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Making Complex
Sentences
noun clauses
adverbial clauses
Types of sentences
Simple sentences: one independent
clause (one subject, one verb)
 Compound sentences: two
independent clauses joined by a
semicolon, a comma + coordinating
conjunction, or a transition.
 Complex sentences
 Compound-complex sentences
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What is a complex sentence?
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A complex sentence contains two or more
clauses: an independent clause and one or
more dependent clauses.
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The dependent clause may be a noun clause, an
adjective clause, or an adverb clause.
A dependent clause begins with a subordinator
(subordinating conjunction) and contains a subject
and a verb.
A dependent clause is not a complete idea and
cannot stand alone.
Examples of complex
sentences
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complex sentence with an adverbial clause:
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complex sentence with a relative clause:
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After I finish washing the dishes, I ought to mow
the lawn.
A good friend is a person who accepts you for
yourself.
I’m looking for a car that gets good gas mileage.
complex sentence with a noun clause:
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I think that you are absolutely right.
I’m not sure when we are supposed to finish the
project.
Compound-complex sentences
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A compound-complex sentence has at
least two independent clauses and one
or more dependent clauses.
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A good friend is a person who accepts you
as you are, and everyone needs a good
friend.
Try it yourself

Analyze the text in Exercise 2, page 22
of Grammar Troublespots. Can you
combine the seven sentences into one?
Think about it
Do you use a variety of sentence
patterns in your writing? If not, why
not? Write your ideas in your
notebook.
 Which type of sentence do you usually
use? rarely use? Why? Write your
ideas in your notebook.
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Model sentences
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In your notebook, write a model complex sentence
that contains an adverbial clause, and a model
compound-complex sentence.
A sentence with a dependent clause at the beginning
(use a comma)
A sentence with a dependent clause at the end
(don’t use a comma)
A sentence with a noun clause from a question
A sentence with a noun clause from a statement
using the subjunctive
Adverbial clauses
Reveal information about time, place,
manner, frequency, purpose, reason,
conditions, and other meanings.
 Begin with a subordinator (also called
subordinating conjunction) and contain
a subject and a verb.
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Problems with adverbial
clauses 1
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Adverb clauses alone are fragments.
They must be joined to independent
clauses.
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Jay joined the military. Because he wanted
leadership experience and money for
tuition.
Jay joined the military because he wanted
leadership experience and money for
tuition.
Problems with adverbial
clauses 2
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Use present tense verbs in time clauses
referring to the future.
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X As soon as she will get here, I’ll tell her
the bad news.
As soon as she gets here, I’ll tell her the
bad news.
Choose the correct subordinator for
your meaning.
A partial list of
adverbial clause subordinators
meaning
subordinating conjunctions
time
when, whenever, before, after,
while, as, as long as, since, until
cause/result
if, when
concession
although, even though
condition
if, even if, only if, unless
contrast
whereas
while
reason/cause
because, as, since
purpose
so that
Think about it
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Are you aware of any problems you have with
adverbial clauses? Take a moment to write
down your ideas in your notebook.
Choose five adverbial subordinators you’ve
never used before but would like to learn.
Write model sentences in your notebook.
Use one of these sentences for your daily
practice.
Noun clauses
Noun clauses are clauses which function
as nouns in a sentence. They can be
subjects, objects, or objects of
prepositions.
 Noun clauses can be formed from
statements, yes/no questions, or
information questions.
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Noun clauses from
information questions
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Information questions begin with wh- words
such as who, when, where, etc.
Question word order is not used in noun
clauses. Use S-V-O word order.
Omit “do”. Keep the wh- word.
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Where does she live?
I don’t know where she lives.
What countries has he visited?
I’m not sure what countries he has visited.
Noun clauses from
yes/no questions
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Introduce a noun clause made from a yes/no
question with “whether” or “if”.
“or not” can be used immediately after “whether” or
at the end of the sentence. It can also be used at
the end of the sentence with “if”.
Use S-V-O word order.
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Can Julie come to the meeting?
I wonder if Julie can come to the meeting (or not).
I wonder whether (or not) Julie can come to the meeting.
I wonder whether Julie can come to the meeting (or not).
Noun clauses from statements
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Statements can be made into noun clauses by
adding “that” to the beginning of the
statement.
When the noun clause comes at the
beginning of the sentence, “that” is required.
When it comes later in the sentence, “that”
may be omitted. It is always unstressed.
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That Einstein was a genius is obvious.
It’s obvious (that) Einstein was a genius.
Problems with noun clauses
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Use the subjunctive (base form) with
certain verbs and adjectives showing
urgency or importance.
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It is imperative that he leave at once!
We recommend that you be on time.
Be sure to use S-V-O word order.
Think about it
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In your notebook, write three model
sentences to practice noun clauses:
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a noun clause from an information
question
a noun clause from a yes/no question
a noun clause from a statement using the
subjunctive