As the name suggests, compound-complex sentences incorporate elements of both a compound sentence and a complex sentence, two of the other sentence structures in English.
Compound-complex sentence examplesOnce this storm is over, our plane can take off, and we can actually begin our vacation.
This necklace is very important to me, so don’t lose it unless you want to see me angry.
The convention was electrifying; many attendees, who came from all over the country, said they didn’t want to leave.
If Ellen doesn’t want to go, I can ask Patrick, or I can just go alone.
A compound sentence consists of two independent clauses (i.e., two simple sentences) joined most often by a comma and coordinating conjunction or a semicolon (e.g., “I went to the store, and Marcus cooked dinner”).
Transition words and phrases are used to connect ideas in your writing and help readers understand your arguments. Also called connecting words, linking words, transitional words, or sentence starters (when used at the beginning of a sentence), these words describe the relationship between phrases, sentences, or paragraphs.
Transition words exampleMany researchers (e.g., Bates, 2019; Chan, 2022) have argued that the two variables are correlated. Others, however, disagree (Jones and Hernandez, 2023). Thus, the question is not yet settled.
Understanding and using transition words effectively is necessary to produce clear and cohesive writing. Using a paraphraser like QuillBot’s can help you integrate transition words into your writing.
English has many rules for capitalization. In general, the first word of a sentence, the pronoun “I,” and all proper nouns (e.g., “Lake Tahoe,” “Texas State University”) are capitalized.
Beyond that, there are more detailed rules that will be covered in the sections below and are summarized in the following table.
Capitalization rules
Capitalize
Don’t capitalize
People
Names (the works of Austen)
Titles when used as part of a name (according to President Biles)
Nationalities (an Italian athlete)
Titles not used as part of a name (the country’s president)
Occupations (an accountant)
Places
Continents (North America)
Countries (Honduras)
States (New Hampshire)
Cities (London)
Regions (the East Coast)
Monuments and landmarks (Mount Rushmore)
Directions (go south on the toll road)
General terms for places (the largest lake in the country)
A past participle is a form of a verb that can be used in three ways: as an adjective, to form the passive voice, or to form perfect verb tenses. All verbs have both present participle and past participle forms.
For regular verbs, the past participle is formed by adding “-ed” to the end of the verb (e.g., “spell” becomes “spelled”).
For irregular verbs, the past participle can be formed in various ways, often using the endings “-en,” “-n,” “-ne,” and “-t” (e.g., “write” becomes “written,” and “lose” becomes “lost”).
Past participle examplesThe neglected garden is overgrown.
The dependent clause expresses a condition (e.g., “If I drink coffee”), and the independent clause describes the result of the condition (e.g., “I will be awake all night”).
In English, there are four primary types of conditionals, corresponding to different levels of possibility or likelihood.
Conditional sentence types
Type
Function
Example
Zero conditional
Expresses a general truth
If you press this button, the car unlocks.
First conditional
Expresses a likely future consequence
If you take some medicine, you will feel better.
Second conditional
Expresses an unrealistic or unlikely future consequence
If I won the lottery, I would buy a mansion.
Third conditional
Expresses an unreal past situation and its result
If you had listened to me, you would not have missed your train.
A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that is used to connect words (or parts of words) that function together in a sentence or phrase (e.g., “old-fashioned,” “10-year-old,” “break-in”).
Hyphens are often used in compound adjectives, compound nouns, number phrases, and words with prefixes. There are many rules that govern their use, and it’s not always easy to know which words require a hyphen. QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can help you ensure you’re using hyphens correctly.
Hyphen examplesThis fat-free yogurt actually tastes very good.
