Complex sentence facts for kids

A complex sentence is a special kind of sentence that helps you share more detailed ideas! It's made up of two main parts: a sentence that can stand alone (we call it an independent clause) and at least one sentence part that can't stand alone (called a dependent clause). These parts are joined together by special words called subordinating conjunctions, like "although," "after," "until," "while," or "when."

For example: "Before the curtain rose, Nick came out and took a bow."

In this example, "Nick came out and took a bow" is the independent clause. It makes sense all by itself. But "Before the curtain rose" is the dependent clause. It needs the independent clause to make complete sense. The word "before" connects them!

What is a Complex Sentence?

A complex sentence is like building with LEGOs! You take one complete idea (your independent clause) and add another idea that needs the first one to make sense (your dependent clause). This helps you explain when, why, how, or under what conditions something happens.

Parts of a Complex Sentence

Every complex sentence has two main types of clauses:

• Independent Clause: This part of the sentence can stand completely on its own. It has a subject and a verb, and it expresses a full thought. Think of it as a complete sentence by itself.
• Dependent Clause: This part also has a subject and a verb, but it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. It starts with a subordinating conjunction, which makes it depend on the independent clause to make sense.

Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions are the special words that connect a dependent clause to an independent clause. They show the relationship between the two ideas. Some common ones include:

• Time: after, as, before, since, until, when, while
• Cause and Effect: because, since, so that
• Condition: if, unless, provided that
• Contrast: although, even though, whereas, while
• Place: where, wherever

How Do They Work Together?

Let's look at our example again: "Before the curtain rose, Nick came out and took a bow."

• "Nick came out and took a bow" is the independent clause. It's a full thought.
• "Before the curtain rose" is the dependent clause. It starts with "before" (a subordinating conjunction) and doesn't make full sense on its own. It makes you ask, "Before what happened?"

The dependent clause adds extra information to the independent clause. It tells us when Nick came out and took a bow.

Another Example

"Because it was raining, we decided to play board games indoors."

• "we decided to play board games indoors" is the independent clause.
• "Because it was raining" is the dependent clause. It starts with "because" and explains why we played indoors.

Why Use Complex Sentences?

Using complex sentences makes your writing more interesting and detailed!

• They help you show relationships between ideas, like cause and effect or time.
• They make your sentences flow better and sound more natural.
• They allow you to express more complex thoughts without writing many short, choppy sentences.

By mastering complex sentences, you can make your stories, essays, and reports much clearer and more engaging for your readers!