complex sentence using biography

Complex Sentences: 50 Examples

What is a complex sentence.

A  complex sentence  contains one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.

An  independent clause  contains a subject and verb , and can stand alone as a complete sentence:

• Independent clause: I love going outside.

A  dependent clause also contains a subject and verb , but it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. Instead, it ADDS information to the sentence:

• Dependent clause: when the weather is warm.

One independent clause + one dependent clause = a complex sentence:

• I love going outside when the weather is warm.

Dependent clauses often start with  subordinating conjunctions,  for example:

• provided that

Subordinating conjunctions often show a cause-and-effect relationship or a relationship of time/place:

• Cause and effect relationship: The baseball game was canceled because it was raining.
• Time relationship: When I get home from work, I always take off my shoes.
• Place relationship: Make sure to put on sunscreen wherever your skin is exposed.

Learn more about subordinating conjunctions.

Download this lesson!

Difference between a compound sentence and a complex sentence

A  compound sentence   contains two  independent  clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, so, yet):

• I’m happy, but my kids are always complaining. ( “I’m happy” can be a complete sentence. “My kids are always complaining” can also be a complete sentence. They are joined by the coordinating conjunction “but”)
• The blue jacket cost over $100 , and he wears it every day . (“The blue jacket cost over $100” is a complete sentence. “He wears it every day” is a complete sentence. They are joined by the coordinating conjunction “and”)

A  complex sentence  contains one independent clause and one or more  dependent clauses,  joined by a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun (that, who, which):

• I’m happy because we won the game. (“I’m happy” can be a complete sentence. “Because we won the game” cannot be a sentence by itself.)
• The blue jacket, which I gave him for Christmas, cost over $100. (“The blue jacket cost over $100” is a complete sentence. “which I gave him for Christmas” is NOT a complete sentence. They are joined by the relative pronoun “which”)

Difference between a dependent clause and a prepositional phrase

Words like before, after, since, and until can begin either a dependent clause or a prepositional phrase.

The main difference is that a dependent clause has a subject and verb, but a prepositional phrase does not:

• I’ll wait here until you get back. (dependent clause: you = subject, get = verb)
• I’ll wait here until 5:30. (prepositional phrase: no subject/verb after “until”)
• He’s never been the same since he broke up with his girlfriend. (dependent clause: he = subject, broke up = verb)
• He’s never been the same since the car accident. (prepositional phrase: no subject/verb after “since”)

Complex Sentences: Simple Present Tense

The independent clause in bold , and the dependent clause is underlined:

• Although he works long hours, he always finds time to spend with his family.
• She always wears jewelry that matches her outfit.
• While my brother enjoys spicy food, I prefer milder flavors.
• Several crops grow here, even though it rarely rains in this region.
• Though he is talented, he often underestimates his own abilities.
• Although the company faces tough competition, it continues to thrive in the market.
• I think you’d like this book, since you love historical fiction.
• He always studies a lot before he takes a test.
• I sometimes walk to work, as long as the weather is good.
• My mother stays up late, whereas my father goes to bed early.

Complex Sentences: Simple Past Tense

• After she finished her studies, she traveled around Europe for six months.
• Although they were tired, they stayed up late to finish their projec t.
• He immediately called for help when he saw the accident.
• My kids often misbehaved whenever they had a babysitter.
• Since he sold his car, he had to take the bus to work.
• She didn’t ride the roller coasters, even though she was old enough to do so.
• When they arrived at the restaurant, they realized it had already closed.
• I stayed awake until my husband got home from work.
• Before he left his job, he wrote a number of training manuals.
• She performed very well on stage,  though she was quite nervous.

Complex Sentences: Future Tenses in the Independent Clause

• After I finish my degree, I will pursue a career in environmental conservation.
• She will visit her grandparents next weekend, as she hasn’t seen them in months.
• Once the project is complete, the company will launch its new product on the market.
• By the time I graduate, I will have traveled to at least five different countries.
• We’re going to clean the bathrooms after we’re done cleaning the kitchen.
• They will be driving to Florida since flights are too expensive.
• Electric cars will become more popular in a few years, even though they’re not very common now.
• I’m going to start preparing dinner before I leave for work.
• Once the renovations are finished, the house will be even more beautiful.
• I won’t lend you any more money  until you pay me back.

Complex Sentences: Continuous Verb Tenses in the Independent Clause

• While I was studying for my exam, my friends were watching a movie.
• They will be traveling to Europe while we are attending the conference.
• As the sun was setting , the children were playing in the park.
• I was cleaning the house all evening after I saw how dirty it was.
• I’ll be waiting for you at the  café   until you finish your meeting.

Complex Sentence Examples: Mixed Verb Tenses

• When I finish my work, I will join you for dinner.
• I had cleaned the whole house before we left for vacation.
• He couldn’t go to the party because he was feeling sick.
• I’m not buying anything else this month   since I’ve already spent too much.
• As soon as they receive the necessary materials, they will start the project.
• Once she finishes her degree, she plans to travel the world.
• I was exhausted because I had been working all day.
• Now that the rain has stopped, we can go outside.
• He will buy a new car once he saves enough money.
• Since she doesn’t have any prior experience, she decided to take a training course.

Complex Sentence Examples: Conditionals

Some of the most common complex sentences are conditional sentences like the examples below. Again, the independent clause (result) is in  bold,  and the dependent clause (condition) is  underlined.

• If it rains tomorrow, we will stay indoors and watch movies.
• She won’t pass the exam unless she studies a lot.
• If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world.
• He would have gone to the party if he hadn’t been so tired.
• If I had known about the event, I would have attended.
• She will be late if she doesn’t catch the early bus.
• If the children finish their chores , they can go to the park.
• We won’t eat a big dinner if we’re not very hungry.
• If you eat too much junk food, you will gain weight.
• She could earn more money if she had a better job.

Learn more about first conditional and second conditional.

More examples of sentence structures:

• Simple sentences: 50 examples
• Compound sentences: 50 examples
• Simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences

Master the details of English grammar:

More Espresso English Lessons:

About the author.

Shayna Oliveira

Shayna Oliveira is the founder of Espresso English, where you can improve your English fast - even if you don’t have much time to study. Millions of students are learning English from her clear, friendly, and practical lessons! Shayna is a CELTA-certified teacher with 10+ years of experience helping English learners become more fluent in her English courses.

How to write a strong one-line biography (with examples!)

As a blogger or content marketer, you’re spreading your content across the internet to build your name as a thought leader and to drive traffic back to your (or your client’s) website.

One of the best ways to do this is via a strong biography, where sites will often allow you to also link back to somewhere. But you need to get their interest to learn more, so you need a strong one-line biography as most sites will only allow a short biography.

Here’s how you write a strong one-line biography for your blog author page:

Write in 3rd person

Highlight your role/profession.

• Keep it short

Include a call to action

Biographies should be written in third person. Instead of “I am a serial entrepreneur…” you should write “John is a serial entrepreneur…”

Some publications may have different guidelines, in which case you should follow them, but as a general guideline always write your bio in 3rd person.

Your bio should tell readers who you are and what you do, so be sure to highlight your role or profession.

“John is a serial entrepreneur and digital marketing veteran who…”

This gives people more information about you, why you are qualified to be talking about the topic you are bylined on, and helps them decide if they want to click your link to learn more.

Don’t be afraid to brag a little bit! In our world of fake humility, finding someone who is willing to state what they’ve done can be refreshing and encourage them to click to learn more about you.

Don’t overdo it though. A quick interesting fact is usually more than enough to get them interested.

For example:

“John is a serial entrepreneur and digital marketing leader who via his company Credo has generated over a quarter billion dollars in leads for agencies since 2015.”

The lead value number is a brag, but it’s also true and lets people know that John knows what he’s doing.

Have some fun!

In today’s social media world, people want to connect with the person behind the account.

So don’t be afraid to use emojis or a bit of humor.

This advice does not carry over to a professional website like LinkedIn where people are more professional and you should present your best face to the world.

