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Compound-complex sentences
Compound-complex sentences are compound sentences with dependent or subordinate clauses added to them. Paige and Rosie explain how to spot and use them.
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- OK. Hi,um,athow is "I went outside,and I picked flowers" both independent clauses? 1:41(10 votes)
- Those two phrases can stand alone and work logically. "I went outside." and "I picked flowers." don't need an independent clause.(8 votes)
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- can we have 1 independent and 1 dependent clause in a compound complex sentence(5 votes)
- To have "compound-complex" you need to have something "compound", which requires two independent clauses. But, if that's all you have, then you only have "compound", so you need a dependent clause to make it also "complex". Similarly, if you have one independent plus one dependent clause, you have "complex', but nothing "compound".(3 votes)
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- Could the sentence also be from, because the flowers were beautiful, I went outside, and I picked flowers after the storm passed? 3:32(4 votes)
Video transcript
- [Voiceover] Hello, grammarians. Hello, Rosie. - [Voiceover] Hi, Paige. - [Voiceover] So in this
video we're gonna talk about compound-complex sentences. - [Voiceover] So we just
covered complex sentences in the last video which
is where you've got a simple sentence or
one independent clause and then that's accompanied by at least one dependent clause. So, the compound-complex sentence
is a little bit different. In this one you have a compound sentence which is more than one independent clause, and also at least one dependent clause. - [Voiceover] Okay, so
it's like there's compound and there's complex and this is a combination of both of them. - [Voiceover] That's right. - [Voiceover] Right, okay,
so, compound-complex takes the more than one independent clause from a compound sentence
and the dependent clause or more than one from a complex sentence and puts them together
so you have at least two independent clauses and
at least one dependent clause. I say at least 'cause you
could have more than one or more than two of either of those. But, it has to be at least that. - [Voiceover] Right. - [Voiceover] So, Rosie, just to make sure this all makes sense,
can we get an example of a compound-complex sentence? - [Voiceover] After the storm passed, I went outside and I picked flowers. - [Voiceover] That's lovely. - [Voiceover] Isn't that nice? - [Voiceover] Okay, so I went
outside and I picked flowers are both independent clauses. Ignoring after the storm passed, if we just had I went
outside and I picked flowers, that's a compound sentence,
that's two independent clauses. So then we add after the storm passed which is a dependent clause and that makes it compound-complex. We have at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. So in this case exactly
two and exactly one. Rosie, can you tell me
about your friend Alberto in a compound-complex sentence, please. - [Voiceover] Sure. My friend Alberto, well, you'll see. Though he has a crippling walnut allergy, Alberto bravely walked
through the walnut grove, but he made sure to wear long sleeves. - [Voiceover] That's a good call. - [Voiceover] Yeah, he's smart. - [Voiceover] Yeah, smart kid. So, again, if we just say, Alberto bravely walked
through the walnut grove, but he made sure to make long sleeves, that's a compound sentence. There's two independent clauses, Alberto bravely walked through
the walnut grove is one, and then the second one is but he made sure to wear long sleeves. But then, again, we add a
dependent clause at the beginning, though he has a crippling walnut allergy. That is what makes it compound-complex, it has elements of compound,
the two independent clauses and it has an element of
complex, the dependent clause, but Rosie, these are
both the minimum number. These sentences both have
the minimum number of each independent and dependent clauses. So, can we see something maybe
that has like more clauses? - [Voiceover] Yeah, sure. Well, let's take a look at
this first sentence we have, I think we can add a
dependent clause to that. Let's give it a try. After the storm passed, I went
outside and I picked flowers because they were beautiful. - [Voiceover] Okay, I see. Right, so this is a case
where we see we can have more than one dependent
clause if we want to, right. I know I keep saying this,
but two independent clauses and one dependent clause are the minimum for a compound-complex sentence. It can have more, and it still qualifies as compound-complex. So that's compound-complex sentences. They are like compound in that they have more than
one independent clause, and they're like complex in that they also have dependent clauses. You can learn anything, Paige out. - [Voiceover] Rosie out.