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§ 6. The semi-compound sentence of predicate coordination imme-
diately correlates with a compound sentence of complete composi-
tion having identical subjects. Both constructions are built upon the 
same set of base sentences, use the same connective means and re-
flect the same situation, E.g.: 
She looked at him and saw again the devotion, the humility in his 
eyes. → She looked at him and she saw again the devotion, the 
humility in his eyes (The latter sentence — from D. du Maurier). 
The officer received the messengers, took their letters, and though I 
stood with them, completely ignored me. —» The officer received 
the messengers, took their letters, and though I stood with them, he 
completely ignored me (The latter sentence — from H. E. Stover). 
A question arises whether the compared sentences are absolutely 
the same in terms of functions and semantics, or whether there is 
some kind of difference between them which causes them to be 
used discriminately. 
In an attempt to expose the existing functional difference between 
the two constructions, it has been pointed out that base sentences 
with identical subjects are connected not in a semi-compound, but 
into a compound sentence (of complete composition) in the three 
main cases: first, when the leading sentence is comparatively long; 
second, when the finite verbs in the two sentences are of different 
structure; third, when the second sentence is highly emotional.* 
These tentative formulations should rather be looked upon as prac-
tical guides, for they do correspond to the existing tendencies of 
living speech. But the tendencies lack absolute regularity and, 
which is far more significant, they do not present complete lingual 
facts by themselves, but rather are particular manifestations of a 
general and fundamental mechanism at work. This mechanism is 
embodied in the actual division of the 
* Irtenyeva N. F., Shapkin A. P., Blokh M. Y. The Structure of the 
English Sentence. M., 1969, p. 110. 

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sentence: as a matter of fact, observations of the relevant contexts 
show that the structure of the actual division in the two types of 
sentences is essentially different. Namely, whereas the actual divi-
sion of the compound sentence with identical subjects presents two 
(or more) separate informative perspectives characterised by iden-
tical themes and different rhemes, the actual division of the semi-
compound sentence presents only one perspective, analysed into 
one theme and one, though complex, rheme; the latter falls into 
two or more constituent rhemes (sub-rhemes) in various concrete 
contexts. 
The sub-rhemes may be of equal importance from the informa-
tional point of view, as in the following example: We were met by 
a guide who spoke excellent English and had a head full of facts. 
The sub-rhemes may be of unequal informative importance, the 
predicative expansion rendering the basic semantic content of the 
sentence. E.g.: She gave us her address and asked us to come and 
see her. 
The coordinated predicate groups may also be informatively fused 
into an essentially simple rheme, i.e. into a phrase making up a 
close informative unity. E.g.: He took out his diary and began to 
write. The man looked up and laughed. 
As different from the semi-compound construction with its ex-
posed informative properties, the very identity of the subject 
themes in a compound sentence of complete composition is a fac-
tor making it into a communicatively intense, logically accented 
syntactic unit (compare the examples given at the beginning of the 
paragraph).