Keep it short, but readable

If you’re required to keep your biography to just one sentence, you have just 15 to 20 words on average to get your point across. You need to be succinct and make every word count.

As such, remove superlatives and flowery language that could make it harder to read. This is not the place to be cute or show off – it’s the place to communicate effectively.

Include a backlink/hyperlink

Most websites where you publish will allow you to link back to a site of your choice from your biography. Don’t be spammy and try to link back to multiple places – link to a place where people can find out more about you or your company easily.

Finally, include a call to action (CTA) if you have enough space and can work it in. At minimum, make sure you follow the above advice and include a hyperlink back to your main website where people can learn more about you or your business.

Some examples

Here are some examples of great bios.

Dan Martell (Instagram)

Dan Martell is a coach to software founders, an entrepreneur with 3 business exits, an award-winning angel investor, and a proud dad and husband.

How do we know this? Because he says so in his Instagram bio. Short and effective.

Kimberly Bryant

Kimberly Bryant is the founder of Black Girls Code , a company that “build[s] pathways for young women of color to embrace the current tech marketplace as builders and creators by introducing them to skills in computer programming and technology.” Here is her Twitter biography, which clearly states what she does and gives insight into who she is.

Chris Ducker

Chris Ducker is a UK-based entrepreneur who “helps midlife leaders and entrepreneurs build future proof businesses around their expertise” with his Youpreneur coaching program.

Pat Flynn is a serial entrepreneur, dad, and husband who also has a physical product and a Pokemon card side hustle with over 100,000 YouTube subscribers. Here’s his Instagram profile:

Rand Fishkin

Rand is also a serial entrepreneur and currently the CEO of Sparktoro, an audience insight software tool. He’s formerly the cofounder and CEO of Moz, an SEO software suite. His LinkedIn bio says succinctly what he does, and also adds a bit of personality to let you know what he believes.

John Doherty

John is the founder and CEO of Credo and EditorNinja. (Hi, I’m John writing this!). His bio tells you what he cares about (his family and Colorado), what he does and the various projects he works on as well as his accomplishments.

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How to Write a Biography

Biographies are big business. Whether in book form or Hollywood biopics, the lives of the famous and sometimes not-so-famous fascinate us.

While it’s true that most biographies are about people who are in the public eye, sometimes the subject is less well-known. Primarily, though, famous or not, the person who is written about has led an incredible life.

In this article, we will explain biography writing in detail for teachers and students so they can create their own.

While your students will most likely have a basic understanding of a biography, it’s worth taking a little time before they put pen to paper to tease out a crystal-clear definition of one.

What Is a Biography?

A biography is an account of someone’s life written by someone else . While there is a genre known as a fictional biography, for the most part, biographies are, by definition, nonfiction.

Generally speaking, biographies provide an account of the subject’s life from the earliest days of childhood to the present day or, if the subject is deceased, their death.

The job of a biography is more than just to outline the bare facts of a person’s life.

Rather than just listing the basic details of their upbringing, hobbies, education, work, relationships, and death, a well-written biography should also paint a picture of the subject’s personality and experience of life.

Full Biographies

Teaching unit.

Teach your students everything they need to know about writing an AUTOBIOGRAPHY and a BIOGRAPHY.

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Features of a Biography

Before students begin writing a biography, they’ll need to have a firm grasp of the main features of a Biography. An excellent way to determine how well they understand these essential elements is to ask them to compile a checklist like the one-blow

Their checklists should contain the items below at a minimum. Be sure to help them fill in any gaps before moving on to the writing process.

The purpose of a biography is to provide an account of someone’s life.

Biography structure.

ORIENTATION (BEGINNING) Open your biography with a strong hook to grab the reader’s attention

SEQUENCING: In most cases, biographies are written in chronological order unless you are a very competent writer consciously trying to break from this trend.

COVER: childhood, upbringing, education, influences, accomplishments, relationships, etc. – everything that helps the reader to understand the person.

CONCLUSION: Wrap your biography up with some details about what the subject is doing now if they are still alive. If they have passed away, make mention of what impact they have made and what their legacy is or will be.

BIOGRAPHY FEATURES

LANGUAGE Use descriptive and figurative language that will paint images inside your audience’s minds as they read. Use time connectives to link events.

PERSPECTIVE Biographies are written from the third person’s perspective.

DETAILS: Give specific details about people, places, events, times, dates, etc. Reflect on how events shaped the subject. You might want to include some relevant photographs with captions. A timeline may also be of use depending upon your subject and what you are trying to convey to your audience.

TENSE Written in the past tense (though ending may shift to the present/future tense)

THE PROCESS OF WRITING A BIOGRAPHY

Like any form of writing, you will find it simple if you have a plan and follow it through. These steps will ensure you cover the essential bases of writing a biography essay.

Firstly, select a subject that inspires you. Someone whose life story resonates with you and whose contribution to society intrigues you. The next step is to conduct thorough research. Engage in extensive reading, explore various sources, watch documentaries, and glean all available information to provide a comprehensive account of the person’s life.

Creating an outline is essential to organize your thoughts and information. The outline should include the person’s early life, education, career, achievements, and any other significant events or contributions. It serves as a map for the writing process, ensuring that all vital information is included.

Your biography should have an engaging introduction that captivates the reader’s attention and provides background information on the person you’re writing about. It should include a thesis statement summarising the biography’s main points.

Writing a biography in chronological order is crucial . You should begin with the person’s early life and move through their career and achievements. This approach clarifies how the person’s life unfolded and how they accomplished their goals.

A biography should be written in a narrative style , capturing the essence of the person’s life through vivid descriptions, anecdotes, and quotes. Avoid dry, factual writing and focus on creating a compelling narrative that engages the reader.

Adding personal insights and opinions can enhance the biography’s overall impact, providing a unique perspective on the person’s achievements, legacy, and impact on society.

Editing and proofreading are vital elements of the writing process. Thoroughly reviewing your biography ensures that the writing is clear, concise, and error-free. You can even request feedback from someone else to ensure that it is engaging and well-written.

Finally, including a bibliography at the end of your biography is essential. It gives credit to the sources that were used during research, such as books, articles, interviews, and websites.

Tips for Writing a Brilliant Biography

Biography writing tip #1: choose your subject wisely.

There are several points for students to reflect on when deciding on a subject for their biography. Let’s take a look at the most essential points to consider when deciding on the subject for a biography:

Interest: To produce a biography will require sustained writing from the student. That’s why students must choose their subject well. After all, a biography is an account of someone’s entire life to date. Students must ensure they choose a subject that will sustain their interest throughout the research, writing, and editing processes.

Merit: Closely related to the previous point, students must consider whether the subject merits the reader’s interest. Aside from pure labors of love, writing should be undertaken with the reader in mind. While producing a biography demands sustained writing from the author, it also demands sustained reading from the reader.

Therefore, students should ask themselves if their chosen subject has had a life worthy of the reader’s interest and the time they’d need to invest in reading their biography.

Information: Is there enough information available on the subject to fuel the writing of an entire biography? While it might be a tempting idea to write about a great-great-grandfather’s experience in the war. There would be enough interest there to sustain the author’s and the reader’s interest, but do you have enough access to information about their early childhood to do the subject justice in the form of a biography?

Biography Writing Tip #2: R esearch ! Research! Research!

While the chances are good that the student already knows quite a bit about the subject they’ve chosen. Chances are 100% that they’ll still need to undertake considerable research to write their biography.

As with many types of writing , research is an essential part of the planning process that shouldn’t be overlooked. If students wish to give as complete an account of their subject’s life as possible, they’ll need to put in the time at the research stage.

