When you want to emphasize a subordinate idea in a complex or compound complex sentence where should the dependent clause be placed?

Conjunctions are connecting words between two clauses, phrases, or words. Subordinating conjunctions join independent clauses to dependent clauses. They establish relationships between these clauses, such as time, place, purpose, condition, or cause.

Some examples of subordinating conjunctions include:

• after
• although
• as
• because
• before
• even though
• now that
• though
• unless
• when
• where
• while

You’ve probably been taught that you can’t start sentences with these words. That’s true if you’re trying to make a dependent clause work as a complete sentence. However, if you’re writing a complex sentence that ends with an independent clause, you can start sentences with because, unless, while, after, or any other subordinating conjunction.

Simple sentences can convey basic ideas, but you need complex sentences to communicate more detailed ideas or express the relationship between ideas. That’s why it’s important to learn how to form complex sentences. Chances are that you already create complex sentences without thinking about it. Knowing what a complex sentence is, how to form it, and why you need it will help you communicate your ideas more effectively. It’s a skill you’ll carry with you no matter what you do.

Parts of a sentence

Before you dive into learning about complex sentences, it’s important to become familiar with the types of sentences and what they’re called. Building a sentence is a lot like building a house: you can do it without knowing any of the names for the tools and materials you need, but your work will be more difficult. In the same way, you can build a sentence without knowing the names of the parts, but your work will be easier and more productive when you know them.

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Here are the names for all the sentence parts you’ll need:

• Clause. A clause can be a whole sentence or part of a sentence. A clause is made up of a subject and a predicate. “I know” is an example of a clause, with “I” as the subject and “know” as the predicate. There are two types of clauses: dependent and independent.
  • Independent clause. An independent clause can make sense by itself. For example, “This cat is silly.” is an independent clause.
  • Dependent clause. A dependent clause that cannot make sense by itself. Examples of dependent clauses are “When I grow up,” “Since the last time I saw you,” “After we had finished doing the dishes,” and “Now that she finished high school.” Do you notice that all the examples start with a word or phrase like since, after, and now that? These are called subordinating conjunctions.
    
• Conjunction. A conjunction links two clauses together. And, but, and or are the most common conjunctions, but there are many, many more.
  
• Coordinating conjunction. A coordinating conjunction links two independent clauses. The coordinating conjunction is in italics in the following examples: 
  • “I love pancakes, but I hate waffles.” 
  • “Should I stay, or should I go?” 
  • “We went shopping, and then we came home.”
    
• Subordinating conjunction. A subordinating conjunction links a dependent clause to an independent clause. The subordinating conjunction is in italics in the following examples: 
  • “When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut.” 
  • “A lot has changed since the last time I saw you.” 
  • “After we had finished doing the dishes, we decided to go for a long walk.” 
  • “What will she do now that she has finished high school?” 

These elements are the building blocks you need to create all sorts of sentences, including complex sentences. Are you ready? Let’s go!

Types of sentence structure

Now that you’re familiar with the names of all the parts of the sentence, you can see how you can fit them together to create different types of sentences. Below is a list of the different kinds of sentences that you can construct. 

• Simple sentence. A simple sentence is made up of one independent clause. You can easily identify simple sentences because they only have one verb. Here are some examples:
  • “This cat is silly.” 
  • “Trees grow in my backyard.” 
  • “Do you like pancakes?”
    
• Compound sentence. A compound sentence is made of two independent clauses and a conjunction, like this: [independent clause] + [coordinating conjunction] + [independent clause]. You can tell that it’s a compound sentence by getting rid of the conjunction and creating two simple sentences. For example, “My cat’s name is George, and he is very playful” can be broken up into “My cat’s name is George.” and “He loves pancakes.” Here are some examples: 
  • “To be or not to be?” 
  • “I just jogged five miles, and I feel great!” 
  • “My cat’s name is George, and he is very playful.”
    
• Complex sentence. A complex sentence is made of one independent clause, one dependent clause, and a subordinating conjunction. Complex sentences can be put together in two ways: [subordinating conjunction] + [dependent clause] + comma + [independent clause]. OR [independent clause] + [subordinating conjunction] + dependent clause]. You can tell that it’s a complex sentence because if you take away the conjunctions and turn it into two sentences, one of the clauses will not make sense by itself. Here are some examples:
  • Even though he was worried, he tried to put it out of his mind.
  • My sister puts on makeup whenever she goes out.
  • If you want me to make dinner, we’ll be having pasta.
    
• Compound-complex sentence. A compound-complex sentence consists of at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. There are many ways to put together a compound-complex sentence. You can tell that it’s a compound-complex sentence by getting rid of the conjunctions and looking at each clause. If there are at least two independent clauses and one dependent clause, then it’s a compound-complex sentence. Here are some examples: 
  • “If you will let me, I would like to show you how sentences are formed and teach you to master the English language.” 
  • “When he arrived at the airport terminal, he put down his bag and looked around him.”

Here’s a quick guide to sentence types

Knowing what kind of sentence you’re forming is the first step in learning how to improve your writing by creating complex sentences. It’s also true that you often create complex sentences without thinking about it. 

