www.grammarly.com Open in urlscan Pro
108.138.7.99  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

Grammarly Home
 * Product
    * Learn
      * Features
      * Product Demo
      * Trust & Security
    * Download
      * Desktop
      * Mobile
      * Browser

 * Work
    * By Team Size
      * Enterprise
      * Teams & Businesses
      * Individuals
    * By Team Function
      * Customer Support
      * Marketing
      * IT
      * Sales
      * HR

 * Education
    * * Students
      * Institutions

 * Pricing
 * Resources
    * Learn
      * Blog
      * Customer Stories
      * Business Events & Resources
      * Education Events & Resources
      * Support Center
    * Tools
      * AI Writing Tools
      * Grammar Checker
      * Plagiarism Checker
      * AI Detector
      * Paraphrasing Tool
      * Citation Generator

Contact SalesLog in

Get GrammarlyIt's free
Contact SalesLog in

Get GrammarlyIt's free
Grammarly Home
 * Product
    * Learn
      * Features
      * Product Demo
      * Trust & Security
    * Download
      * Desktop
      * Mobile
      * Browser

 * Work
    * By Team Size
      * Enterprise
      * Teams & Businesses
      * Individuals
    * By Team Function
      * Customer Support
      * Marketing
      * IT
      * Sales
      * HR

 * Education
    * * Students
      * Institutions

 * Pricing
 * Resources
    * Learn
      * Blog
      * Customer Stories
      * Business Events & Resources
      * Education Events & Resources
      * Support Center
    * Tools
      * AI Writing Tools
      * Grammar Checker
      * Plagiarism Checker
      * AI Detector
      * Paraphrasing Tool
      * Citation Generator


Get GrammarlyIt's freeContact SalesLog in
Grammarly Blog Home
 * Writing
    * * Writing Tips
      * Grammar
      * Students
      * Professionals
      * Lifestyle

 * Product
 * Company

Grammarly Home
 * Writing
    * * Writing Tips
      * Grammar
      * Students
      * Professionals
      * Lifestyle

 * Product
 * Company


Get GrammarlyIt's freeContact SalesLog in


WHAT IS A COMPOUND SENTENCE?

Grammarly
Updated on May 25, 2023Grammar

A compound sentence is a sentence that connects two independent clauses,
typically with a coordinating conjunction like and or but. It is best for
combining two or more sentences that are self-sufficient but related into a
single, unified one.

Compound sentences give your writing a faster pace and unite related ideas, but
they have a few more rules than standard sentences. In this quick guide, we
explain how to use them properly to give your writing an edge.



Here’s a tip: Want to make sure your writing shines? Grammarly can check your
spelling and save you from grammar and punctuation mistakes. It even proofreads
your text, so your work is polished wherever you write.





Your writing, at its best
Grammarly helps you communicate confidently
Write with Grammarly




WHAT IS A COMPOUND SENTENCE?

As we mention in our guide on how to write better sentences, compound sentences
combine two or more independent clauses. The key here is independent clauses,
which are clauses that can each stand alone as a separate sentence. Essentially,
a compound sentence brings together individual, related sentences as one.

(If you’re unfamiliar with these terms, please check out our guide to clauses in
English, which better defines what constitutes a clause.)

Compound sentences are easy to identify because they usually use a coordinating
conjunction, which you may remember as FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and
so. However, compound sentences can also use a semicolon to connect two clauses,
in which case no conjunction is necessary.

Let’s look at some compound sentence examples to see how they work.


COMPOUND SENTENCE EXAMPLES

Below are two simple complete sentences, each with its own subject and verb:

I have a pet iguana. His name is Fluffy.

To combine them into a compound sentence, we simply add a comma plus the
coordinating conjunction and:

I have a pet iguana, and his name is Fluffy.

Alternatively, we can make a compound sentence by adding only a semicolon, and
the sentence will still be correct:

I have a pet iguana; his name is Fluffy.

Although they’re talking about the same topic, the subject of each independent
clause is different: The first clause’s subject is I, and the second one’s
subject is name. That’s part of what makes them independent, and a sentence is
considered compound only when it consists of independent clauses. For example,
the sentence below is not a compound sentence:

I have a pet iguana whose name is Fluffy.

To be a compound sentence, it needs at least two subjects and two verbs. If both
independent clauses use the same subject, it must be stated twice, as in the
quote below, for the sentence to be compound:

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to
create many ripples.” —Mother Teresa

Be careful of sentences with only two subjects or only two verbs—these are not
the same as compound sentences. The following sentence is not a compound
sentence, because there is only one subject (I) even though there are two verbs
(chew and study), and because what comes after the conjunction and is not an
independent clause:

I came here to chew bubblegum and study grammar.

However, you can turn this sentence into a compound sentence by adding another
independent clause with a second subject:

I came here to chew bubble gum and study grammar, but I’m all out of gum.

Keep in mind that imperative sentences don’t always show their subjects, because
they’re implied. That leads to compound sentences like this example, the first
independent clause of which has the implied subject you:

Get me some water, or the fire will spread!

