Compound-Complex Sentences

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Understanding and using different types of sentence structure helps us to add variety and interest to our writing.

There are four broad types of sentence structure in English: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. This article focuses on compound-complex sentences. (Before reading this article, you may wish to read the articles on compound and complex sentences.)

What is a compound-complex sentence?

As its name suggests, this type of sentence combines the features of compound and complex sentences:

• being compound, it contains more than one independent clause (IC); and
• being complex, it contains at least one dependent clause (DC).

In what order are the clauses arranged?

The compound-complex sentence allows for an endless variety of sentence patterns, from very basic to highly complex.

The most basic pattern has two independent clauses (IC + IC), together with one dependent clause (DC), which can be attached at the beginning, middle or end. Here are some examples from Canadian authors, with the dependent clauses in italics.

DC at the beginning: DC + IC + IC

When you reach the summit of the hill a short way behind, you look down into the main part of the clearing, and a pretty little valley it is.

—Anne Langton, A Gentlewoman in Upper Canada, 1837

DC in the middle: IC + DC + IC

The time is not far distant when [Canada] shall be the theme of many tongues, and the old nations of the world will speak of her progress with respect and admiration.

—Susanna Moodie, Life in the Clearings, 1853

DC at the end: IC + IC + DC

He pushed on between daisy-starred meadows and fields of young oats, and there on the shoulder of the hill was the long, low log house, tree-shaded and friendly, where he had been born.

—Grace Campbell, Thorn-Apple Tree, 1942

But a compound-complex sentence very often contains more than three clauses. Here is just one longer example.

Multiple DCs in the middle: IC + DC + DC + DC + IC

Any man will admit, if need be, that his sight is not good, or that he cannot swim, or shoots badly with a rifle, but to touch upon his sense of humour is to give him a mortal affront.

—Stephen Leacock, Further Foolishness, 1916

In short, when it comes to compound-complex sentences, the writer's creativity is the only limit!