#compound sentences

Like big muscles, blond, strong jawlines (kinda like those but i like them angled), big ass abs, white bitches like Thor and fucking Noah Big Neck and Noah Scented Mayo

And i'm here like:

Skinny, androgynous,stick figure, looking men with long hair and features that are associated with feminity 😃😃😃

Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of Writing Tips! Apologies for the hiatus (I got a little ambitious with Camp NaNoWriMo). But we’re back for the month of May, and today we’ll be focusing on sentence structure. Again, we’ll need multiple lessons to give this topic in the depth it deserves, so today we’ll just be looking at the basics.

There are a few main categories of sentence structure: simple, compound, and complex. Varying your sentence structure can add variety and rhythm to an otherwise clunky paragraph, as well as allow you to expand on and add nuance to ideas. Let’s look at each type individually:

Simple Sentences: Simple sentences are the most basic of the three. They are used to convey a single complete thought, without any coordinating or subordinating conjunctions. Here are some examples:

a.) You stole a cat.

b.) He walked through the graveyard.

c.) They stabbed the guardsmen.

The simplest of simple sentences contain only a subject and a verb. These can be effective when used sparingly, but be aware that in most situations, these are a little too bare-bones. Examples:

d.) They ran.

e.) She wept.

f.) You jumped.

Do not underestimate the simple sentence. Some writers avoid simple sentences because they feel too straightforward/unornamented, but using them can help limit the amount of extraneous detail in your sentences, which makes for stronger writing. Simple sentences can even be used for emphasis, as we see in the opening chapter of N.K Jemisin’s The Fifth Season:

This is what you must remember: the ending of one story is just the beginning of another. This has happened before, after all. People die. Old orders pass. New societies are born. When we say “the world has ended,” it’s usually a lie, because the planet it just fine.

But this is the way the world ends.

This is the way the world ends.

This is the way the world ends.

For the last time.

Part of what makes this passage so effective is its use of simple sentences (although there are a few more intricate sentences in there, for variety). These straightforward statements build upon one another, creating an almost percussive rhythm, which reaches a crescendo as we reach a critical statement: This is the way the world ends.

Compound Sentences: Compound sentences are basically two simple sentences mashed together by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). Compound sentences join two independent clauses, but unlike with complex sentences (see below), the relationship between each clause can sometimes be ambiguous. Let’s expand on those simple sentences from before for our examples:

g.) You stole a cat, so the owner chased after you with a pitchfork.

h.) He walked through the graveyard, but his girlfriend never arrived.

i.) They stabbed the guardsmen, and the Pumpkin Queen ate cake.

These are all viable compound sentences. However, the observant among you will have noticed that that last example was somewhat odd. The two clauses don’t seem to be connected in any meaningful way, which makes the sentence lose some cohesion. It feels clumsy and awkward, and without additional context, we cannot glean the relationship between the two statements contained within.

Compound sentences do not require a relationship between the independent clauses--any pair of independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction qualifies as a compound sentence--but generally speaking, if there’s no relationship between the two statements presented in your sentence, you probably shouldn’t be putting those statements into the same sentence to begin with.

Of the three categories listed here, compound sentences are the most overused. Often, it’s better to split these up into simple sentences or revise them to make each clause’s relationship to one another more explicit. Which brings us to . . .

Complex Sentences: Complex sentences use subordinating conjunctions (after, because, although, when, while, etc) to join an independent clause and a dependent clause. This type of sentence tends to have more nuance than the other two types, and is a staple of good writing. Here are some examples:

j.) After sneaking into an old woman’s house, you stole a cat.

k.) Because his girlfriend never arrived, he walked through the graveyard alone.

l.) They stabbed the guardsmen while the Pumpkin Queen laughed and ate cake.

Complex sentences allow you to make the relationship between two clauses more explicit, which in turn adds clarity and specificity to your writing. That said, don’t feel like you have to make every sentence into a complex sentence. Just as you wouldn’t enjoy a song that relies solely on one chord, readers won’t enjoy a story that only makes use of one type of sentence.

Simple sentence: contains one clause (e.g. a book fell on John's foot)

Compound sentence: contains 2 or more clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions (e.g. a book fell on John's foot and a book fell on Mary's foot)

Do you feel any trouble to use complex or compound-complex sentences? If yes, I, Nathan Carr Fullerton, would like to inform you that you are at the right place here. I, Nathan Carr Fullerton, would here let you know some important facts about complex and compound-complex sentences that would help you use these sentences correctly to a big extent.

Complex Sentences:

Fact 1:

A complex sentence is the sentence which has one dependent clause and one independent clause.

Examples:

1- Though you are rich, you are cunning.

