Complex Sentences

A complex sentence is made up of two clauses: a main clause and a subordinate clause.

A main clause makes sense on its own. 

• It is a simple sentence. 
• It is independent. 

A subordinate clause does not make sense on its own. 

• It is dependent on the main clause. 

To help us remember the subordinating conjunctions we can use I SAW A WABUB (see below). 

Points to remember:

• If the subordinate clause comes first, you need a comma to separate the two clauses. 
• If the subordinate clause is at the end of the sentence, you do not need a comma.