An effective way to approach the research process is to:

1. Compile a chronological timeline of the central facts, dates, and events of the subject’s life

2. Compile detailed descriptions of the following personal traits:

•      Physical looks
•      Character traits
•      Values and beliefs

3. Compile some research questions based on different topics to provide a focus for the research:

• Childhood : Where and when were they born? Who were their parents? Who were the other family members? What education did they receive?
• Obstacles: What challenges did they have to overcome? How did these challenges shape them as individuals?
• Legacy: What impact did this person have on the world and/or the people around them?
• Dialogue & Quotes: Dialogue and quotations by and about the subject are a great way to bring color and life to a biography. Students should keep an eagle eye out for the gems that hide amid their sources.

As the student gets deeper into their research, new questions will arise that can further fuel the research process and help to shape the direction the biography will ultimately go in.

Likewise, during the research, themes will often begin to suggest themselves. Exploring these themes is essential to bring depth to biography, but we’ll discuss this later in this article.

Research Skills:

Researching for biography writing is an excellent way for students to hone their research skills in general. Developing good research skills is essential for future academic success. Students will have opportunities to learn how to:

• Gather relevant information
• Evaluate different information sources
• Select suitable information
• Organize information into a text.

Students will have access to print and online information sources, and, in some cases, they may also have access to people who knew or know the subject (e.g. biography of a family member).

These days, much of the research will likely take place online. It’s crucial, therefore, to provide your students with guidance on how to use the internet safely and evaluate online sources for reliability. This is the era of ‘ fake news ’ and misinformation after all!

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Teach your students ESSENTIAL SKILLS OF THE INFORMATION ERA to become expert DIGITAL RESEARCHERS.

⭐How to correctly ask questions to search engines on all devices.

⭐ How to filter and refine your results to find exactly what you want every time.

⭐ Essential Research and critical thinking skills for students.

⭐ Plagiarism, Citing and acknowledging other people’s work.

⭐ How to query, synthesize and record your findings logically.

BIOGRAPHY WRITING Tip #3: Find Your Themes In Biography Writing

Though predominantly a nonfiction genre, the story still plays a significant role in good biography writing. The skills of characterization and plot structuring are transferable here. And, just like in fiction, exploring themes in a biographical work helps connect the personal to the universal. Of course, these shouldn’t be forced; this will make the work seem contrived, and the reader may lose faith in the truthfulness of the account. A biographer needs to gain and maintain the trust of the reader.

Fortunately, themes shouldn’t need to be forced. A life well-lived is full of meaning, and the themes the student writer is looking for will emerge effortlessly from the actions and events of the subject’s life. It’s just a case of learning how to spot them.

One way to identify the themes in a life is to look for recurring events or situations in a person’s life. These should be apparent from the research completed previously. The students should seek to identify these patterns that emerge in the subject’s life. For example, perhaps they’ve had to overcome various obstacles throughout different periods of their life. In that case, the theme of overcoming adversity is present and has been identified.

Usually, a biography has several themes running throughout, so be sure your students work to identify more than one theme in their subject’s life.

BIOGRAPHY WRITING Tip: #4 Put Something of Yourself into the Writing

While the defining feature of a biography is that it gives an account of a person’s life, students must understand that this is not all a biography does. Relating the facts and details of a subject’s life is not enough. The student biographer should not be afraid to share their thoughts and feelings with the reader throughout their account of their subject’s life.

The student can weave some of their personality into the fabric of the text by providing commentary and opinion as they relate the events of the person’s life and the wider social context at the time. Unlike the detached and objective approach we’d expect to find in a history textbook, in a biography, student-writers should communicate their enthusiasm for their subject in their writing.

This makes for a more intimate experience for the reader, as they get a sense of getting to know the author and the subject they are writing about.

Biography Examples For Students

• Year 5 Example
• Year 7 Example
• Year 9 Example

“The Rock ‘n’ Roll King: Elvis Presley”

Elvis Aaron Presley, born on January 8, 1935, was an amazing singer and actor known as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Even though he’s been dead for nearly 50 years, I can’t help but be fascinated by his incredible life!

Elvis grew up in Tupelo, Mississippi, in a tiny house with his parents and twin brother. His family didn’t have much money, but they shared a love for music. Little did they know Elvis would become a music legend!

When he was only 11 years old, Elvis got his first guitar. He taught himself to play and loved singing gospel songs. As he got older, he started combining different music styles like country, blues, and gospel to create a whole new sound – that’s Rock ‘n’ Roll!

In 1954, at the age of 19, Elvis recorded his first song, “That’s All Right.” People couldn’t believe how unique and exciting his music was. His famous hip-swinging dance moves also made him a sensation!

Elvis didn’t just rock the music scene; he also starred in movies like “Love Me Tender” and “Jailhouse Rock.” But fame came with challenges. Despite facing ups and downs, Elvis kept spreading happiness through his music.

Tragically, Elvis passed away in 1977, but his music and charisma live on. Even today, people worldwide still enjoy his songs like “Hound Dog” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Elvis Presley’s legacy as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll will live forever.

Long Live the King: I wish I’d seen him.

Elvis Presley, the Rock ‘n’ Roll legend born on January 8, 1935, is a captivating figure that even a modern-day teen like me can’t help but admire. As I delve into his life, I wish I could have experienced the magic of his live performances.

Growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis faced challenges but found solace in music. At 11, he got his first guitar, a symbol of his journey into the world of sound. His fusion of gospel, country, and blues into Rock ‘n’ Roll became a cultural phenomenon.

The thought of being in the audience during his early performances, especially when he recorded “That’s All Right” at 19, sends shivers down my spine. Imagining the crowd’s uproar and feeling the revolutionary energy of that moment is a dream I wish I could have lived.

Elvis wasn’t just a musical prodigy; he was a dynamic performer. His dance moves, the embodiment of rebellion, and his roles in films like “Love Me Tender” and “Jailhouse Rock” made him a true icon.

After watching him on YouTube, I can’t help but feel a little sad that I’ll never witness the King’s live performances. The idea of swaying to “Hound Dog” or being enchanted by “Can’t Help Falling in Love” in person is a missed opportunity. Elvis may have left us in 1977, but he was the king of rock n’ roll. Long live the King!

Elvis Presley: A Teen’s Take on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Icon”

Elvis Presley, born January 8, 1935, was a revolutionary force in the music world, earning his title as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Exploring his life, even as a 16-year-old today, I’m captivated by the impact he made.

Hailing from Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis grew up in humble beginnings, surrounded by the love of his parents and twin brother. It’s inspiring to think that, despite financial challenges, this young man would redefine the music scene.

At 11, Elvis got his first guitar, sparking a self-taught journey into music. His early gospel influences evolved into a unique fusion of country, blues, and gospel, creating the electrifying genre of Rock ‘n’ Roll. In 1954, at only 19, he recorded “That’s All Right,” marking the birth of a musical legend.

Elvis wasn’t just a musical innovator; he was a cultural phenomenon. His rebellious dance moves and magnetic stage presence challenged the norms. He transitioned seamlessly into acting, starring in iconic films like “Love Me Tender” and “Jailhouse Rock.”

However, fame came at a cost, and Elvis faced personal struggles. Despite the challenges, his music continued to resonate. Even now, classics like “Hound Dog” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love” transcend generations.

Elvis Presley’s impact on music and culture is undeniable. He was known for his unique voice, charismatic persona, and electrifying performances. He sold over one billion records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling solo artists in history. He received numerous awards throughout his career, including three Grammy Awards and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Elvis’s influence can still be seen in today’s music. Many contemporary artists, such as Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, and Justin Timberlake, have cited Elvis as an inspiration. His music continues to be featured in movies, TV shows, and commercials.

Elvis left us in 1977, but his legacy lives on. I appreciate his breaking barriers and fearlessly embracing his artistic vision. Elvis Presley’s impact on music and culture is timeless, a testament to the enduring power of his artistry. His music has inspired generations and will continue to do so for many years to come.

Teaching Resources

Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.

BIOGRAPHY WRITING TEACHING IDEAS AND LESSONS

We have compiled a sequence of biography-related lessons or teaching ideas that you can follow as you please. They are straightforward enough for most students to follow without further instruction.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 1:

This session aims to give students a broader understanding of what makes a good biography.

