compound-complex sentence

Also found in: Wikipedia.

Related to compound-complex sentence: compound sentence, simple sentence, Subordinating conjunctions

compound-complex sentence

Compound-complex sentences are one of the four main sentence structures. They are made up of two independent clauses (also known as main clauses) and one or more dependent clauses (or subordinate clauses). For a sentence to be considered compound-complex, at least one of the independent clauses must be a complex sentence (if it were to stand on its own). That is, it is made up of a dependent clause that is introduced and linked to the independent clause by a subordinating conjunction.

com·pound-com·plex sentence

(kŏm′pound-kŏm′plĕks)

A sentence consisting of at least two coordinate independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

com′pound-com′plex sen′tence

a sentence having two or more coordinate independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses, as The lightning flashed (independent clause) and the rain fell (independent clause) as he entered the house (dependent clause).

References in periodicals archive ?

The last part of structure of sentence to discuss is the compound-complex sentence. During the analysis of the media text from the "Spectator newspaper" had nothing and "The Mirror" and 'The Ghanaian Times' had 3 each.

A linguistic analysis of some selected Ghanaian newspapers

Overall, the authors assessed that nine of the 15 samples, or 60%, did not demonstrate complete sentence mastery as too many of the writing samples showed inability to write a complete simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex sentence. Eleven of 15 samples, or 73%, did not show mastery of complicated sentences.

A comparison of a progression of writing competencies in online undergraduate and graduate courses: results and implications

Finally, we may choose to join two or three shorter sentences in a series of connected independent and dependent clauses called a compound-complex sentence, as in this example:

Chapter 8: Improving sentence fluency

The Compound-Complex Sentence: This form is just an elaboration on the other three.

Your writing gains interest if you make a practice of mixing up simple, compound, complex and compound-complex sentences.

Brick by brick

sentence--a group of words that contains a subject, a verb, and a "complete thought," that is, an idea that can stand alone; see also simple sentence, compound sentence, complex sentence, and compound-complex sentence

Glossary of terms

For good measure, I kept an eye peeled for their offspring, the compound-complex sentence. And to demonstrate what a really rip-roaring sentence looks like, I'm including a few examples in the Victorian style, too.

A compound-complex sentence contains at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.

Technical writing compound-complex sentence: Maybe, somewhere, you could find something like this: When the screen appears, enter your name and press OK.

Gothic grammar

Today's software and hardware communicate with people not in compound-complex sentences, not in iambic pentameter, but by means of crude pictures.

Icon design: graphic icons in computer interface design. (Book Reviews)

Also, knowing the traditional English grammar terminology ("apposition," "adverbial clauses," "compound-complex sentences," and so on) can be useful in a jargon war with engineers and programmers, but it does not necessarily help in teasing the meaning out of a badly written sentence.

Substance & Style: Instruction and Practice in Copyediting

Unlike the lay text, the law text employs compound sentences (3%--Figure 3) and compound-complex sentences (9%--Figure 4), A compound sentence contains two or more main clauses; if at least one of those clauses contains a subordinate (dependent) clause, we call the hybrid compound-complex.