Let’s look at some more compound sentence examples from some of history’s
greatest writers:

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” —Lao Tzu

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” —Oscar Wilde

“You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated.” —Maya
Angelou


COMMAS AND OTHER PUNCTUATION IN COMPOUND SENTENCES

When creating compound sentences, there are two punctuation rules to keep in
mind:

1 Place a comma before the coordinating conjunction.

2 If you’re not using a coordinating conjunction, place a semicolon between the
clauses.

As always, you use a lowercase letter to start the second independent clause.
Since compound sentences are a single sentence, only the first letter of the
first clause is capitalized.

Mastering these punctuation rules is crucial for creating compound sentences.
Without them, your sentence becomes a dreaded run-on sentence. In writing,
run-on sentences are not only grammatically incorrect but also difficult for
your reader to understand.

To avoid both run-on sentences and confusingly long compound sentences, try to
limit the number of clauses in a sentence to two or three. In situations when
you need more than three clauses, keep them as short as possible by removing
unnecessary words. Remember, short sentences are easier to understand and give
your writing a faster pace.


COMPOUND VS. COMPLEX SENTENCES

It’s easy to get compound sentences confused with complex sentences; both use
two or more clauses in a single sentence. The most significant difference,
however, is the type of clauses they use.

Compound sentences use two or more independent clauses.

I am working now, but we will eat later.

Complex sentences combine independent clauses with subordinate clauses, also
known as dependent clauses.

Because I am working now, we will eat later.

In this example, because I am working now is the subordinate clause, and we will
eat later is the independent clause. The clue is the word because, which is a
subordinating conjunction. Words like because, if, whenever, and since—as well
as certain prepositions like after and before—all act as subordinating
conjunctions. Their job is to connect subordinate clauses to independent
clauses.

Just by adding a subordinating conjunction, you can turn an independent clause
into a subordinating clause. I am working now alone is an independent clause,
but with because in front, it becomes a subordinating clause.

Be careful, though, because a sentence can be both complex and compound at the
same time! A complex-compound sentence occurs when a single sentence has at
least two independent clauses and at least one subordinate clause.

After I got home from work, my friends invited me out, and I left my apartment
again.

In this example, after I got home from work is the subordinate clause (you can
tell because the word after appears at the front). Both my friends invited me
out and I left my apartment again are independent clauses, joined by the
coordinating conjunction and. Put all three clauses together with the proper
punctuation and you have a perfectly correct complex-compound sentence.


POLISH YOUR WRITING

The rules about different clauses and how to combine them can get complicated,
even for lifelong English speakers. It takes some practice to get used to,
especially learning all the different coordinating and subordinating
conjunctions.

If you feel unsure about your English, you can always use a writing assistant
like Grammarly. Our writing suggestions point out any grammar mistakes you might
have missed, including run-on sentences and missing commas before conjunctions.
This feedback ensures your writing is clear to your readers.

Try Grammarly now and write with confidence!


Your writing, at its best.

Get GrammarlyIt's free
Works on all your favorite websites

Related Articles
 * GrammarWhat Is the Simple Future Tense? Definition and Use Cases, with
   Examples
 * GrammarInterrogative Sentences Explained
 * GrammarWhat Are Verbs With “S”?
 * GrammarWhat Part of Speech Is “Was”?
 * Grammar5 Spelling Rules to Know
 * GrammarEssential Comma Rules for Business Emails

Get Grammarly
 * Grammarly for Your Desktop
 * Grammarly for Windows
 * Grammarly for Mac
 * Grammarly Browser Extension
 * Grammarly for Chrome
 * Grammarly for Safari
 * Grammarly for Firefox
 * Grammarly for Edge
 * Grammarly for MS Office
 * Grammarly for Google Docs
 * Grammarly for Mobile
 * Grammarly for iPhone
 * Grammarly for iPad
 * Grammarly for Android

Learn More
 * Plans
 * Grammarly Premium
 * Grammarly Business
 * Grammarly for Education
 * Generative AI
 * Blog
 * Tech Blog
 * Education Blog
 * Business Blog

Features
 * Grammar Checker
 * Plagiarism Checker
 * Citation Generator
 * Essay Checker
 * Paraphrasing Tool
 * AI Writing Tools
 * Tone Detector
 * Style Guide
 * Snippets
 * Analytics
 * Brand Tones

Company
 * About
 * We Stand With Ukraine
 * Responsible AI
 * Careers & Culture
 * Press
 * Affiliates
 * Partners
 * Trust Center
 * Privacy Policy
 * Terms of Service
 * Customer Business Agreement
 * CA Privacy Notice
 * Security
 * Accessibility

Connect
 * Help Center
 * Contact Us
 * Facebook
 * Instagram
 * X
 * LinkedIn

Grammarly Home

2024 © Grammarly Inc.


Close


WRITE WITH CONFIDENCE.

GET REAL-TIME SUGGESTIONS WHEREVER YOU WRITE.


Get GrammarlyIt's free

“Grammarly quickly and easily makes your writing better.”

By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your
device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our
marketing efforts.
Cookies Settings Reject All Accept All Cookies