Beyond the Simple Sentence

This chapter is about how to move past using simple basic sentences into using compound sentences. When sentences are combined they give a natural flow and rhythm to your writing that using all short sentences doesn't create.

Compound sentences are created through coordination. Coordination is taking two or more independent clauses and putting them into the same sentence using either a conjunction or a semicolon or both.

The most important element to making coordinated sentences is to be certain that you are joining two independent clauses instead of clauses and phrases. In addition to studying the conjunctions, you will also study the punctuation patterns for compound sentences. This chapter will cover three different methods for combining sentences: using a coordinating conjunction, using a conjunctive adverb, or using just a semicolon. By the time you have completed this chapter you should be able to write sentences that varying in length so that your writing has a more flowing style.