Sentence, Clause, Phrase - Division of Sentences on the Basis of Structure - COMPOUND sentences

A compound sentence is made up of two or more independent clauses of the same importance, joined by a coordinating conjunction.

For example:

The passage was dark, so we could not see anything.

This sentence can be broken up into two independent clauses as follows:

The passage was dark. (INDEPENDENT CLAUSE 1) We could not see anything. (INDEPENDENT CLAUSE 2)

Both these clauses have the same importance in the sentence. Hence, they are joined by the coordinating conjunction ‘so’, showing that the idea contained in independent clause 2 (cannot see) is the result of the idea contained in independent clause 1 (dark passage). Hence, it can be said that a compound sentence has two or more Main Clauses.

Each clause contains a subject and a predicate.

The passage = Subject Was dark = Predicate We = Subject Could not see anything = Predicate