Once your students have compiled a comprehensive checklist of the main features of a biography, allow them to use it to assess some biographies from your school library or on the internet using the feature checklist.

When students have assessed a selection of biographies, take some time as a class to discuss them. You can base the discussion around the following prompts:

• Which biographies covered all the criteria from their checklist?
• Which biographies didn’t?
• Which biography was the most readable in terms of structure?
• Which biography do you think was the least well-structured? How would you improve this?

Looking at how other writers have interpreted the form will help students internalize the necessary criteria before attempting to produce a biography. Once students have a clear understanding of the main features of the biography, they’re ready to begin work on writing a biography.

When the time does come to put pen to paper, be sure they’re armed with the following top tips to help ensure they’re as well prepared as possible.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 2:

This session aims to guide students through the process of selecting the perfect biography subject.

Instruct students to draw up a shortlist of three potential subjects for the biography they’ll write.

Using the three criteria mentioned in the writing guide (Interest, Merit, and Information), students award each potential subject a mark out of 5 for each of the criteria. In this manner, students can select the most suitable subject for their biography.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 3:

This session aims to get students into the researching phase, then prioritise and organise events chronologically.

Students begin by making a timeline of their subject’s life, starting with their birth and ending with their death or the present day. If the student has yet to make a final decision on the subject of their biography, a family member will often serve well for this exercise as a practice exercise.

Students should research and gather the key events of the person’s life, covering each period of their life from when they were a baby, through childhood and adolescence, right up to adulthood and old age. They should then organize these onto a timeline. Students can include photographs with captions if they have them.

They can present these to the class when they have finished their timelines.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 4:

Instruct students to look over their timeline, notes, and other research. Challenge them to identify three patterns that repeat throughout the subject’s life and sort all the related events and incidents into specific categories.

Students should then label each category with a single word. This is the thematic concept or the broad general underlying idea. After that, students should write a sentence or two expressing what the subject’s life ‘says’ about that concept.

This is known as the thematic statement . With the thematic concepts and thematic statements identified, the student now has some substantial ideas to explore that will help bring more profound meaning and wider resonance to their biography.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 5:

Instruct students to write a short objective account of an event in their own life. They can write about anyone from their past. It needn’t be more than a couple of paragraphs, but the writing should be strictly factual, focusing only on the objective details of what happened.

Once they have completed this, it’s time to rewrite the paragraph, but they should include some opinion and personal commentary this time.

The student here aims to inject some color and personality into their writing, to transform a detached, factual account into a warm, engaging story.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON TEACHING BIOGRAPHIES

Teach your students to write AMAZING BIOGRAPHIES & AUTOBIOGRAPHIES using proven RESEARCH SKILLS and WRITING STRATEGIES .

• Understand the purpose of both forms of biography.
• Explore the language and perspective of both.
• Prompts and Challenges to engage students in writing a biography.
• Dedicated lessons for both forms of biography.
• Biographical Projects can expand students’ understanding of reading and writing a biography.
• A COMPLETE 82-PAGE UNIT – NO PREPARATION REQUIRED.

FREE Biography Writing Graphic Organizer

Use this valuable tool in the research and writing phases to keep your students on track and engaged.

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To Conclude

By this stage, your students should have an excellent technical overview of a biography’s essential elements.

They should be able to choose their subject in light of how interesting and worthy they are, as well as give consideration to the availability of information out there. They should be able to research effectively and identify emerging themes in their research notes. And finally, they should be able to bring some of their personality and uniqueness into their retelling of the life of another.

Remember that writing a biography is not only a great way to develop a student’s writing skills; it can be used in almost all curriculum areas. For example, to find out more about a historical figure in History, to investigate scientific contributions to Science, or to celebrate a hero from everyday life.

Biography is an excellent genre for students to develop their writing skills and to find inspiration in the lives of others in the world around them.

HOW TO WRITE A BIOGRAPHY TUTORIAL VIDEO

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO BIOGRAPHY WRITING

How to write an Autobiography

How to Write a Historical Recount Text

15 Awesome Recount & Personal Narrative Topics

Personal Narrative Writing Guide

How to Use biography in a Sentence

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'biography.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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What is a complex sentence?

• Complex Sentences

A complex sentence is a sentence that contains an independent clause and at least one subordinate clause.

That definition won't help you much if you don't understand clauses.  Clauses are groups of words that contain both a subject and a verb. There are two types: independent and dependent. 

Let's explore these in a little more detail so that you can better understand complex sentences. Here we go!

The Independent Clause

Independent clauses are just what they sounds like - they are clauses that are independent! :) They are groups of words that contain both a subject and a verb, and they can stand alone as complete thoughts. You can have just one independent clause and call it a sentence. 

This is the house.

I will go for a walk.

When a sentence is made of just one independent clause like this, it's called a simple sentence .

The Subordinate Clause

A subordinate clause ( dependent clause ) is also a group of words that contains both a subject and a verb, but this kind of clause cannot stand alone as a complete thought.

that Jack built

since the weather is so beautiful

These guys need to be linked to an independent clause in order to make sense. When we do this, we are left with a complex sentence! 

This is the house that Jack built

Since the weather is so beautiful, I will go for a walk. 

The Three Types of Subordinate Clauses

You've already done a great job learning about complex sentences. Give yourself a pat on the back. If you'd like to learn a little bit more about how they can differ from each other, keep reading!

Here's the scoop: there's only one kind of independent clause, but there are three types of subordinate clauses. The really funny thing about subordinate clauses is that the whole clause comes together to do the job of one part of speech . 

The three types of subordinating clauses, then, are those that act as adjectives, adverbs, and nouns.

Let's look at some examples. Remember that all of these example sentences are complex because they contain an independent clause and a dependent clause.

1. Dependent adjective clauses act as adjectives.

That means that they modify nouns or pronouns. In the diagram below, the independent clause is in black and the dependent adjective clause is in blue. Notice that the dependent adjective clause is connected to the noun house in the independent clause. Adjectives modify nouns, and house is a noun. 

This is the house  that Jack built .

2. Dependent adverb clauses act as adverbs.

That means that they modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They are joined to independent clauses with subordinating conjunctions . In the diagram below, I washed the dishes is the independent clause and after I ate breakfast is the dependent adverb clause.

I washed the dishes  after I ate breakfast .

3. Dependent noun clauses act as nouns.

These can do any of the noun jobs (subject, direct object , object of a preposition ...). They are introduced by wh- words or words that you can call noun clause markers .

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Video transcript

How to Write a Biography

Learn how to write a biography with our comprehensive guide.

Last updated on Dec 8th, 2023

When you click on affiliate links on QuillMuse.com and make a purchase, you won’t pay a penny more, but we’ll get a small commission—this helps us keep up with publishing valuable content on QuillMuse.  Read More .

Table of Contents

How to write a biography can be a fun challenge as you share someone’s life story with readers. You may need to write a biography for a class or decide to write a biography as a personal project. Once you’ve identified the subject of your biography, do your research to learn as much as you can about them. Then, immerse yourself in writing the biography and revising it until it’s best. What I am going to share with you in today’s post is how to write a biography. If you want to know the rules of how to write a biography correctly then this post of ours is essential for you. 

Introduction

While it’s true that most biographies involve people in the public eye, sometimes the subject is less well-known. But most of the time, famous or not, the person we’re talking about has an incredible life. Although your students may have a basic understanding of How to write a biography, you should take some time before putting pen to paper to come up with a very clear definition of biography.

Before knowing how to write a biography, let’s first understand what a biography is. A biography is an account of a person’s life written by someone else. Although there is a genre called fictional biography, by definition biographies are mostly non-fiction. In general, biographies trace the subject’s life from early childhood to the present day or until death if the subject is deceased. 

Biography writing is not limited to describing the bare facts of a person’s life. Instead of just listing basic details about their upbringing, interests, education, work, relationships, and deaths, a well-written biography should also paint a picture of a person’s personality as well as that person’s life experiences.

