Focus on Complex and Compound-Complex Sentences

As you have learned, complex and compound-complex sentences contain dependent clauses. Dependent clauses contain a word that makes them dependent. Adding this word makes the sentence a fragment.
  • I attended Austin Peay for college. (sentence)
    • Add after
  • After I attended Austin Peay for college (fragment)
Now you must add another complete sentence in order for the fragment to make sense.
  • After I attended Austin Peay for college, I became a teacher.
This sentence is a complex sentence. It has one dependent clause followed by an independent clause. 
To make this sentence a compound-complex sentence, you need to add another independent clause.
  • After I attended Austin Peay for college, I became a teacher, for I wanted to influence young minds.
How do you create a complex or compound-complex sentence?
​Your sentence must contain at least one independent clause and one dependent clause. The dependent clause will begin with one of the words below:
Complex Sentence:
I can remember cheering for the Miami Dolphins since I was very young.
Independent Clause: I can remember cheering for the Miami Dolphins.
Dependent Clause: since I was very young
Compound-Complex Sentence:
I can remember cheering for the Miami Dolphins since I was very young, and I have liked them for many years now.
Independent Clause: I can remember cheering for the Miami Dolphins
Dependent Clause: since I was very young
Independent Clause: I have liked them for many years now
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