A complex sentence consists of one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.
We can combine two simple sentences into a single complex sentence.
Study the examples given below.
Is there life on other planets?
We do not know as yet.
We can combine these two clauses into one.
We do not know as yet if / whether there is life on other planets.
Here the dependent clause ‘if there is life on other planets’ acts as the object of the verb know.
A dependent clause that acts as the subject or the object of a verb is a noun clause.
Another example is given below.
The accused was guilty.
He admitted this in court.
The accused admitted in court that he was guilty.
Here again, the dependent clause ‘that he was guilty’ acts as the object of the verb ‘admitted’.
Exercise
Combine the following simple sentences into complex sentences.
1. Where does he live? That is a mystery.
2. We will have a good monsoon this year. The meteorologists expect this.
3. The project will be abandoned. That is certain.
4. We visited the deer park. Buddha preached his first sermon here.
5. His younger son is in the US. He is a professor at a prestigious university.
Answers
1. Where he lives is a mystery.
2. The meteorologists expect that we will have a good monsoon this year.
3. It is certain that the project will be abandoned.
4. We visited the deer park where Buddha preached his first sermon.
5. His younger son, who is in the US, is a professor at a prestigious university.