Tips and Tricks For How To Write a Biography

1. ask the subject’s permission to write a biography.

Here are the first tips on how to write a biography. Before starting your research, make sure you get your subject’s consent to write their biography. Ask them if they’re ready to be the subject. Getting their permission will make writing a biography much easier and ensure that they are open to information about their lives.

If the theme does not allow you to write a bio, you can choose another theme. If you decide to publish a profile without the subject’s permission, you may be subject to legal action from the subject. 

If the topic no longer exists, you don’t need to ask permission to write about them. 

2. Research primary sources on the topic

Primary sources may include books, letters, photographs, diaries, newspaper clippings, magazines, Internet articles, magazines, videos, interviews, existing biographies, or autobiographies on the subject. Find these resources in your local library or online. Read as much as you can about the topic and highlight any important information you come across in your sources. 

You can create research questions to help you focus your research on this topic, such as: 

What do I find interesting about this topic? Why is this topic important to readers? 

3. Conduct interviews with subjects and their relatives

Interviewing people will turn your research into reality: the people you interview will be able to tell you stories you can’t find in history books. Interview the subject as well as people close to them, such as spouses, friends, business associates, family members, co-workers, and friends. Interview in person, over the phone, or via email.

For in-person interviews, record them with a voice recorder or voice recorder on your computer or phone. You may need to interview the subject and others multiple times to get the documents you need.

4. Visit places important to the topic

Whenever you want to know how to write a biography, to understand the history of the subject, spend time in places and areas that are significant to the subject. This may be the subject’s childhood home or neighborhood. You can also visit the subject’s workplace and regular meeting places. 

You may also want to visit areas where the subject made important decisions or breakthroughs in their life. Being physically present in the area can give you an idea of what your subjects may have felt and help you write about their experiences more effectively.

5. Research the time and place of the subject’s life

Contextualize your subject’s life by observing what’s going on around them. Consider the period in which they grew up as well as the history of the places they lived. Study the economics, politics, and culture of their time. See current events happening where they live or work.

When you studying how to write a biography, ask yourself about time and place: 

What were the social norms of this period? 

What happened economically and politically? 

How has the political and social environment influenced this topic?

6. Make a timeline of a person’s life

To help you organize your research, create a timeline of a person’s entire life, from birth. Draw a long line on a piece of paper and sketch out as many details about a person’s life as possible. Highlight important events or moments on the timeline. Include important dates, locations, and names. 

If you think about how to write a biography You can also include historical events or moments that affect the topic in the timeline. For example, a conflict or civil war may occur during a person’s lifetime and affect their life.

7. Focus on important events and milestones

Major events can include marriage, birth, or death during a person’s lifetime. They may also achieve milestones like their first successful business venture or their first civil rights march. Highlights key moments in a person’s life so readers clearly understand what’s important to that person and how they influence the world around them.

For example, you might focus on one person’s achievements in the civil rights movement. You could write an entire section about their contributions and participation in major civil rights marches in their hometowns.

8. Cite all sources used in  biography

Most biographies will include information from sources such as books, journal articles, magazines, and interviews. Remember to cite any sources that you directly quote or paraphrase. You can use citations, footnotes, or endnotes. If the biography is for a course, use MLA, APA, or Chicago Style citations according to your instructor’s preference.

9. Reread the biography

Check the biography for spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Circle all punctuation marks in the text to confirm they are correct. Read the text backward to check for spelling and grammar errors. 

Having a biography full of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors can frustrate readers and lead to poor grades if you submit your work to the class.

10. Show your biography to others to get their feedback

It is a momentous step of how to write a biography. Once you have completed your draft biography, show it to your colleagues, friends, teachers, and mentors to get their feedback. Ask them if they have a good understanding of someone’s life and if the biography is easy to read. Be open to feedback so you can improve the biography and make it error-free. Revise profile based on feedback from others. Don’t be afraid to trim or edit your biography to suit your readers’ needs.

11. Use flashbacks

Flashbacks happen when you move from the present to the past. You can start with the present moment, and then bring in a scene from the person’s past. Or you could have one chapter focusing on the present and one focusing on the past, alternating as you go.

The flashback scene must be as detailed and realistic as the present-day scene. Use your research notes and interviews with subjects to better understand their past to reminisce. 

For example, you can move from a person’s death in the present to reminiscing about their favorite childhood memory.

12. Outline Your Story Chronologically 

This is another important step in how to write a biography is to write an outline that describes your story in chronological order. An outline is a tool that helps you visualize the structure and key elements of your story. This can help you organize your story into chapters and sections. 

You can write your plan in a digital document or draw it with pen and paper. Remember to store your outline in an easily accessible place so you can refer to it throughout the writing process.

What citation style should I use for my biography?

Use MLA, APA, or Chicago Style citations based on your instructor’s preference when citing sources in your biography.

Should I include personal opinions in a biography?

No, a biography should be objective and based on facts. Avoid injecting personal opinions or bias into the narrative.

What’s the difference between a biography and an autobiography?

A biography is written by someone else about a person’s life, while an autobiography is written by the subject themselves about their own life.

Can I write a biography about a living person?

Yes, you can write a biography about a living person with their consent. Ensure you respect their privacy and follow ethical guidelines when writing about them.

Conclusion 

Other than creating a sense of closure, there are no set rules about how a biography ends. An author may want to summarize their main points about the subject of their biography. If the person is still alive, the author can inform the reader about their condition or circumstances. If the person has died, inheritance can be discussed. Authors can also remind readers how they can learn from the biographical subject. Sharing a closing quote or about a person can leave the audience with a point to consider or discuss in more detail.

For further insights into writing and to avoid common mistakes, check out our article on Most Common Mistakes in Writing . Additionally, explore the Best Writing Tools for Writers to enhance your writing skills and discover the tools that can assist you. If you’re looking to improve your typing speed and accuracy, our article on How to Type Faster with Accuracy offers valuable tips.

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We keep our articles up-to-date regularly to ensure accuracy and relevance as new information becomes available.

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• Dec 8th, 2023
• Oct 22nd, 2023

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Complex Sentence

What is a complex sentence.

• We must not swim where the seals are.
• The monkeys move to the trees when the clouds darken.

Table of Contents

Examples of Complex Sentences

Subordinating conjunctions in complex sentences, why complex sentences are important, video lesson.

• Stay in the bath until the phone rings.
• Both the cockroach and the bird would get along very well without us , although the cockroach would miss us most. (Joseph Wood Krutch, 1893-1970)
• Leave while you can.
• When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right . When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong . (Arthur C. Clarke)

• We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves. (Dalai Lama)
• Wise men speak because they have something to say. Fools speak because they have to say something. (Athenian philosopher Plato)
• Even though he's a moron, I supported Tyson Fury . (Boxer David Haye)

The Four Types of Sentence Structure

A Complex Sentence

• The human brain never stops working until you stand up to speak in public.

A Compound Sentence

• I always wanted to be somebody , but I should have been more specific . (Jane Wagner)

A Simple Sentence

• Curiosity killed the cat .

A Compound-Complex Sentence

• I stopped believing in Santa Claus when he asked for my autograph in a department store, but I still want to believe in him .

(Issue 1) Use a comma after a fronted adverbial.

• I became a people-watcher when I lost all my friends. (Singer Taylor Swift)
• When I lost all my friends, I became a people-watcher .
• If it is, it is . If it's not, it's not . (Singer Ziggy Marley)
• It is if it is. It's not if it's not.
• When your adverbial is at the front, use a comma.
• Don't use a comma when your adverbial is at the back.

(Issue 2) Uh oh, there's more to Issue 1.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, complex sentences: a crash course with examples.

General Education

What makes someone a “good” writer? While there are lots of answers to that question, one thing most great writers do is vary their sentence structure. They mix long, flowing sentences with short, powerful ones to communicate their points. 

