Writing Analytically, 6th Edition - Rosenwasser, David & Stephen, Jill [255]
Consumers shop recklessly during holidays; marketers are keenly aware of this fact.
Note that a compound sentence can connect its independent clauses with a semicolon as an alternative to the comma + coordinate conjunction. This is the primary use of the semicolon—to link two independent clauses that are closely related in some way. (See What Punctuation Marks Say: A Quick-Hit Guide in Chapter 19.) If you were to substitute a subordinating conjunction for either of these connectors, however, you would have a sentence with one independent clause and one dependent clause. For example:
Because consumers shop in predictable ways, producers manufacture with different target groups in mind.
This revision changes the compound sentence into the next sentence type, the complex sentence.
The Complex Sentence: Ranking the Value of Ideas or Information
How and why to use the complex sentence: The complex sentence consists of a single independent clause and one or more dependent clauses: “Before the President did X, he did Y, because he was forced to do so.” The information conveyed in the dependent clauses are subordinated to the more important independent clause. Complex sentences are invaluable when you are establishing emphasis and assigning different values to different pieces of information. In the following example, the subject and verb of the main clause are underlined, and the subordinating conjunctions are italicized:
Although mail-order merchandising has increased, most consumers still shop unwisely, buying on impulse rather than deliberation.
This sentence contains one independent clause (“consumers shop”). Hanging on it are one introductory dependent clause (“although merchandising has increased”) and one participial phrase (“buying on impulse”). If your sentence had two independent clauses (compound) and one or more dependent clauses, it would become the next sentence type: compound-complex. In the following example, the subjects and verbs of the two main clauses are underlined, and the conjunctions are italicized:
Mail-order merchandising—which generally saves shoppers money—has increased, but consumers still shop unwisely, buying on impulse rather than deliberation.
The Compound-Complex Sentence: Using Syntax to Convey Complexity
How and why to use the compound-complex sentence: The compound-complex sentence consists of two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses. This syntactic shape is essential in representing complex relationships and so is frequently put to use in various forms of analytical writing, especially in academic writing. It is also probably true that the ability to use compound-complex sentences elevates a writer’s credibility: it demonstrates that he or she can bring together in a single sentence a range of different pieces of information and order them in relationship to each other. This is not to say that the compound-complex sentence invites confusion: on the contrary, when handled carefully, it has the opposite effect—it clarifies the complexity and enables readers to see it clearly. See the discussion of parallel structure later in this chapter for one mode of achieving this clarity when you build complicated sentences.
See if you can find and identify the parts of the following compound-complex sentence. List separately the main clauses, the subordinate clauses, and the various coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. (See the conjunction entry in the Glossary of Grammatical Terms at the end of Chapter 19 for a list of these.)
Consumers shop in ways that can be predicted by such determinants as income level, sex, and age; consequently, producers use market research that aims to identify different target groups for their products.
As we end this survey of the four sentence types, let us reinforce a key point about sentence style: it is not simply good or bad. Every stylistic choice a writer makes (consciously or not) has implications. This chapter aims to equip you with the information you need in order to see the range of your choices