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Within traditional English grammar, a complex sentence is a phrase that contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. A simple example is the sentence on the cover image: Dream until your dreams come true / «Dream until your dreams come true».
sentences in english
In the English language , sentences can be defined as grammatical structures that form a unit with complete meaning. They are made up of clauses or clauses and include at least one verb.
The clauses or clauses
A clause is a part of a sentence that consists of a subject and a predicate and is joined with another clause to create a compound or complex sentence. The clauses can be:
- Independent or main: called main clause in English, they are sentences that make sense on their own and include a subject, a verb and a complement. The verb is conjugated according to the personal pronoun and the required verb tense. For example: John has two apples. / “John has two apples.”
- Dependent or subordinate : known as subordinate clauses , they are sentences that depend on an independent clause in order to have a complete meaning. For this reason, they are always linked to them through subordinating conjunctions. For example: John won’t be hungry because he has two apples . / “John won’t be hungry because he has two apples.”
Types of sentences
Taking into account the aforementioned, the sentences can be classified into:
- Simples or simple sentences : they are independent sentences that have a single subject and a single verb. For example: Tim loves pizza . / “Tim loves pizza.”
- Compound or compound sentences : include two clauses that are joined by a conjunction. Usually these are two separate sentences. For example: Tim likes pizza and his brother likes pasta. / “Tim loves pizza and his brother likes pasta.”
- Complejas or complex sentences : These sentences include at least two clauses, one independent and one independent, and are joined by subordinating conjunctions. For example: Tim loves pizza but his brother hates it . / “Tim loves pizza but his brother hates it.”
- Compound and complex sentences or compound-complex sentences : these sentences have at least two independent sentences and one or more dependent clauses. For example: Since Tim loves pizza but his brother hates it, they usually order burgers at the restaurant . / “Since Tim loves pizza but his brother hates it, they usually order hamburgers at the restaurant.”
complex sentences
The complex sentence is considered as one of the four structures that sentences can have in English, in addition to simple, compound and compound-complex sentences. They are called “complex” because although they are different from simple sentences, they have some characteristics of compound sentences.
The complex sentence is made up of a main clause and at least one dependent or subordinate clause; These clauses are characterized by being connected by means of a subordinating conjunction such as although / “although”; since / “from”, “as”; because / «porque». They are used to provide more information, explain, or modify the central point of the sentence.
The most common complex sentences are conditionals, such as: If you eat junk food, you will gain weight. / “If you eat junk food, you will gain weight.”
How are complex sentences formed?
To form a complex sentence correctly, it is necessary to consider the following:
- Create an independent clause. For example: Zoey loves ice cream. / “Zoey loves ice cream.”
- Create a dependent clause. For example: But she dislikes vegetables. / “But she doesn’t like vegetables.”
- Join both clauses with a subordinating conjunction. For example: Zoey loves ice cream but she dislikes vegetables. / “Zoey loves ice cream but she doesn’t like vegetables.”
In addition, it is important to note the following:
- If the independent clause is written first, it need not be separated by a comma. For example: ” Ava is watching a TV series because she is free tonight.” / “Ava is watching a TV series because she is free tonight.”
- If the dependent clause comes at the beginning, a comma must be added before the independent clause. For example: Because Ava is free tonight , she is watching a TV series. / “Because Ava is free tonight, she is watching a TV series”.
Subordinate Clauses and Subordinate Conjunctions
Depending on their function within the sentence, subordinate clauses can be divided into:
- Relative clauses : they work like adjectives, since they provide more information about the subject. For example: Jonathan, whose nickname is “Jon,” has two sisters . / “Jonathan, whose nickname is ‘Jon,’ has two sisters.”
Conditional clauses : express results or consequences that may occur in the future. For example: If Hannah had more money, she would buy a new car. / “If she Hannah had more money, she would buy a new car.” - Participle clauses : they are formed with a participle or gerund and allow more information to be added to the sentence. For example: Being the biggest winner, he received over a million dollars. / “Being (being) the biggest winner, he received more than a million dollars.”
The subordinating conjunctions
Complex sentences are joined by subordinating conjunctions, that is, they are connectors that join the subordinate clause with the main clause. They can be classified into:
- Simple conjunctions : if / “si”; when / “when”; where / “where”; because / “because”; unless / “unless”; until / “until”; as long as / “while”.
- Compound conjunctions : as if / “as if”; though or although / “although”; even when / “even when”; even if / “even if”; a bit later / “a little later” .
- Complex conjunctions:
- With a noun: in case of / “in the case that”.
- With adverbs: such / “so”; meanwhile / “while”; as soon as / “as soon as”.
- With verbs: taking into account / “considering that”; assuming that / “assuming that”; provided that / “whenever”.
Also, according to their meaning, subordinating conjunctions can be divided into:
- Time conjunctions: indicate a period of time: once / “once”; before / “before”; still / “still”; whenever / “as long as”; as soon as / “as soon as”.
- Conjunctions of place: they indicate the place where the action happens: wherever / “wherever”; whereas / “where”.
C onjunctions of cause : they indicate the reason for the main sentence: because / “porque”; since / “like”; so that / “since”.
Condition conjunctions: indicate the conditions that must exist for the main clause: in case / “in case”; unless / “unless”; even if / “even if”.
Concession conjunctions: give more information about something that happened despite an obstacle: although/ “although”; even though / “despite that”. - Comparative conjunctions: as their name indicates, they compare: though or although / “although”; in contrast to / “unlike”; whereas / “while”; just as / “like”.
Examples of complex sentences
Some examples of complex sentences in English are:
- I want the red t-shirt but I will buy the blue one. / “I want the red shirt, but I’ll buy the blue one.”
- Although Andy doesn’t study much, he has very good grades. / “Even though Andy doesn’t study much, he has good grades.”
- The weather will be very warm until next Sunday. / “The weather will be very warm until next Sunday.”
- He is going to the movies although it’s already quite late. / “He is going to the cinema, although it is already quite late.”
- Mike managed to attend the concert before it was over. / “Mike was able to make it to the concert before it ended.”
- Unless I get that scholarship, I won’t be able to join the university. / “Unless I get that scholarship, I won’t be able to get into college.”
- I really need to go to work, but I am too sick. / “I really need to go to work but I’m too sick.”
- James rented a big apartment although it was expensive. / “James rented a big apartment even though it was expensive.”
- They left the circus right away because their kids were scared of the clowns. / “They left the circus immediately, because their children were scared by the clowns.”
- She doesn’t like going to the dentist, but she knows it’s necessary. / “She doesn’t like going to the dentist, but she knows it’s necessary.”
Bibliography
- Wilson, R. Grammar of English . (2012). Spain. De Vecchi Editions.
- Sila English. Basic English for Spanish Speakers . (2016). Spain. CreateSpace.
- Mejia Ram, P. Perfect English Grammar . (2020). Spain. Paola Mejia Ram.
- Ellis, M. What Is a Complex Sentence? Grammarly, 2021. Available at https://www.grammarly.com/blog/complex-sentence/ .