But don’t worry: you can learn to do this, too! It starts with understanding different types of sentences and their structures. One type of sentence you’ve probably heard of that can add variety and depth to your writing is a complex sentence. But what are complex sentences, exactly? 

We’re here to help you understand exactly what complex sentences are and why they’re important by covering the following in this article: 

• Answering the question, “What is a complex sentence?”
• Discussing when to use complex sentences
• Reviewing the different parts of complex sentences 
• Explaining the difference between complex sentences, compound sentences, and compound-complex sentences 

Ready to become a complex sentence wizard? Then let's get started!

What Is A Complex Sentence? 

Here’s a pretty straightforward complex sentence definition: a complex sentence is made up of two clauses, one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.  

And that’s it! That’s the definition of a complex sentence. But it’s probably pretty obvious that in order to write complex sentences of your own, you need to understand what a clause is. A clause is a part of a sentence that contains a subject and a verb . The subject is the person or entity taking action in the clause, and the verb is the action that the subject is taking. These clauses fall into two category types: independent clauses and dependent clauses. 

Independent Clauses

Both independent clauses and dependent clauses --the types of clauses that make up complex sentences--have a subject and a verb . But how do you know when you’re dealing with an independent clause vs. a dependent clause? Here’s the difference between the two: an independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, and a dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence.  

In other words, if you broke up a complex sentence into its individual clauses, the independent clause could make a new sentence all by itself. Here are some examples of complex sentences where we’ve bolded the independent clause.

Independent Clause #1: Because she was late for school, Cora has detention this afternoon. 

Independent Clause #2: We’re definitely going to the Lizzo concert even though it’s supposed to rain. 

See how the bold part of the sentence, i.e. the independent clause, can make a sentence all by itself? 

Dependent Clauses

But if you tried to make the dependent clause into its own sentence, it wouldn’t make any sense on its own. Take a look at the not bolded sections of the sentences above. If you walked up to your friend and said “Because she was late for school,” your friend would have no idea what you were talking about! That’s because you need an independent clause to understand what a dependent clause means. In other words, dependent clauses rely on independent clauses in order to make sense! 

Dependent clauses don’t make sense on their own because they begin with something called a subordinating conjunction that subordinates, or makes the clause dependent on the independent clause . Here’s a list of subordinating conjunctions to help you identify where a dependent clause begins in a complex sentence: 

Now, let’s take a look at some of those subordinating conjunctions in action. In the examples below, we’ve put the dependent clause in bold and underlined the subordinating conjunction: 

Dependent Clause #1: After the store closed, the manager locked the doors. 

Dependent Clause #2: They checked for an oil leak before they started the car . 

Dependent Clause #3: Even though they waited for an hour , their food never came. 

See how the subordinating conjunction helps us find the dependent clauses? Knowing what to look for makes finding a dependent clause a lot easier. 

Independent Clauses + Dependent Clauses = Complex Sentences

Thee three examples above also show us how dependent clauses need to be paired with independent clauses for them to make sense. The independent clauses (which aren’t bolded) reveal what happened after the store closed, what they did or what happened before they started the car, and what did or didn’t happen even though they waited for an hour. 

And that’s why dependent clauses can’t stand alone--they need an independent clause to go with them in order to form a complete thought, which creates a complex sentence!

We’re going to look at more examples of dependent clauses, independent clauses, and how they come together to form complex sentences in a bit, but let’s talk about when to use complex sentences first.

When to Use Complex Sentences

Maybe you aren’t sure when it’s appropriate or necessary to use a complex sentence in your own writing. One way to decide when to use a complex sentence is to think about what meaning or information you want to convey.  

When you use simple sentences, it’s difficult to convey much more information than a single action that a single subject took. But when you use complex sentences, you can convey cause and effect, the progression of events, and other critical information. You can also use complex sentences to elaborate on a claim, compare and contrast ideas, and combine ideas that are similar into one point. You can see how a complex sentence can add clarity that a simple sentence can’t in this example: 

Simple Sentence: I’m going swimming! 

Complex Sentence: I’m going swimming even though there are sharks in the water! 

Another reason to use complex sentences is sentence variety, which is one way you can take your writing to the next level . Sentence variety is when you use different types of sentence structures in your writing in a strategic, intentional way . A piece of writing that is made up of varied sentence structures can be much more engaging for people to read. Writing that doesn’t strategically use a variety of sentences can often strike readers as boring and monotonous, and no writer wants that!

Here’s an example of a paragraph that doesn’t have sentence variety . This paragraph is only made up of simple sentences , which consist of a subject, a verb, and a predicate. These three elements come together to create one independent clause: 

I went to the store on Thursday. I bought chips and salsa. I drove home. I ate the chips and salsa. I watched TV. I got tired at midnight. I went to bed. 

You see how robotic and choppy that paragraph is? That’s because it’s made up of one type of sentence only--simple sentences. Creating sentence variety by incorporating some complex sentences could help this paragraph have better flow , and someone reading this paragraph would be less likely to get frustrated or bored. 

The example paragraph above would sound a bit different if the writer incorporated complex sentences. Here’s what the paragraph above could sound like if some of the simple sentences were rewritten as complex sentence s: 

I went to the store on Thursday because I wanted to buy some chips and salsa. After I drove home, I ate the chips and salsa. I watched TV until I got tired at midnight. I went to bed.  

Incorporating complex sentences lets you combine similar ideas, express cause and effect, and clarify ideas by adding important details. And as an added bonus: complex sentences make this paragraph much more pleasant to read. 

Just remember: if you aren’t sure when to use complex sentences, just think about what type of writing you’re doing, what your goals are for your writing, and check what you’ve already written for sentence variety. That should help you decide when it could be effective to incorporate a complex sentence!

3 Complex Sentence Examples

Let’s look at three complex sentence examples to help you get a better idea of what a complex sentence looks like, what the parts of a complex sentence are, and how to break down complex sentences into their parts so you can identify them on your own in the future!

Example #1: Independent Clause, Dependent Clause

While complex sentences must have one independent clause and at least one dependent clause, the clauses can go in any order. Here’s an example of a complex sentence where the independent clause comes first, and the dependent clause comes second: 

I didn’t go to the store because I already had chips and salsa at home. 

Can you tell that there are two clauses in that sentence, and where one clause ends and the next begins? Let’s break the sentence down into the independent clause and the dependent clause: 

Independent clause: I didn’t go to the store

Dependent clause: because I already had chips and salsa at home. 

The independent clause-- I didn’t go to the store -- can stand alone as a sentence because it forms a complete thought. The dependent clause-- because I already had chips and salsa at home --can’t stand alone as a sentence. It doesn’t form a complete thought! 

Also note that there isn’t a comma before the subordinating conjunction. In most instances, you don’t need to separate a dependent clause with a comma when it comes after an independent clause!

Example #2: Dependent Clause, Independent Clause

Next, we’ll look at a second complex sentence where the dependent clause comes first, and the independent clause comes second. This type of complex sentence is called a periodic sentence --a sentence where the essential information doesn’t come until the end of the sentence. 

Complex sentences that place the essential information at the end of the sentence can create a sense of suspense in your writing! We’ll use the same sentence from above so you can get an idea of how you can rewrite sentences for sentence variety:

Because I already had chips and salsa at home, I didn’t go to the store. 

You already know which clause is the dependent clause-- because I already had chips and salsa at home-- and which clause is the independent clause-- I didn’t go to the store. But do you see how the clauses in complex sentences can be rearranged and the sentence still makes sense? This is something to keep in mind when you’re trying to add variety to your writing: you can move the clauses around in complex sentences!

One last tip: when a dependent clause comes before an independent clause, you separate them with a comma. 

Example #3: Two Dependent Clauses

We’ve looked at two similar complex sentence examples, so now let’s look at a third example that’s a little bit different from the first two: 

Even though I was nervous about the date, I had a really great time after we started talking. 

We know this is a complex sentence because it’s made up of a dependent clause and an independent clause. But this complex sentence has two dependent clauses . Let’s break this complex sentence down into its three clauses so we’re on the same page: 

Dependent clause: Even though I was nervous about the date,

Independent clause: I had a really great time

Dependent clause: after we started talking. 

