Compound Sentences
What Is It?
Compound Sentences refers to sentences that join two or more independent clauses.
B1-B2 reference topic in Sentence Structure.
Why Use It?
- Show equal ideas in one sentence.
- Use coordinating conjunctions accurately.
- Avoid comma splices.
Formation and Patterns
| Use | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinator | IC + comma + and/but/or/so + IC | I revised the notes, and I finished the quiz. |
| Semicolon | IC + ; + IC | The task was hard; the examples helped. |
| Conjunctive adverb | IC + ; however, + IC | The rule is simple; however, usage varies. |
Common Mistakes
- Joining two full sentences with only a comma.
- Forgetting the comma before a coordinator when both sides are full clauses.
- Using too many compound sentences instead of varying sentence length.
Exceptions & Nuances
- Very short independent clauses may omit the comma when no confusion is likely.