What is a complex sentence? Every schoolchild asked this question. How can you easily determine which sentence is in front of you: simple or complex? It's quite easy, the main thing is to know a few tricky features.

What is a complex sentence: definition, types and examples

A complex sentence is a sentence that contains more than one stem; they are connected by subordinating conjunctions. Also, parts of such a sentence can be connected. It is worth noting that, along with complex sentences, there are also complex sentences in which the parts are connected by the conjunctions “and”, “but”, “a”, in some cases there is a conjunction “yes”. So, before determining what offer is in front of you, you need to note grammar basics, if there are two or more, then you need to ask a question from one of them. The part from which the question is asked is called the main part, and the part to which the question is asked is called the subordinate part.

A complex sentence, examples of which will be presented below, may include several types of connection of parts, for example, parallel, sequential. With parallel, the question is asked from the main part to the rest, with sequential - from each to the next. This suggests that in a complex sentence the dependent parts are always unequal.

What is a complex sentence? Now there is an answer to this question: it is a sentence with unequal dependent clauses that are joined by a subordinating conjunction. Now we need to move on to classification. There are determinative, adverbial, which, in turn, have about 7 more subspecies, as well as explanatory. The first type is the type of sentence when the dependent part answers the questions of adjectives, that is, it creates the emotional coloring of the sentence. For example: “The garden, due to which the house was not visible, was a famous place in the city.” Explanatory answers to questions in all cases except the nominative. This can easily be confused with a definition, so it is very important to ask the question correctly. For example: “Nikita was thinking about the same thing his sister was talking about earlier.”

The largest group is complex sentences with an adverbial clause; there are about 7 additional subclauses: subordinate clauses, reasons, goals, conditions, places, consequences and others. It is quite easy to distinguish them: all the questions that can be asked of adverbs will be asked in this case. Therefore, as a rule, identifying the part is simple and easy.

What is the answer to this question can be found in the article. In addition to the definition, the article presents all classifications of types of subordination, as well as types of subordinate parts. Having such information, you can safely go to a single state exam, because some of the questions are aimed at increased level, is associated specifically with the task of determining the type or type of subordination of parts in a sentence.

Author Angela Ustinova asked a question in the section Additional education

How to distinguish a complex sentence from a complex sentence and got the best answer

Answer from Bkk[guru]
I'll try in my own words)

Complex sentence - consists of simple sentences that are interconnected by coordinating conjunctions and, as a rule, are equal grammatically and in meaning.
Coordinating conjunctions - And, yes (meaning “and”), and... and, neither... nor, too, also, But, a, yes (meaning “but”), however, but, same, Or, either, whether... either, then... this, not that... either... or... or How... and not only... but and, although... but if not... then, not so much... how much, Namely, that is, or (in the meaning of “that is”), somehow, And then, and then, yes and, and also, etc.

Complex sentence - complex sentence, in which one simple sentence is subordinate to another, connected by a subordinating conjunction or a conjunctive word.
Subordinating conjunctions - What, so that, as, etc., When, as soon as, only only, barely, only, only, before, since, until, not yet, after, as long as, as long as as, after, because, since, for, due to the fact that, due to the fact that, in view of the fact that, because, in connection with the fact that, due to the fact that, due to the fact that, due to the fact that , If, if, once, if, if, As, as if, as if, as if, exactly, than, rather than, just as, as if.

In general, in a complex compound there are two equal parts, and in a complex compound one depends on the other) VOILA)

Reply from Helena[active]
Simple sentences in complex sentences are connected using conjunctions like, as if, because. In a compound compound using conjunctions that, and.

Reply from Tessa[guru]
In complex sentences, one simple clause (subordinate clause) depends on another (main clause). From the main clause to the subordinate clause you can ask a question. For example:
We watched with keen interest (what were we watching?) as they practiced playing hockey. In addition, the subordinate clause (as they practiced in the game of hockey) cannot exist on its own.

In a complex sentence, the component parts are grammatically independent of each other, that is, they are equal, which means each of the parts is main and can exist independently. For example:
It’s still very early, but the miners are already heading to their morning shift. That is, from this sentence you can easily make 2 independent sentences.
1. It's still very early.
2. The miners are already going to their morning shift.
I hope I explained it clearly.

Reply from 3 answers[guru]

Difficult to subordinate called offer, parts of which are grammatically unequal and are connected by subordinating conjunctions or allied words.

Part complex sentence, subordinating the subordinate clause is called main sentence . A part of a complex sentence that is syntactically dependent on another is called subordinate clause . The main and subordinate clauses are interconnected: they are united by meaning and construction.