Some complex sentences include multiple dependent clauses to add more context to the essential information conveyed by the independent clause , like in the example above!

Now let’s talk about how to use those commas. Remember: complex sentences that begin with a dependent clause need a comma between the dependent and independent clauses , and sentences that begin with an independent clause don’t need a comma separating the independent clause and the dependent clause. 

In this case, we need to use both comma rules. To make this grammatically correct, we need to add a comma after the first dependent clause (since it comes before the independent one). We don’t need a comma between the independent clause and the second dependent clause since the dependent clause comes second! 

Now that we’ve talked through complex sentences and looked at some complex sentence examples, let’s discuss the difference between two types of sentences that are commonly confused with each other: compound sentences and complex sentences. 

Compound Vs. Complex Sentences: What’s the Difference? 

Complex sentences are sometimes confused with compound sentences, but they aren’t the same thing! We defined complex sentences as sentences that are made up of an independent clause and a dependent clause, but what’s a compound sentence?  

A compound sentence is made up of at least two independent clauses that are joined by a coordinating conjunction (remember that for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so are coordinating conjunctions). Unlike complex sentences, compound sentences don’t have a dependent clause . And, unlike complex sentences, the two clauses that make up a compound sentence can be separated and made into their own, stand-alone sentences. 

Put another way, you could also describe compound sentences as being made up of two simple sentences.

Let’s look at a couple of examples of compound sentences so you can see how they’re different from complex sentences! Here’s one example of a compound sentence:  

I cooked dinner, but I didn’t set the table. 

The sentence above is a compound sentence because it’s made up of the following independent clauses: 

Independent Clause #1 : I cooked dinner,

Independent Clause #2: but I didn’t set the table. 

Each of those clauses could stand alone as simple sentences, right? Both clauses also convey information that is essential to understanding the full meaning of the sentence. They’re also separated by the coordinating conjunction, “but.”

Though the independent clauses in compound sentences are often separated by a comma and coordinating conjunction, the clauses in a compound sentence can also be separated by a semicolon, which means that there’s no need for a coordinating conjunction.

Here’s an example of a compound sentence with independent clauses separated by a semicolon: 

The cat ran away; the children were devastated. 

Just like in the first example of a compound sentence, the two (really sad!) independent clauses in the sentence above can function as sentences by themselves. They’re just separated by a semicolon instead of a comma and coordinating conjunction. 

So, to tell the difference between complex and compound sentences, you just need to remember that a complex sentence is made up of an independent and a dependent clause, and a compound sentence is made up of independent clauses and no dependent clauses!

Next, we’ll look at another type of complex sentence: the compound-complex sentence. 

What Compound-Complex Sentences Are (And When to Use Them)

In addition to complex sentences and compound sentences, there are also compound-complex sentences . Since this type of sentence is named after both compound and complex sentences, it makes sense that a compound-complex sentence would combine some of the characteristics of complex and compound sentences, right? That’s pretty much exactly what it does! 

A compound-complex sentence is made up of two or more independent clauses (like a compound sentence) and one or more dependent clauses (like a complex sentence). 

Since compound-complex sentences combine some of the components of complex sentences and compound sentences, you might be wondering whether compound-complex sentences count as complex sentences and as compound sentences. Technically, yes! Since compound-complex sentences include all of the minimum clauses required to make a complex sentence and a compound sentence, you could say that compound-complex sentences count as both . But compound-complex sentences go above and beyond the required components of compound and complex sentences, so that’s why they need to be called by their proper name: compound-complex sentences. 

Since compound-complex sentences contain more clauses and types of clauses, they’re a more sophisticated type of sentence. You can use compound-complex sentences to add greater complexity and depth to your writing style . Compound-complex sentences really allow you to infuse your writing with detail and context, like explaining when something happened, why it happened, and/or how it happened. 

Because you can include multiple independent and dependent clauses in compound-complex sentences, you’re able to give your reader even more essential and supplementary information about a scenario or story in a single sentence . This can be an important tool for making sure your readers understand what you’re trying to say. (They’re also a great way to add sentence variety to your writing.) 

3 Examples of Compound-Complex Sentences

To help you get a better idea of what this type of sentence looks like in action, we’ve pulled together three compound-complex sentence examples and broken them down so you can see the different parts of compound-complex sentences and how they work together.

Example #1: Ending With Two Independent Clauses 

Though Jada was afraid, she gathered her courage and she opened the door. 

We know that compound-complex sentences contain at least three clauses, so let’s break down the clauses in that sentence:

The sentence above qualifies as a compound-complex sentence because it’s composed of at least one dependent clause and two independent clauses. 

Example #2: Starting With Two Independent Clauses

Khalid got on the road early, but he arrived late because he hit rush hour traffic.   

This example of a compound-complex sentence has three clauses, but in contrast to the first example, it begins with two independent clauses that are separated by a coordinating conjunction, “but.” Instead of beginning with a dependent clause, this sentence ends with a dependent clause that is introduced with the subordinating conjunction “because.” Here’s a breakdown of the clauses in the sentence above:  

Independent clause : Khalid got on the road early, 

Independent clause : but he arrived late 

Dependent clause: because he hit rush hour traffic. 

Now, remember, most of the time, you don’t need a comma to separate independent clauses and dependent clauses if the dependent clause comes after the independent clause , like in the example above. 

Example #3: Two Independent Clauses and Two Dependent Clauses

After everyone went home, though the kitchen was a mess, I left the dirty dishes out and I went to bed. 

This example includes two independent clauses--like the first two examples- -but differs from the first two examples because it includes two dependent clauses . 

It’s pretty easy to pick out where the clauses are split up in the example above because of the commas, but let’s go ahead and break it down: 

Dependent Clause: After everyone went home, 

Dependent Clause: though the kitchen was a mess, 

Independent Clause: I left the dirty dishes out, 

Independent Clause: and I went to bed. 

In this case, you can find the dependent clauses by looking for subordinating conjunctions (“after” and “though”). The independent clauses are easier to find, especially since they’re joined by “and”...which you now know is a coordinating conjunction! 

As you can see, compound-complex sentences can start getting pretty long depending on how many clauses you include! But that’s actually one of the perks of compound-complex sentences: they allow you to effectively communicate an extended idea or part of a story or argument. This means that compound-complex sentences can play an important role in sentence variety in your writing, just like complex sentences and compound sentences. 

6 Question Quiz: Practice Your New Sentence Knowledge!

We’ve covered a lot of info about complex, compound, and compound-complex sentences, so it might be helpful to review what you’ve learned. 

Take a crack at answering the following six questions about the types of sentences we’ve covered , and see if you can pick out the correct examples of each type of sentence as well!

1) What’s the difference between an independent clause and a dependent clause?

a) An independent clause has a subject and a verb, but a dependent clause doesn’t. b) An independent clause can stand-alone as a sentence, but a dependent clause can’t. c) An independent clause always includes an adjective, but a dependent clause doesn’t.

2) What is a complex sentence? 

a) A complex sentence is made up of two independent clauses.  b) A complex sentence is made up of two dependent clauses. c) A complex sentence is made up of one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. 

3) What’s the definition of a compound-complex sentence?

a) A compound-complex sentence is made up of at least two dependent clauses and at least one independent clause.  b) A compound-complex sentence is made up of at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. c) A compound-complex sentence is made up of two independent clauses and two dependent clauses. 

4) Which of the following is an example of a complex sentence? 

a) I went for a quick walk while the sun was out. b) I waited on the sun to come out, and I went for a quick walk. c) Though it had been drizzling all morning, I waited for the sun to come out, and I went for a quick walk.

5) Which of the following is an example of a compound sentence? 

a) We played hard, and we won the game.  b) We won the game because we played hard. c) We won the game, we played hard. 

