Compound Sentence
We have seen that a Compound Sentence is made up of two or more Co-ordinate (that is, equal or independent) Clauses joined together by a Co-ordinating Conjunction; as,
- The way was long and the night was cold.
[Here each Co-ordinate Clause is a Simple Sentence.]
- I came, I saw, I conquered.
[Here each Co-ordinate Clause is a Simple Sentence.]
- I say what I mean, and mean what I say.
[Here each Co-ordinate Clause is Complex Sentence.]
- I asked her what her name was, but she gave no reply.
[Here the first clause is a Complex Sentence, while the second is a Simple Sentence.]
So the Co-ordinate Clause of a Compound Sentence may be a Simple Sentence or a Complex Sentence.
A Sentence made up of two Co-ordinate Clauses is called a Double Sentence. So the sentences 1, 3 and 4 are Double Sentences. A sentence made up of more than two Co-ordinate Clauses is called a Multiple Sentence. So the sentence 2 is a Multiple Sentence.
The Clauses of a Compound Sentence can be joined by the following four kinds of Co-ordinating Conjunctions :
CUMULATIVE
In a Cumulative Sentence, one Clause is simply added to another; as Kamala sang and I danced.
He is an idler, and a gambler too.
The poor suffer as well as the rich.
He was not only a great scholar, but he was also a wise leader.
She cannot speak, nor can she write.
ALTERNATIVE
In an Alternative Sentence an alternative or choice is offered between one statement and another; as,
She must weep or she will die.
Either she is foolish or she is mad.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be.
Walk quickly else you will miss the train.
ADVERSATIVE
In the Adversative Sentence one statement or fact is contrasted with or set against another, as,
He is slow, but he is steady.
He is poor, yet he. is happy.
He worked very hard, nevertheless he failed.
Wise men love truth, while fools shun it.
ILLATIVE
In an Illative Sentence one Clause expresses the cause, and the other the effect of that clause; as,
He did not work hard, therefore he failed.
I am unwell, so I cannot attend school today.
He will die some day for all men are mortal.
Exercise 1: Pick out the Clauses in the following Compound Sentences and tell the kind of each.
- We ought to rejoice, but we must rejoice with trembling.
- God made the country and man made the town.
- Man proposes and God disposes.
- There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
- He will act honourably in this matter, or I shall be greatly disappointed.
- Prosperity gains friends and adversity tries them.
- They found the horse indeed; but it distressed them to see it; for it was lame.
- Either he or his brother must have stolen my watch; for no other person was present there.
- His father argued with him and his mother appealed to him with tears, but still he pursued his foolish course.
- Men may come and men may go, but I go on for ever.
- He had hurt me, but he was so nice about it.
- lam old and have seen many things.
- Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.