A compound sentence is make up of two or more complete thoughts. Following are two complete thoughts, joined to form a compound sentnece.
Rose wants chili for dinner, but she forgot to buy beans.
By using a comma and a joining word such as but, we can combine what would otherwise be two simple sentences into one compound sentence. Coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) are used to join to complete thoughts.
The driver failed to signal, and he went through a stop sign.
The meal was not hot, so we sent it back to the kitchen.
Also notice that a comma is used after the first complete thought.
Don't confuse a compound sentence with a simple sentence with a compound subject and/or a compound verb. A compound sentence has a subject and a verb in each of its independent clauses.
| Simple Sentence | Bill and Joe increased their speed and passed the other runners. |
| Compound Sentence | Bill led the way, and then Joe took the lead. |
| Simple Sentence | I ran to the window and looked out at the snow. |
| Compound Sentence | I ran to the window, and I looked out at the snow. |
Below is a diagram of a compound sentence:
Go to this web site for a review of indepdent clauses.