2- When Nathan Carr Fullerton gets free time, he reads novels.

Fact 2:

When a complex sentence begins with a dependent clause, it needs a comma at the ending point of the clause and before the beginning independent clause.

Examples:

1-       While you are reading, Nathan Carr Fullerton is teaching.

2-       When you rest, Nathan Carr Fullerton plans about his next day.

Fact 3:

When a clause begins with independent clause, it does not need a comma.

Examples:

1-       You are cunning though you are quite wealthy.

2-       Nathan Carr Fullerton reads novels, when he gets free time.

Compound-Complex Sentence:  

Fact 1:

A compound complex sentence has two independent clauses and one dependent clause.

Examples:

1- While Nathan Carr Fullerton loves teaching, Sam loves watching a movie, and Nancy loves playing tennis.

2- Though he is wise, he makes mistakes, and his parents have to feel ashamed of his activities.

Fact 2:

Independent clauses in a compound-complex may join each other with the help of conjunctive adverbs of FANBOYS. Some of the conjunctive adverbs are as following: furthermore, meanwhile, therefore, hence, moreover, thus, however, and nevertheless.

Examples:

1- The rules are very clear, so you should have no doubt about them when you read them.

2- They are sincere though they make mistakes, and I feel sad about this.

Oh, this is tricky. I’m not even sure if I’m qualified to answer this question. They are just so very, very similar that I might need to refer you to an expert… I’ll give it my best, though.

First, let’s take a look at the meaning and importance of a cat.

Dictionary definition:

cat

noun /kat/ cats, plural

A small domesticated carnivorous mammal with soft fur, a short snout, and retractile claws. It is widely kept as a pet or for catching mice, and many breeds have been developed

A wild animal of the cat family- a marbled cat

Used in names of catlike animals of other families, e.g., ring-tailed cat

(particularly among jazz enthusiasts) A person, esp. a man

Urban Dictionary definition:

cat

A quite pleasant furry creature that vaguely resembles a meatloaf. Cats are the most intellectually superior creature on Earth. They are particularly adept at training human beings to do their bidding, and spend 18 hours a day on average apparently sleeping. What they are really doing is coming up with ways to take over the Earth while still retaining humans to make that yummy cat food for them. If cats had opposable thumbs, they, not us, would be the dominant force on this planet.

Example:

“Is that a meatloaf???” “No, it’s my cat!”

Further reading:

Wikipedia: Cat

List of Cat Breeds

Cat Behaviour

“The Oatmeal” Comics About Cats

Felis Catus

“Cute Cats” Tag

Videos:

Star Trek Cat Rap (I don’t even know)

Maru the Cat

And a compound sentence:

Dictionary definition:

com·pound sen·tence

nouncompound sentences, plural

A sentence with more than one subject or predicate

Further explanation:

The compound sentence is one of the four basic sentence structures. The other structures are the simple sentence, the complex sentence, and the complex-compound sentence.

A compound sentence contains two independent clauses and can be formed in three ways:

The independent clauses can be joined by a coordinating conjunction. These coordinators are as follows: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (hint: The first letter of each of the coordinators spells FANBOYS). Except in very short sentences, coordinators are always preceded by a comma; when a compound sentence contains a comma without a coordinator, it is generally called a “comma splice.”

They can be joined by a semicolon, with or without a conjunctive adverb.

They can be joined by a colon, but this is rarely seen.

Further reading:

Wikipedia: Compound Sentence

The Structure of a Sentence

“The Oatmeal” Comics: How to Use a Semicolon

Compound Sentence Tag

Videos:

Conjunction Junction

Justin Bieber - “Baby” Lyrics and Compound Sentences

Compound Sentences

Compound Sentences

And now, let’s try to differentiate the two:

Similarities:

A compound sentence can contain “cats”; likewise, if a cat decides for some reason to eat paper, it can contain compound sentences (although this is not a regular occurence).

Compound sentences often contain semicolons, which can be compared to the tail of a cat.

Compound sentences can be quite funny; cats can also be quite funny.

Both compound sentences and cats have videos dedicated to explaining them.

Differences:

A cat has claws at the end of its paws; a compound sentence has a pause at the end of its clause.

Cats are not usually very helpful when it comes to writing; compound sentences are writing.

Cats can breathe and eat fish; compound sentences cannot.

Compound sentences generally aren’t plotting to kill you; cats often are.

Compound sentences can be used as pick-up lines (“I know that we’re two independent people, but we’d make a heck of a compound sentence”).

Cats are full of personality; compound sentences can only convey personality.

The “cat” tags on tumblr are numerous and incredibly popular, whereas the “compound sentence” tags are few and are rarely used.