But if you want to improve your writing and make your ideas more apparent to others, learning how to craft a complex sentence is a good first step. It’s almost as important as working on your vocabulary. 

Why does this matter?

Now that you’ve explored types of sentences, you might be wondering, so what? Who cares what type of sentence I use? These are valid questions. The short answer is this: you need complex sentences because they allow you to express the relationship between ideas. 

Simple sentences have their uses, but it’s awkward to explain the relationship between them. Here is an example:

• I was hungry. I walked to the fridge.

These two simple sentences both express a related idea. But it’s not immediately obvious what the relationship is. This is where compound and complex sentences come in:

• Compound: I was hungry, so I walked to the fridge.
• Complex: I walked to the fridge because I was hungry.

Both the compound and the complex sentences above include the original ideas of the simple sentences, but they also explain the relationship between each idea. In this example, the relationship is one of cause-and-effect. There are other types of relationships between ideas. Here is another example:

• She was tired. She went to work.

The relationship between the two ideas above is not immediately obvious. 

• Compound: She was tired, but she went to work.
• Complex: She went to work, even though she was tired.

In these complex and compound sentences, the relationship between the two ideas becomes clear. In this example, the two ideas are in contrast to one another.

There are many types of relationships between clauses, but the most common ones are as follows:

• Cause-and-effect
• Contrast
• Time
• Condition

This table offers more detail on the types of relationships that exist between clauses in complex sentences.

Carefully choosing which type of subordinating conjunction you need is important. After all, these little words can pack a lot of meaning into your sentence. Consider these examples:

• She got up to let the cat out while the rest of the family was still asleep.
• Since the rest of the family was still asleep, she got up to let the cat out.
• Even though the rest of the family was asleep, she got up to let the cat out.

The sentences above all use the same independent and dependent clauses, but different subordinating conjunctions. And while the actions remain the same, the relationship between the actions is a little bit different in every example. 

Carefully choosing the correct subordinating conjunction is a simple but powerful way to create rich sentences and convey meaning.

As you can see, learning how to form complex sentences is an excellent way to express more complex ideas. Do you want to know more about cause and effect? Check out this article on Udemy with cause-and-effect examples.

Complex sentences are flexible

Since complex sentences have more than one clause, they give you some flexibility. When you create a sentence with two main ideas, you usually want one of the ideas to stand out more. The other idea is there to support the more important idea. 

When you write a complex sentence, you usually want to place the more important piece of information at the front. For example:

• Now that spring is here, it’s time to clean the house.
• It’s time to clean the house now that spring is here.

These two sentences contain the same independent clause (it’s time to clean the house) and dependent clause (now that spring is here). However, the first sentence emphasizes that spring is here, while the second sentence places importance on the fact that it’s time to clean the house. 

If you want to learn more about English grammar, check out this article on English grammar 101.

Be careful with that comma!

You might have noticed that in all the examples of complex sentences so far, there is sometimes a comma and sometimes not. It can be difficult to remember whether you need a comma in a complex sentence. Here is an explanation of when you need a comma and when you don’t.

• When the dependent clause is first, you need to separate the dependent clause and the independent clause with a comma.
• When the independent clause is first, you don’t need a comma.

This table offers a quick reference:

Here are some examples:

• If you’re still hungry, have some carrots.
• Have some carrots if you’re still hungry.

• She bought herself a red dress even though she looks better in blue.
• Even though she looks better in blue, she bought herself a red dress.

• They stayed at the beach until the sun went down.
• Until the sun went down, they stayed at the beach.

Commas can be intimidating if you’re not too sure about where they are supposed to go. This guide will help you write complex sentences with more confidence. If you’re interested in learning about tenses in English, check out this article in Udemy.

Complex sentence examples

Now that you know how to recognize complex sentences and how to form them, here is a list of examples of complex sentences. Do you want to challenge yourself? See if you can identify the dependent clause, the independent clause, and the subordinating conjunction in each one. 

1. He called his mother because he missed her.
2. Since you’re getting paid today, let’s go out for drinks!
3. The passenger stepped off the train once it had reached the station.
4. I would love to travel the world after I finish with school.
5. If we let them, robots will take over the world.
6. You have to do your homework whether you like it or not.
7. While he enjoys skateboarding, surfing is really his favorite.
8. We’re going to have to walk unless the bus shows up soon.
9. Now that she has graduated college, she’s going to have to pay her own expenses.
10. You can call me anytime, even if it’s late.
11. Financial advisors recommend having some savings in case there’s an emergency.
12. Even though books are expensive, they’re worth every penny.
13. Whenever she feels blue, she listens to her favorite song.
14. People who want to get healthy should walk rather than drive.
15. Because they’re opportunistic sleepers, dogs take naps whenever they can.
16. My grandmother used to tell me that if a breeze blew on my face while I crossed my eyes, they would get stuck that way.

Here are some complex sentences from literature:

1. One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well. – Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own
2. We all love to instruct, though we can teach only what is not worth knowing. – Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
3. Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. – Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

All these sentences are examples of complex sentences. As you can see, complex sentences are an excellent way to show the relationship between ideas.

Page Last Updated: July 2021

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