Definition: compound-complex Sentence
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Definition: compound-complex
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A sentence with two or more independent
clauses and at least one dependent
clause.
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The compound-complex sentence is one of the four basic sentence
structures. The other structures are the simple
sentence, the compound
sentence, and the complex
sentence.
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See also:
Examples and
Observations:
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"The compound-complex
sentence is so named because it
shares the characteristics of both compound and complex sentences. Like the compound sentence, the compound-complex has
two main clauses. Like
the complex sentence, it
has at least one subordinate clause. The subordinate clause can
be part of an independent clause."
(Random House Webster's Pocket Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation, 2007)
(Random House Webster's Pocket Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation, 2007)
·
"The door of the
morning room was open as I went through the hall, and I caught a glimpse of
Uncle Tom messing about with his collection of old silver."
(P.G. Wodehouse, The Code of the Woosters, 1938)
(P.G. Wodehouse, The Code of the Woosters, 1938)
- "All of us are egotists to some extent, but most
of us--unlike the jerk--are perfectly and horribly aware of it when we
make asses of ourselves."
(Sidney J. Harris, "A Jerk," 1961)
- "Those are my principles,
and if you don't like them . . . well, I have others."
(Groucho Marx)
- "The Druids used mistletoe in ceremonies of human
sacrifice, but most of all the evergreen became a symbol of fertility
because it flourished in winter when other plants withered."
(Sian Ellis, "England's Ancient 'Special Twig.'" British Heritage, January 2001)
- "For in the end, freedom is a personal and lonely
battle; and one faces down fears of today so that those of tomorrow might
be engaged."
(Alice Walker, In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens, 1983)
- "We operate under a jury system in this country,
and as much as we complain about it, we have to admit that we know of no
better system, except possibly flipping a coin."
(Dave Barry, Dave Barry's Guide to Marriage And/or Sex, 1987) - "She gave me another of those long keen looks, and
I could see that she was again asking herself if her favourite nephew
wasn't steeped to the tonsils in the juice of the grape."
(P.G. Wodehouse, Plum Pie, 1966)
- "In America everybody is of the opinion that he
has no social superiors, since all men are equal, but he does not admit
that he has no social inferiors, for, from the time of Jefferson onward,
the doctrine that all men are equal applies only upwards, not
downwards."
(Bertrand Russell, Unpopular Essays, 1930)
- How and Why to Use
Compound-Complex Sentences
"The compound-complex sentence consists of two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses. This syntactic shape is essential in representing complex relationships and so is frequently put to use in various forms of analytically writing, especially in academic writing. It is also probably true that the ability to use compound-complex sentences elevates a writer's credibility: it demonstrates that he or she can bring together in a single sentence a range of different pieces of information and order them in relationship to each other. This is not to say that the compound-complex sentence invites confusion: on the contrary, when handled carefully, it has the opposite effect--it clarifies the complexity and enables readers to see it clearly."
(David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen, Writing Analytically, 6th ed. Wads worth, 2012)
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