compound sentence

/ˈkɑmpaʊnd ˈsɛntɪns/

/ˈkɒmpaʊnd ˈsɛntɪns/

Other forms: compound sentences

A compound sentence is a grammatical construction that includes two or more complete thoughts. A compound sentence includes two or more independent clauses, and those clauses are usually joined by a coordinating conjunction.

An independent clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb, and it can stand alone as a complete sentence. A compound sentence links together two or more of those independent clauses. The clauses may be connected by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, so, for, nor, yet), or they may have a semicolon or a colon between them. So a compound sentence with two independent clauses could be divided into two sentences, but the new sentences may sound a bit choppy and abrupt: You can do it. But you may not want to.

Definitions of compound sentence

1. noun

   a sentence composed of at least two coordinate independent clauses
   type of:

   sentence

   a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language