Complex Sentence: Definition and Examples of Complex Sentences

Complex Sentence: Definition and Examples of Complex Sentences
Complex sentence in English grammar. Here you will find the definition and useful examples of complex sentences in English. You will also learn how to use this type of sentence correctly in writing.
Table of Contents

• 
  Complex Sentence
  
  • 
    What Is a Complex Sentence?
    
  • 
    Independent and Dependent Clauses
    
• 
  Typical Complex Sentence Examples
  
• 
  When to Use Complex Sentences
  
• 
  Complex Sentence Infographic
  

Complex Sentence

What Is a Complex Sentence?

A complex sentence is a sentence that is composed of one or more dependent clauses and a single independent clause. A dependent clause is also known as a subordinate clause. An independent clause is a complete sentence on its own, unlike a dependent clause that depends on other clauses to express a complete idea. A sentence is said to be complex if it contains the two clauses (independent and dependent).
A complex sentence only differs from a compound sentence in that it has a single independent clause, while a compound sentence has two independent clauses.

Independent and Dependent Clauses

Let’s look at the examples of complex sentences involving dependent and independent clauses:
A complete sentence on its own. Consider the following examples:

• 
  Hazard excelled in his studies.
  

This sentence is complete on its own because it expresses a complete thought and has a noun phrase and a verb phrase.
Let’s take a look at a dependent clause, which is not meaningful on its own.

• 
  While Hazard excelled in his studies.
  

Even though the sentence has a subject (Hazard) and (excelled) as a verb, it’s not complete on its own. Additional information is required to make it complete.
An independent and dependent clause can link up in any order to form a complex sentence.
Consider the following example where an independent precedes the dependent clause:

• 
  I was not pleased with her because she didn’t clean the house.
  

The following is an example where an independent clause comes after the dependent clause.

• 
  Because she didn’t clean the house, I was not pleased with her.
  

Subordinate conjunctions are used to link up the two clauses. “while,” “since,” “when,” “after” are some of the subordinate conjunctions used to link up the clauses. A comma is used to separate the two if the dependent clause comes before the independent one.