the test, but Avi failed it because she didn’t study. |
While compound sentences are made up of at least two independent clauses, complex sentences are made up of only one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.
Frequently asked questions about compound sentences
- What is a compound sentence example?
-
An example of a compound sentence is “Rakesh likes baseball, but Simone prefers basketball.”
This sentence, like all compound sentences, has two independent clauses (“Rakesh likes baseball” and “Simone prefers basketball”). The two independent clauses are joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction (“but”).
Other coordinating conjunctions (e.g., “and,” “so”) can also be used to form a compound sentence. Alternatively, a semicolon can be used (e.g., “Rakesh likes baseball; Simone prefers basketball”).
QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can help ensure your compound sentences are free of errors.
- How do you make a compound sentence?
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A compound sentence is made by combining two simple sentences (or independent clauses) with a comma and coordinating conjunction or a semicolon.
QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can help ensure your compound sentences are structured correctly.
- What is the difference between a simple and compound sentence?
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Simple and compound sentences differ in their number of independent clauses (i.e., a group of words with a subject and verb that can stand on its own as a sentence).
- Simple sentences have one independent clause. For example: “Jack went shopping.”
- Compound sentences have at least two independent clauses joined by a comma and coordinating conjunction or a semicolon. For example: “Jack went shopping, and Lucy cooked dinner.”
Note that simple sentences can have compound subjects (e.g., “Jack and Lucy went shopping”) or compound predicates (e.g., “Jack went shopping and cooked dinner”) or both (e.g., “‘Jack and Lucy went shopping and cooked dinner”).
A compound sentence, in contrast, is formed when two full simple sentences are connected.
Use QuillBot’s Grammar Checker to make sure your sentences are structured correctly.
- What is the difference between a complex sentence and a compound sentence?
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Complex sentences are made up of one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
Compound sentences are made up of two or more independent clauses connected with a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon.
Complex vs compound sentence examples Complex sentence Compound sentence If it stops raining, I will go to the park. It stopped raining, so I went to the park. Kya was sleeping while the teacher was talking. The teacher was talking, and Kya was sleeping. QuillBot’s Paraphraser can help you vary your sentence structure to improve your writing.