Complex Sentences: Joining an Independent Clause to a Dependent Clause

0:00What is a complex sentence, and why do writers use them?

0:04Here is a short passage from a story about the end of a school day.

0:09Four short sentences in a row, and nothing shows how the ideas connect.

0:15A complex sentence joins an independent clause to a dependent clause.

0:20The independent clause, also called the main clause, is a complete thought that can stand alone.

0:27The dependent clause begins with a joining word, a subordinating conjunction, and it cannot stand alone.

0:34Let us join the short sentences into two complex sentences.

0:39Each one has a joining word: when in the first, and because in the second.

0:46The dependent clauses leave us waiting for more, so they cannot stand alone.

0:51The independent clauses are complete thoughts, and each one could still stand alone.

0:57When the dependent clause comes first, put a comma after it.

1:02When the dependent clause comes last, you usually do not need a comma.

1:07Now the reader can see how the ideas connect: when things happened, and why.

1:13A complex sentence joins an independent clause to a dependent clause with a joining word.