XIX. COMPOUND SENTENCES
63. We have seen that sentences may be joined together by conjunctions. When two or more independent clauses are joined together in this way, we say that the sentence is compound; as, “Coral reefs resemble great rock ledges, and vessels are often wrecked upon them.”
64. The conjunctions most used in compound sentences are and, or, but, yet, therefore, and so.
And shows that two clauses are in the same line of thought; as, “His eye was bright, and his face was ruddy.”
Or shows a choice between two clauses; as, “You must work, or you must go hungry.”
But and yet show a contrast; as, “I mailed the letter, but Uncle Joe never received it.”
Therefore and so show that the second clause is a consequence of the first; as, “There are fires in the forests north of us, therefore the air is full of smoke.”
65. Sometimes when the relation between clauses is perfectly evident, the conjunction is omitted; as, “I came; I saw; I conquered.”
In order that the reader may have no doubt as to where a clause ends, it is usually followed by a comma, which speaks to the eye of the reader just as a pause speaks to the ear of the listener. When the clauses are long or the conjunction is omitted, a semicolon may be used instead of the comma.
Summary.—A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses.
The clauses of a compound sentence are separated from each other by a comma or a semicolon.
Exercise.—Select all the clauses in the following compound sentences. Tell the relation between them, and how they are joined. Tell the subject and predicate of each clause. Account for the punctuation.
1. Over the porch grew a hop-vine, and a brandy-cherry tree shaded the door, and a luxuriant cranberry vine flung its delicious fruit across the window.
2. Mr. Peterkin liked to take a doze on his sofa in the room, but the rest of the family liked to sit on the piazza.
3. Prosperity makes friends; adversity tries them.
4. The whole family planted the potatoes; George dug the holes with his hoe, Mollie dropped into each one three pieces of an old potato, Paul raked the black earth over them, and Mother supervised and praised them all.
5. Some of the letter-carriers must take very long walks, but English people do not appear to object to that sort of thing.
6. Oh, come ye in peace here, or come ye in war?
7. At the end of the first year the young lions shed their teeth, the first indications of manes appeared on the males, and the playfulness between brother and sister ceased.
8. The clumsy wheels of several old-fashioned coaches were heard, and the gentlemen and ladies composing the bridal party came through the church with the sudden and gladsome effect of a burst of sunshine.
9. I had never been called pretty before, so I was flattered.
10. The yellow cur has not the speed of the greyhound, but neither does he bear the seeds of lung and skin diseases.
11. The party did not return to Skarpsno until half-past eight in the evening, yet the sun was still above the horizon.
12. We cherish every memorial of our worthy ancestors; we celebrate their patience and fortitude; we admire their daring enterprise; we teach our children to venerate their piety.
13. Every animal has some great strength, or it could not live; every animal has some great weakness, or the other animals could not live.
14. Human action can be modified to some extent, but human nature cannot be changed.
15. Captain John Smith was exasperatingly sure of himself, and older men found his pretensions well-nigh unbearable.