The Definition Of Sentence
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2 The Compound Sentence
A compound sentence is a sentence consisting of two or more simple sentences connected by a coordinating conjunction. The coordinating conjunctions
can be in the form of and, but, or nor Mallery, 1957, p. 72. Curme 1966 adds the commonest coordinating conjunctions used are and, or, but, and for p. 152.
The example of the compound sentence is provided below. John is in the garden working and Mary is sitting at the window reading.
Curme, 1966 The example provided by Curme is categorized as a compound sentence
because there are two independent clauses consisting of one subject and one finite verb each, connected by the coordination conjunction „and‟. Therefore, it can be
concluded that compound sentence is a sentence consists of two independent clauses which are connected by coordinating conjunction.
3 The Complex Sentence
Curme 1966 says that a complex sentence contains of one independent propositions and one or more subordinate clauses p. 152. Similarly, Murcia and
Freeman 1999 describe a complex sentence is containing a main clause and one or more subordinate clause p. 20. Mallery 1957 also reveals that “a complex
sentence consists of one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses” p. 73. Moreover, Downing and Locke 2002 say that an independent clause is
complete in itself, whereas a dependant clause is necessarily related to an independent clause. The example of a complex sentence is provided below.
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They locked up the house ind.cl, before they went on holiday dep.cl Downing Locke, 2002, p. 11.
Thus, the sentence above is a complex sentence since there are an independent clause and a dependent clause.