English Grammar

Transformation of a Simple Sentence into a Compound Sentences

A Simple Sentence has only one subject and one predicate. A compound sentence must have two or more co-ordinate clauses, each with its own subject and predicate. Examples are given below.

• Climbing up the tree, he plucked some mangoes. (Simple Sentence)
• He climbed up the tree and plucked some mangoes. (Compound Sentence)

Here we changed the participial phrase ‘Climbing up the tree’ into the clause ‘He climbed up the tree’ and connected it to the original clause with the coordinating conjunction and. Thus a simple sentence can be converted into a compound sentence by expanding a word or a phrase into a clause and by using the coordinating conjunction to connect the clauses. More examples are given below.

• Driven by rain, he took shelter under a tree. (Simple sentence)
• He was driven by rain and took shelter under a tree. (Compound Sentence)
• Besides being beautiful, she is intelligent. (Simple Sentence)
• She is not only beautiful but also intelligent. (Compound Sentence)
• In spite of his poverty he is happy. (Simple Sentence)
• He is poor but he is happy. (Compound Sentence)

Exercise

Convert the following simple sentences into compound sentences.

1. Being innocent, he never thought of running away.
2. Besides being thrown into jail, he was heavily fined.
3. The old man sat near the fire, smoking.
4. By his pleasant manner, the boy became popular.

Answers

1. He was innocent and never thought of running away.
2. He was not only thrown into jail but also heavily fined.
3. The old man sat near the fire and smoke.
4. The boy had pleasant manner and thus became popular.

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