Complex sentence

A complex sentence is a sentence with an independent clause and at least one dependent clause (subordinating clause). The dependent clause is introduced by either a subordinate conjunction such as although, or because or a relative pronoun such as who or which.

• I ate the meal which you cooked.

I ate the meal is an independent clause and which you cooked is relative clause. A sentence with a relative clause, a clause that has no function but describes its noun phrase, does not fulfill the dependent clause requirement of a complex sentence. A sentence is complex only when it contains a subordinate clause which fulfills a syntactic function within the sentence. In the first example above, the sub-clause When I saw what you had done is adverbial; it has a temporal meaning. The sub-clause what you had done is embedded in the first sub-clause and functions as direct object for the transitive verb "to see".

• I was scared, but I didn't run away.

Both clauses are independent. Therefore, this is a compound sentence but not a complex sentence.

• The dog [which] you gave me barked at me and bit my hand.

This is a complex-compound sentence with two independent clauses (The dog [which] you gave me barked at me and The dog [which] you gave me bit my hand) and one dependent clause ([which] you gave me).

• Simple sentence
• Compound sentence
• Complex-compound sentence

• The Structure of a Sentence
• Complex Sentences: Subordinate Clauses as Adverb Clauses

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