Complex sentences include a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses. Subordinate clauses are subordinate to the main clause and answer the questions of the members of the sentence.

The subordinate clause can appear after the main clause, in the middle of it, or before it.

For example: You should only read those books who teach to understand the meaning of life, the desires of people and the motives of their actions. (M. Gorky.) The branches of the trees seemed shaggy and, when the breeze came, made a slight noise with the first green noise. (G. Skrebnitsky.) If the language weren't more poetic n, there would be no art of words - poetry. (S. Marshak.)

Place subordinate clause in relation to the main thing can be depicted graphically:

[=], (which =).

[-= and, (when --), =].

(If - =), [=]

Subordinate clauses are separated from the main clause by commas. If the subordinate clause is in the middle of the main clause, it is separated by commas on both sides.

If there are several subordinate clauses in a complex sentence, then they can explain not only the main clause, but also each other.

For example: 1) When in my hands new book , I feel, that something living, speaking, wonderful had entered my life.(M. Gorky.) 2) Painting is also important because that the artist often notices what we do not see at all.(K. Paustovsky.)

In the first complex sentence, the main clause is explained by two subordinate clauses. In the second complex sentence, the main clause is Painting is also important because; first clause - what the artist often notices is - explains the main thing, and itself is explained by the second subordinate clause - what we don't see at all .

Subordinating conjunctions and allied words in complex sentences

Subordinate clauses are attached to the main clause (or to another subordinate clause) by subordinating conjunctions (simple and compound) or allied words (relative pronouns), which are presented in the table:

Subordinating conjunctions are not members of the subordinate clause, but serve only to attach subordinate clauses to the main or other subordinate clause.

For example: It is bitter to think that life will pass without grief and without happiness, in the bustle of daily worries.(I. Bunin.)

Conjunctive words not only attach subordinate clauses to the main clause (or other subordinate clause), but are also members of subordinate clauses.

For example: In autumn, birds fly to places where it is always warm. I don't know why he did it.

In these sentences the connecting words Where And For what are circumstances.

The conjunction word requires special comment which. It can act as different members of a sentence: subject, predicate, inconsistent definition, circumstances and additions. To determine the syntactic function of a conjunctive word which, you need to find out which word of the main sentence it replaces, substitute it in place of the allied word and determine which member of the subordinate clause it is.

For example: Village, which located on the river bank, very beautiful. In this sentence there is a conjunctive word that refers to the noun village. If you substitute the word village in a subordinate clause, you get: Village located on the shore. In this sentence the word village performs the function of the subject, therefore, in the subordinate part of the original sentence there is a conjunctive word which is also subject.

Compare: The lake we approached turned out to be clean and deep. “I met a man whom I had not seen for a long time.

Some of the allied words turn out to be homonymous to unions, that is, in some cases they act as unions, and in others - as allied words.

To distinguish a conjunction from an allied word, you must remember:

1) in some cases the conjunction can be omitted, but the conjunction word cannot:

For example: Tanya says that the grass grows at night. (V. Belov.) - Tanya says: “The grass grows at night”;

2) a union can only be replaced by another union.

For example: When (if) work is pleasure, life is good.(M. Gorky.)

3) A conjunctive word can only be replaced by a conjunctive word or those words from the main sentence to which the subordinate clause relates,

For example: Remember the songs that the nightingale sang.(I. Bunin.)

Word What is a conjunctive word, since it cannot be omitted, but can be replaced with a conjunctive word which ( Remember the songs that the nightingale sang) and the words of the song ( Remember the songs: the nightingale sang these songs).

The ability to distinguish between conjunctions and allied words is necessary for the correct intonation of a sentence, since often allied words are the semantic center, they are highlighted by logical stress.

What, how And When can be both conjunctions and allied words

To distinguish these allied words and conjunctions, you should remember that:

1) for allied words What And How logical stress usually falls;

2) you can ask a semantic question about them and determine which member of the sentence they are;

3) they cannot be removed from the sentence without violating the meaning, but they can be replaced with synonymous allied words.

Compare: I knew our house needed renovation. - I knew: our house needed repairs.

House, What standing opposite, in need of renovation. - The house opposite is in need of renovation.

When distinguishing between a union word and a conjunction When should be based on the meaning subordinate parts. In subordinate clauses and often in subordinate clauses When is a conjunctive word, in all other cases When- union:

For example: I remember well the day we met. Nobody knew when he appeared in our city. When the snowstorm ends, you can go for a walk.

The role of demonstrative words in the subordination of sentences

Indicative words can sometimes be used in the main part of a complex sentence that, such, all, everyone, no one, there, then etc.

