Compound sentences are a type of sentence that has at least two independent clauses. These clauses have related topics to each other.
These clauses are joined together by conjunction or a semicolon.
A compound sentence joins two separate clauses with a coordinating conjunction such as and or but. They work best when you want to combine two or more self-contained, connected sentences into a single, coherent sentence.
Example of the compound sentences:
- They spoke to her in English, but she responded in Urdu.
- Ali did not like to read, he was not very good at it.
- The girl sang and the boy danced.
- It was raining, therefore I stayed at my school.
- Ali works not only careless but also hasty.
- All of my sisters are lawyers, whereas I am a doctor.
So all the above sentences, are compound sentences.
Types of a compound sentences:
- Coordinating conjunction or a comma.
- Semicolon.
- Colon.
- Dash.
Coordinating conjunction or a comma:
In this type of compound sentence, both clauses are linked with each other by a coordinating conjunction and a comma.
There are seven coordinating conjunctions:
Yet, so, but, or, nor, for, and.
These are the basic seven coordinate conjunctions that are used in a compound sentence.
Example sentences of coordinate conjunction or comma:
- Cats are nice pets, for they are clean and are not noisy.
- It was getting dark and weren’t near the house yet.
- Everyone was busy, so I went to the park alone.
- I was feeling hungry, so I ate a burger.
- I am a daughter and a sister.
Semicolon:
The semi-colon joined the two independent clauses without any conjunction word. Semicolons linked the two independent clauses.
Examples of semicolon sentences:
- Sara baked the cakes; Ali decorated them.
- Italy is my favorite country; I spend two weeks there.
- She loves to sing; her brother loves to dance.
- Ali reads comics; his friend reads magazines.
So all the above sentences, are examples of using semicolons in sentences.
Colon:
A colon is used in a sentence to give more information about anything. The colon is used for explaining something.
Examples of colon sentences:
- We knew who would win the game: the tigers.
- I bought a lot of meat from the store: beef, mutton and, chicken.
- He wanted to see three cities in Pakistan: Lahore, Abbottabad, and Karachi.
- Her success due to one thing: determination.
- He has a little money to spend: his salary is very low.
So all the above sentences are examples of using a colon in a sentence.
Dash:
A dash is used in a sentence in the place of a colon or a semicolon. When the author wants to clarify or emphasize anything he used a dash.
Example sentences of dash:
- He is afraid of two things- spiders and scorpions.
- You are the only friend- who offered me to help.
- Ali lived in this town from 2000- 2021.
- Miss Sara demands one thing from the pupil- attention.
- Your homework is from pages no 20-58.
So all the above sentences are examples of using a dash in a sentence.