Content introduction chapter composite sentence in English Using composite sentence in sentence chapter the composite sentence as a polypredicative construction Using the composite sentence as a polypredicative construction conclusion summary references

Using composite sentence in sentence

The composite sentence is a sentence consisting of two or more clauses, and therefore containing two or more subject-predicate groups. In its structure a clause is similar to a simple sentence, but unlike a simple sentence it forms part of a bigger syntactical unit.
Within a composite sentence clauses may be joined by means of coordination or subordination, thus forming a compound or a complex sentence respectively.
Coordination is a way of linking grammatical elements to make them equal in rank.
The Compound Sentence
The compound sentence consists of two or more clauses of equal rank which form one syntactical whole in meaning and intonation. Clauses that are parts of a compound sentence are called coordinate, as they are joined by coordination.
Coordinate clauses may be linked together with or without a connector, in the first case they are joined syndetically, in the second case ― asyndetically.
From the point of view of the relationship between coordinate clauses, we distinguish four kinds of coordinate connection: copulative, adversative, disjunctive and causative-consecutive. The type of connection is expressed not only by means of coordinating connectives, but also by the general meaning of clauses conveyed by their lexical and grammatical content.
1. Copulative coordination implies that two events or ideas conveyed by coordinate clauses are merely joined in time and place.
The copulative connectors are: the conjunctions and, nor, neither ... nor, not only ... but also, as well as, both, and the conjunctive adverbs then, moreover, likewise, besides, again, further, thus and conjunctive particles also, too, even.
And is the conjunction most frequently used to realize copulative coordination. It may suggest mere additionЖ
Then she (Ellen) went home and wrote Brody a thank-you note for being so nice, and she also wrote a note to the chief of police commending young Martin Brody.
The events described in copulative coordinate clauses may be simultaneous or successive:
The Black Cadillac made its hunting sound through the night and the tyres sang on the slab and the black fields stretched with mist swept by (simultaneity).
The front door to the house opened, and a man and a woman stepped out on the wooden porch (succession).
Occasionally the second clause may contain some commentary on the previous clause:
She was familiar with the petty social problems, and they bored her.
Owing to its vague copulative meaning the conjunction and may also link clauses with adversative or causative-consecutive connections.
Copulative connection may also be expressed asyndetically, the clauses joined in this way may describe simultaneous or successive events:
Our Elsie was looking at her with beg imploring eyes; she was frowning; she wanted to go (simultaneity).
The bus stopped, the automatic door sprang open, a lady got in, then another lady (succession).
2. Adversative coordination joins clauses containing opposition, contradiction or contrast. Adversative connectors are: the conjunctions but, while, whereas, the conjunctive adverbs yet, still, nevertheless, nonetheless, and the conjunctive particle only. Adversative coordination may also be realized asyndetically. The main adversative conjunction is but, which expresses adversative connection in a very general way. The clause introduced by but conveys some event that is opposite to what is expected from the contents of the first clause:
The story was amusing, but nobody laughed.
The conjunctions while and whereas specialize in expressing contrastive relations:
Peter is an engineer, while his brother is a musician.
Some people prefer going to the theatre, whereas others will stay at home watching TV programmes.
3. Disjunctive connection denotes choice, usually between two mutually exclusive alternatives. The disjunctive conjunctions are or, either ... or, the conjunctive adverbs else (or else), otherwise:
You can join us at the station, or we can wait for you at home.
The correlative either emphasizes the exclusion of one of the alternatives.
Either listen to me, or I shall stop reading to you.
4. Causative-consecutive coordination joins clauses connected in such a way that one of them contains a reason and the other ― a consequence. The second clause may contain either the reason or the result of the event conveyed by the previous clause. The only causative coordinating conjunction is for.
The days became longer, for it was now springtime.
A causative clause may be also joined asyndetically.
At first I thought that they were brother and sister, they were so much alike.
A for-clause differs from a subordinate clause of reason in that it never precedes the clause it is joined to. If a sentence begins with for, it means that the sentence is linked with the previous one:
When I saw her in the river I was frightened. For at that point the current was strong.
Consecutive connectives are so, so that, therefore, hence, then.
+ The weather was fine, so there were many people on the beach.
Between them they had managed to fit him out with a somewhat composite set of garments.
From this compact and composite character of the borough came several important results.
He always thought of them as a composite personality, a sort of female trinity.
And believe me, the composite figure of the moral man here sadly needs such an awakening.
They are emotional forces that are at work, composite feelings and moods rather than instincts.
Registry being thus secured, we simply expose the foreground and develop the composite print.
It was a composite of all the grace, beauty, and weakness of the surrounding portraits.
A composite method was used, which permitted the use of more data than any other one method.
It is finding in what is called the atom a composite body, a compound, not an element.
Owing to their composite nature the Jicarillas are a peculiarly interesting group.
The composite body odor it had known for so many years had changed, and ceased abruptly.
In every composite thing absolute and individual Being are not one and the same.
Between each recess are Composite pilasters in couples, with others opposite against the piers.
The winged bulls and the cherubim were composite creatures, and came originally from Babylonia.
It has thirty-two Composite columns of a height of 38 feet, including the pedestals.
“The 2 main types of connection of clauses in a composite sentence are subordination and coordination. By coordination clauses are arranged as units of syntactically equal rank, i.e. equipotently. The leading clause and a sequential clause (He came and we had coffee. We had coffee and he came). By subordination they are arranged as units of unequal rank, one being categorically dominated by the other. “²
Besides the classical types of coordination and subordination of clauses, we find another case of construction of a composite sentence. When the connection between the clauses combined in a polypredicative unit is extremely loose, placing the sequential clause in a syntactically detached position. In this loosely connected composite sentence the information expressed by the sequential clause is presented as an afterthought, an idea that comes to the speaker’s mind after the completion of the foregoing utterance. This kind of connection is called cumulation. Its formal sign is the tone of completion. In writing it is a semifinal mark, such as a semicolon, a dash, sometimes a series of periods. Continuative cumulation: He did his job in the office without any fuss; he answered questions in the House: he made a couple of speeches. Parenthetical cumulation: Your story, you know, showed such breadth and depth of thought.
Form the semantico-syntactic point of view there are 2 basic types of connection:
Marked coordinative connection – copulative, causal, resultative, adversative, disjunctive, e.g. We cannot go upstairs for we are too tired.
Unmarked coordinative connection - is realized by the coordinative connector “and” and also asyndetically (copulative, enumerative, causal, resultative relations), e.g. Time passed, and she came to no conclusions. We cannot go upstairs, we are too tired.
Opened constructions are copulative and enumerative. They are used in narrations in literary texts as a descriptive means.
Closed type of compound sentences presupposes some kind of finalization. Conjunctions AND and BUT.
The problem of communication types:
There are compound sentences consisting of clauses belonging to different communication types. In this case it is impossible to state to what type the compound sentence as a whole belongs.
e.g. These came nearer than most to meaning something to her, but what? (declarative + interrogative)
-> Can we call a compound sentence a sentence at all? according to communication type – NO
There is theory on the unity of communication type, which recognizes compound sentences as a special sentence type.
“Compound sentences consist of clauses joined together by coordinating conjunctions: and, but, or, for, yet.
Grammatical structure of compound sentences:
The semantic relations between the clauses making up the compound sentence depend partly on the lexical meaning of the conjunction uniting them, and partly on the meanings of the words making up the clauses themselves:
Copulative conjunctions - and, neither…nor “³
Disjunctive conjunctions - or, otherwise, either…or
Adversative conjunctions - but, yet, still, nevertheless, however
As to the use of tenses in clauses making up a compound sentence, we should note that there is no general rule of their interdependence. However, in a number of cases we do find interdependence of co-ordinate clauses from this point of view.
The number of clauses in a compound sentence may be greater than 2, and in this case the conjunctions uniting the clauses may be different.

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