What are compound sentences?

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.

What are compound sentences
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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.