A Compound Sentence is a sentence that joins two simple sentences together with a comma, conjunction or semicolon.
Simple Sentence =
Independent Clause
Compound Sentence =
Independent Clause + Independent Clause
What?
An independent clause is a clause that can stand alone. It is a group of words that contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought.
An independent clause is a sentence.
Fixing Choppy Sentences
Ex) The cat was happy.
Ex) He slept underneath the bed.
Compound= The cat was happy, he slept underneath the bed.
Combining Clauses
There are three ways to combine independent causes to make a compound sentence:
Comma
Conjunction
Semicolon
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So
Comma + Conjunction
Ex) The teens walked to the park but it was closed.
Ex) The gentleman did not know where the sound came from, so he hid behind the tree.
Semicolon
You can also use a semicolon to create a compound sentence since the two statements are equal.
Ex) The teacher applauded the class; the kids beamed with pride.
Ex) The dog ate; the cat slept.
