compound sentence

American  

noun

compound sentences plural

1. a sentence containing two or more coordinate independent clauses, usually joined by one or more conjunctions, but no dependent clause, as The lightning flashed (independent clause) and (conjunction) the rain fell (independent clause).

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compound sentence British  

noun

1. a sentence containing at least two coordinate clauses

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compound sentence Cultural  

1. A sentence that contains at least two independent clauses, often joined by conjunctions: “Dr. Watson explained his theory, and Sherlock Holmes listened quietly.” (Compare complex sentence, compound-complex sentence, and simple sentence.)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• compound sentences
  plural

Etymology

Origin of compound sentence

First recorded in 1765–75

Compare meaning

How does compound-sentence compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• compound sentence vs. complex sentence
• simple sentence vs. compound sentence

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

compound sentence

It is also used to give independence to the members of a compound sentence when not very complex.

From English: Composition and Literature by Webster, W. F. (William Franklin)

If two or more clauses, grammatically complete and not joined by a conjunction, are to form a single compound sentence, the proper mark of punctuation is a semicolon.

From A Foreword to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition by James, Juliet Helena Lumbard

What one of the relations of a compound sentence does the second part bear to the first?

From English: Composition and Literature by Webster, W. F. (William Franklin)

Use a semicolon to separate the clauses of a compound sentence that are joined by a conjunction, only when it is desirable to indicate a very definite pause.

From Practical Grammar and Composition by Wood, Thomas

When they are used to join the principal clauses of a compound sentence, a comma is not sufficient punctuation between the clauses.

From Business English A Practice Book by Buhlig, Rose