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6.08 Compound and Complex Patterns

I. Compound Sentence Structure

The compound sentence is formed by combining two simple sentence patterns.

These two simple sentence patterns are connected by

A. Coordinating conjunctions: and, but

B. A semicolon: (;)

C. Conjunctive adverbs: however, therefore, nevertheless, consequently

Here is an example of a compound sentence:

The Romans first invaded England in 55 BCE, but significant colonization did not occur until 43 CE.

Use the information above to compose two original and correctly punctuated compound sentences.

 1.      

 

2.      

 

Correctness:

1. Use a comma before a conjunction which connects two independent clauses in a compound sentence. Connecting two independent clauses with a comma and no conjunction is a major sentence error called a comma splice or run-on sentence .

2. A semicolon can substitute for a comma and a conjunction to connect the clauses of a compound sentence.

3. Do not confuse compound elements in a simple sentence pattern with a compound sentence; it is not correct to separate the parts of a compound verb, for example, with a comma (e.g., The meal arrived, and the man ate but The meal arrived and was eaten).

II. Complex Sentence Structure

A complex sentence is formed by combining one simple sentence pattern functioning as an independent clause with a second simple sentence pattern functioning as a subordinate clause.

Subordination is the most common way to vary sentences and to show complex meaning. There are three types of subordinate clauses, named according to their use in relation to the independent clause: the adverb clause, the adjective clause, and the noun clause.

Adverb Clause

The following are examples of adverb clauses. The subordinate conjunction introduces the subordinate clause, and the clause is underlined. Use the correct codes to identify the simple sentence patterns in both the main clause and the subordinate clause:

S + V = subject + verb

S + V + PA = subject + linking verb + predicate adjective

S + V + PN = subject + linking verb + predicate noun

S + V + DO = subject + transitive verb + direct object

S + V + IO + DO = subject + transitive verb + indirect object + direct object

1. After barbarians invaded Rome by about 450 CE, the Roman legions were withdrawn from England.

 

Main Clause      ______________________________

Subordinate Clause      ______________________________

 

2. The Romans did not return to England until Pope Gregory I sent Augustine to convert King Ethelbert of Kent to Christianity in 597 CE.

 

Main Clause      ______________________________

Subordinate Clause      ______________________________

 

Correctness:

1. A comma should follow an introductory adverb clause. The adverb clause includes its own simple sentence pattern and the modifiers of all of its parts. The comma is needed to signal to the reader that the subordinate clause has come to an end and that the main clause is about the begin.

2. A comma is not needed when the adverbial clause occurs after the main clause, because the importance of the main clause is shown by its primary position in the sentence.

 

Adjective Clause

Adjective clauses are introduced by one of the relative pronouns: who, whom, which, that.

The following are examples of adjective clauses. The subordinate conjunction introduces the subordinate clause. Use the codes listed in the previous exercise to identify the simple sentence patterns in both the main clause and the subordinate clause.

1. The invasion of the Anglo-Saxons who settled the rich lands of southern England forced the Celts to flee northward where an agricultural civilization was more difficult to maintain.

 

Main Clause      ______________________________

Subordinate Clause      ______________________________

 

2. St. Augustine, who should not be confused with the author of the City of God, became the first Archbishop of Canterbury and made Canterbury the seat of the Roman Church in England.

 

Main Clause      ______________________________

Subordinate Clause      ______________________________

 

3. Bede tells the story of how Christianity came to Northumbria through King Edwin, whom Paulinus converted.

 

Main Clause      ______________________________

Subordinate Clause      ______________________________

 

Correctness:

1. When an adjective clause is necessary for the meaning of the sentence (restrictive), no commas are used to set it off from the rest of the sentence.

2. When an adjective clause is unnecessary for the meaning of the sentence and is unrelated to its central point, the adjective clause is acting as a parenthetical element (nonrestrictive), and commas are used to set it apart from the rest of the sentence.

3. The case of the relative pronouns who (nominative case) and whom (objective case) is determined by their use in the adjective clause. (Is the relative pronoun the subject of the subordinate clause or is it the object of a preposition, for example?)

 

C. Noun Clause

The words that, how, and what frequently introduce noun clauses. Noun clauses fill any slot in the simple sentence pattern which a noun can fill: subject, predicate nominative, direct object, or object of a preposition or verb.

The following are examples of noun clauses. The subordinate conjunction introduces the subordinate clause, and the clause is underlined. As in the previous exercises, use the correct codes to identify the simple sentence patterns in both the main clause and the subordinate clause.

1. Modern scientific methods of dating suggest that Stonehenge is a relic of Iberian culture.

 

Main Clause      ______________________________

Subordinate Clause      ______________________________

 

2. What the original purpose and use of Stonehenge might have been is not known.

 

Main Clause      ______________________________

Subordinate Clause      ______________________________

 Correctness:

Commas should not be used to set off noun clauses since the clause is an essential part of the simple sentence pattern.

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