The role of demonstrative words in the organization of complex sentences is not the same.

Firstly , they may be constructively necessary (a sentence with a given subordinate clause cannot be constructed without them).

For example: I'm the one no one loves. The inclusion of correlative words necessary for the structure of a sentence is mandatory for the structural diagram of such NGNs:

Secondly , correlative words can be optional, their role in the sentence in this case is intensifying and emphatic (correlative words can be omitted without loss of meaning):

He remembered that man which I was visiting Petrov.

Demonstrative words are members of the main sentence.

Features of joining subordinate clauses to the main one

The subordinate clause is attached by conjunctions and allied words to the entire main sentence, but the meaning of the subordinate clause explains:

- one word (one member of the main sentence);

For example: The village where Evgeniy was bored was a charming place. (A. Pushkin.) I guessed a long time ago that we are kindred at heart. (A. Fet.) Having loaded the rifle, Andrei again rose above the pile of stones, wondering where to shoot. (M. Bubennov.);

- phrase;

For example: She was standing there fabulous silence, which comes with frost. (P. Pavlenko.) And for a long time I'll be so kind as to I am the people that I awakened good feelings with my lyre... (A. Pushkin.) These snows glowed with a ruddy shine so fun, so bright, that, it seems, he would have stayed here forever. (M. Lermontov.);

- all the main proposal: The house stood on a slope, so the windows to the garden were very low to the ground. (S. Aksakov.) The darker the night became, the brighter the sky grew. (K. Paustovsky.)

How to quickly and easily determine whether a sentence is compound or complex? and got the best answer

Answer from Vadim[active]
By alliance:
If the conjunctions are “a, but, and, or, yes (in the meaning of and)”, etc., this is a composition.
And if the conjunctions are “Which, because”, etc. AND you can also ask questions from the dependent clause to the main clause, then this is a subordinate clause
It started to rain and a thunderstorm began - composed
It started to rain, because of which a thunderstorm started - subordinate (Why did the thunderstorm start? Because it started to rain

Reply from Natasha Prokhorova[newbie]
In a complex sentence, the parts are equal in meaning, which means that by removing the conjunction, we can make them simple sentences without distorting the meaning.

Reply from Tatyana Kazakova[guru]
In a complex sentence, the parts are equal in meaning, which means that by removing the conjunction, we can make them simple sentences without distorting the meaning. In a complex sentence, the parts depend on one another. And if one of them can be an independent proposal, then the other - never! In addition, you need to know that in complex sentences, coordinating conjunctions are used to connect parts, and in complex sentences, subordinating conjunctions are used, respectively.

Reply from Speedy88[guru]
very simple, based on conjunctions:
in compounds - and, a, but
in complex subordinates - what, when, if, which, etc.
possible on questions, in complex ones one depends on the other

Reply from Marylave[newbie]
Compound - when two parts of a sentence are not related to each other. Complex - when there is some kind of connection between them, and usually they are united by some kind of union: which, because, etc.

Reply from Arini-k[guru]
According to the conjunctions and allied words used.
Check if you can ask a question from one simple sentence to another. If yes, then complex

Reply from Lyudmila[guru]
Look at the means of communication! In SSP - coordinating conjunctions, and in SPP - subordinating conjunctions and allied words.

Reply from Fucking Man[active]
Yyyyy

Reply from Elena Khrenova[newbie]
very simple

Reply from Nurzhan Ergaliev[newbie]
To determine the SPP for successful language acquisition, it is enough to spend half an hour, which is accessible to everyone

Reply from 3 answers[guru]

1. Complex sentences(SPP) are sentences that have a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses. Subordinate clauses are subordinate to the main clause and answer the questions of the members of the sentence.

before the main clause:

Since Nonna refused Andrey, the old man has been officially dry with Nonna(Panova).

(Since), .

Subordinate clauses can stand after the main clause:

What leads through the grove(Goncharov).

, (What)

Subordinate clauses can stand in the middle of the main clause:

And in the evening, when all the cats were gray, the prince went to breathe clean air(Leskov).

[ , (When), ]

2. Subordinate clauses may refer to one word in the main or to the whole main sentence.

One word in the main clause the following types of subordinate clauses include:

• subject clauses;
• predicate (according to another classification, subject and predicate clauses are classified as pronominal clauses);
• definitive;
• additional (according to another classification - explanatory);
• mode of action and degree.

To the whole main offer The following types of clauses usually include:

• clauses, time, cause, effect, comparison, purpose, condition, concession (that is, adverbial types of clauses, except clauses of manner and degree).

Adverbial clauses, except for clauses of manner and degree, as a rule, refer to the entire main clause, but the question for them is usually asked from the predicate.

