The Complex Sentence:
Look at the following sentences:
(a) I know that he is a good boy.
(b) I have a box which contains old clothes.
(c.) My father arrived when I was just going out.
Each of the above sentences has two clauses. In (a) there are two clauses (i) I know (ii) that he is a good boy. In (b) (i) I have a box, (ii) which contains old clothes and in (c).(i) My father arrived (ii) when I was just going out . In each of the sentences clauses (i) is independent but clause (ii) of each sentence is dependent. “That he is a good boy”. “Which contains old clothes”, “When just going out” cannot stand independently as they depend on clause-(i) to give e a clear meaning. Therefore they are known as “Subordinate clause”
Thus sentences which consist of a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses are called “complex sentence”. Each of the three sentences given above is a complex sentence having one main clause and one sub-ordinate clause.
Now look at the following complex sentences which consist of one main clause and more than one subordinate clause. The subordinate clause are italicized.
(i) I believe that he is clever and that he can do any hard work.
(ii) The boy whom I met at the station said that he was going to his village for a week.
(iii) When the sunset the boys returned to the camp where they would spend the night.
Diagram of the Different types of Sentences.
Sentences
One Clause More than one Clause
Simple
| One Main clause + One or more than one subordinate clauses (Complex) |
| Two or more Co-ordinate clauses (Compound) |
Kind of sub-ordinate clauses:
Sub-ordinate clauses are of three types:
(i) Noun clauses.
(ii) Relative or Adjective clauses.
(iii) Adverb Clauses.
(iv) Adverb clauses.
[These subordinate clauses have been dealt with in detail in other chapters.]
EXERCISE-6
Identify the simple, the compound and the complex sentences and arrange them in separate groups.
- He stood up and asked me a question.
- Who told you to go home?
- If you trun the witch, the motor will start.
- Wait here until I return.
- A valuable ring was found yesterday.
- The boy described what he had seen in the zoo.
- I came, I saw and I conquered.
- They had arrived before we were able to tell them that they would be arrested by the police.
- The people who have been to the moon say that there is no water there.
Exercise-7
Break up each of the following sentences into separate clauses. Mark the main clause as M.C. and the subordinate clause as SC :
- It was so dark that you couldn’t see your hand.
- As he was not there, I spoke to his father.
- The king said that he would not buy the horse.
- Whatever you do, do well.
- There was a philosopher who chose to live in a tub.
- How long I shall stay here is doubtful.
- The law will punish whosoever is guilty.
- All that glitters is not gold.
- The horse shook his head wildly so that no man could ride him.
- This is the place where I saw the accident that took place last month.