The typology of subordinate clauses is given according to the textbook: Babaytseva V.V., Chesnokova L.D. Russian language: Theory. 5-9 grades: Textbook. for general education institutions.

3. The means of connecting subordinate and main clauses are:

• in a subordinate clause- subordinating conjunctions ( what, so, for, while, when, how, if etc.) or allied words ( which, which, who, what, how, where, where, from, when etc.);
• in the main clause- demonstrative words ( that, such, there, there, because, because etc.).

Unions and allied words are the main means of communication in a complex sentence.

There may or may not be demonstrative words in the main clause.

Conjunctions and allied words usually appear at the beginning of a subordinate clause and serve as an indicator of the boundary between the main and subordinate clauses.

Exception constitutes a conjunction-particle whether, which is in the middle of the subordinate clause. Pay attention to this!

Distinguishing between conjunctions and allied words

Pay attention!

1) What, how, when can be both conjunctions and allied words. Therefore, when parsing complex sentences You need to be especially careful with these words. In addition to the above methods of distinguishing between conjunctions and allied words, the following should be taken into account.

When is union in subordinate tense ( My father died when I was sixteen years old. Leskov) and in the subordinate clause ( When you need the devil, go to hell! Gogol).

When is union word in the additional clause ( I know, When he will return) and in the attributive clause ( That day When ; when in a attributive clause one can replace the main conjunctive word for this clause which, cf.: That day, in which we met for the first time, I will never forget).

How is union in all adverbial clauses, except for clauses of manner of action and degree (cf.: Serve me as you served him(Pushkin) - comparative clause; Just as the soul is black, you can’t wash it off with soap.(proverb) - subordinate clause; can be replaced: if the soul is black. - Do it like this How you were taught- subordinate clause of manner of action and degree).

Pay special attention to additional clauses: how and what in them can be both conjunctions and allied words.

Wed: He said he'd be back for dinner (What- union). - I know, What he will do tomorrow (What- allied word); I heard a child crying behind the wall (How- union). - I know, How she loves her son (How- conjunction word).

In an additional clause, how can you replace the conjunction with the conjunction that, cf.: I heard a child crying behind the wall. - I heard that a child was crying behind the wall.

2) What is union in two cases:

A) as part of a double union than... that:

b) in subordinate clauses of such complex sentences that have an adjective in the main part, an adverb in comparative degree or words different, different, otherwise.

He turned out to be tougher than we thought; Rather than consider the godmother to work, isn’t it better to turn to yourself, godfather?(Krylov).

3) Where, where, from, who, why, why, how much, which, which, whose- allied words and cannot be conjunctions.

I know where he's hiding; I know where he will go; I know who did it; I know why he did it; I know why he said it; I know how long it took him to renovate the apartment; I know what our holiday will be like; I know whose briefcase this is.

When parsing a subordinate clause as a simple one, the following mistake is very often made: the meaning of the subordinate clause is transferred to the meaning of the allied word. To avoid such a mistake, try replacing the conjunctive word with the corresponding demonstrative word and determine which part of the sentence this word is.

Wed: I know where he's hiding. - There he is hiding.

Conjunctive words which, which, whose in a attributive clause, it can be replaced by the noun to which this clause refers.

Wed: Tell me that fairy tale that mom loved(Hermann). - Mom loved fairy tales; Stuart Yakovlevich is a manager like no other in the world. - Such a manager and not in the world.

The opposite error is also possible: the meaning of the conjunctive word is transferred to the meaning of the subordinate word. To avoid mistakes, put the question from the main clause to the subordinate clause.

I know(What?), When he will return; I know(What?), Where he was- additional clauses; He's back in town(to which city?), Where spent his youth; That day(what day?), When we met, I will never forget- subordinate clauses.

In addition, in the attributive clause, conjunctive words where, where, where, when can be replaced by the allied word which.

Wed: He returned to the city Where spent his youth. - He returned to the city, in which spent his youth; That day When we met, I won't forget. - That day in which we met, I won't forget.

4. Demonstrative words are found in the main clause and usually answer the same questions and have the same syntactic meaning as subordinate clauses. The main function of demonstrative words is to be a harbinger of a subordinate clause. Therefore, in most cases, the demonstrative word can tell you what type of subordinate clause it is:

He returned to That city, Where spent his youth (That- definition; attributive clause); He stayed with that to prove your innocence (with that- circumstance of the goal; clause of purpose); Read so that no one saw the note (So- circumstance of the manner of action, measure and degree; subordinate clause of manner of action and degree).

Way of expressing demonstrative words