6) Which of the following is an example of a compound-complex sentence?

a) After we went swimming, though we were tired, we went to the movies.  b) Though we were tired, we went to the movies, and we had a great time.  c) After we went swimming, we weren’t tired, we went to the movies.

So, how did you do? If you got B, C, B, A, A, and B, you totally aced it! 

If you didn’t, that’s okay: luckily for you, it’s easy to practice identifying complex sentences.  All you have to do is look at real-life writing examples like books, academic articles, or sample papers. They’ll contain a variety of sentence types, so you’ll have plenty of practice picking out complex sentences. 

What's Next?

When it comes to sentences, there’s a lot to learn. This post will help you find sentence fragments and run-ons in your writing , and this post will give you general strategies for identifying sentence errors .

Knowing your way around sentence structure is key to writing killer admissions essays. Did you know that we have comprehensive guides for tackling admissions essays for the nation’s top colleges? We have comprehensive guides to admissions essays for Harvard , Notre Dame , USC , Yale , and more!

But before you tackle admissions essays , you’ll have to knock your SAT and ACT essays out of the park . Check out our comprehensive guides to acing your SAT essays and your ACT essays to set yourself up for success.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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What is a Complex Sentence? (Definition, Examples, Guide)

How does a person use a complex sentence correctly in their writing? As with any other type of sentence, there are certain rules for constructing a complex sentence. Keep reading to discover what elements a complex sentence contains, examples of complex sentences, and how these examples differ from other types of sentences .

What are complex sentences?

A complex sentence is a sentence that contains an independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Typically, these statements are used to include more information to modify or explain a sentence’s main idea.

To connect clauses , complex sentences often use a subordinate conjunction like “since” or “because.”

The most common type of complex sentences are conditional sentences, which use an “if-then sentence structure).

Therefore , if one clause is true, then the other must also be true.

Although they share similarities with compound sentences, complex sentences are a little different.

Additionally, complex statements are different from simple sentences.

The primary distinction complex sentences contain from other types of sentences is that they include a dependent clause.

What is a subordinating conjunction?

Subordinating conjunctions are the words or phrases that connect a dependent clause to an independent clause.

Most often, subordinating conjunctions signal a cause and effect relationship or a shift in time and place between the two clauses.

Some of the most common subordinating conjunctions include:

• Provided that

Dependent clauses that begin with a subordinating conjunction are called subordinate clauses.

Again, subordinating clauses cannot be written as a complete statement on their own; they must have more information to form a complete thought.

Coordinating conjunctions

It’s important to note that subordinating conjunctions are different from coordinating conjunctions .

These conjunctions are words that join two independent clauses of equal grammatical rank.

They can join two verbs, two nouns , two phrases, two independent clauses, or two adjectives .

There are only seven coordinating conjunctions, which are the following terms:

To make it easier to remember, use the acronym FANBOYS .

Dependent clause

As previously mentioned, complex sentences must contain at least one dependent clause.

Dependent clauses cannot act as a complete sentence on their own.

Rather, dependent clauses require an independent clause connected to them.

Still, a dependent clause always contains a subject and a verb .

The detail that makes a dependent clause different is that it typically begins with a subordinating conjunction.

Examples of dependent clauses

“Because my dad asked for more soda…”

“If he were to study more often than one night a week…”

“Whenever Gertrude gets back…”

As you can see , these examples cannot stand alone as a sentence.

Rather, they express partial thoughts and require more information to form a complete sentence.

Independent clause

The difference between independent and dependent clauses is pretty simple.

Where dependent clauses express only part of a thought, an independent clause is a complete sentence on its own.

The way these two clauses are similar, however, is that both include a subject and a verb.

Still, independent clauses serve as a standalone sentence.

Dependent clauses are integral to independent clauses, especially when discussing complex sentences.

That said, the subordinating conjunction that a dependent clause begins with alters the meaning of an independent clause that previously stood alone.

Examples of independent clauses

• “Tim cannot come over after school.”
• “My dog ran away.”
• “The weather is cooler today.”
• “Lisa’s basketball game ended early.”

What is a simple sentence?

A simple sentence is any sentence structure that only includes one independent clause.

Therefore, any sentence with more than one clause cannot be a simple sentence.

Simple sentences are some of the most basic clauses in the English language.

Still, although a simple statement typically doesn’t contain a lot of words, the clause can stand alone.

In writing, one can often combine two simple sentences to form a complex sentence that makes sense.

With that, one uses a subordinating or coordinating conjunction to combine the two.

Simple vs. complex sentences

The primary difference between simple and complex sentences is that the former only has one independent clause.

Complex sentences, on the other hand, have an independent clause as well as one or more dependent clauses.

For example, a simple statement looks like this:

“Tom got a headache.”

Further, a complex sentence using the above example could look something like this:

“Tom got a headache because he played video games for six hours straight.”

In the previous statement, “because he played video games for six hours straight,” cannot stand alone.

The reader asks “why?” or “for what purpose?” due to the fact that “because” begins the statement.

The first clause, “Tom got a headache,” can stand alone and present a clear idea to the reader.

Punctuating complex sentences

Many people struggle to write complex sentences because of the punctuation requirements.

Essentially, comma usage and comma splits can initially seem confusing.

Some complex sentences do not require a comma, while others do.

Here is the general rule on whether or not one needs to use a comma:

• If the independent clause comes first, no comma is required.
• If the dependent clause comes first, place the comma directly before the independent clause.

Here is an example of a complex sentence and the proper comma usage:

“ After we successfully subscribed to Hulu, our house could watch The Handmaid’s Tale .”

• This sentence observes the dependent clause placed first.

“Harry left school early because he had a doctor’s appointment.”

• This example observes the independent clause placed first.

Remember, the distinction between independent and dependent clauses is that a dependent one cannot be considered a complete thought.

By remembering the fact about complete sentences, knowing where to place commas is a lot easier.

Examples of complex sentences

Recall that complex sentences require an independent and dependent clause to follow English grammar rules .

That said, here are some complex sentence examples:

• “We cannot leave class until the bell rings.”
• “Because we studied adverb clauses in class today, Ms. Johnson said we will study noun clauses tomorrow.”
• “It doesn’t matter what subject Angela takes as long as she earns enough credits.”
• “Don’t come to the part if you aren’t going to have fun .”

What is a compound sentence?

A compound sentence is a statement connecting two independent clauses.

Often, compound sentences use a coordinating conjunction like “and” or “but.”

These types of sentences are best when combining at least two independent clauses (that are related) into a single clause.

Therefore, the writing is more fast-paced when compound sentences are formed.

Take these two statements, for example; both make sense on their own.

“I am hungry. I want to eat lunch this afternoon.”

Using the word “and,” one can create a statement that meets the definition of a compound sentence.

“I am hungry, and I want to eat lunch this afternoon.”

What is a compound-complex sentence?

A compound-complex sentence is a result of fusing one compound sentence with a complex sentence.

Although these are some of the more sophisticated structures in grammar , they are a great way to provide important information on a specific topic.

These sentences contain three clauses, which are the following:

• 2 independent clauses
• 1 (or more) dependent clauses

Instead of using subordinating conjunctions to join the clauses, a coordinating one is typically used.

These sentences are utilized because they can provide more information than a typical compound or complex sentence is capable of.

That said, here are a few examples of compound-complex sentences:

“There were a lot of people at the concert, so I used my phone to call Abby, and was able to find her quickly.”

• In this statement, “there were a lot of people at the concert” and “I used my phone to call Abby” are two independent statements, connected by the word “so.” The dependent clause, “and was able to find her quickly,” ends the statement.

“The dog played alone in the yard, but nobody was watching him because he was well trained.”

“Since Kayla didn’t have sneakers, she refused to run the mile for gym class, but she still cheered on her peers.”

Compound vs. complex sentences

What is a complex sentence, and how does it differ from a compound one?

A compound statement connects one independent clause with another.

Therefore, there is no dependent clause in these examples.

Complex sentence examples have only one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Although the dependent clause would not make sense on its own, it still contains a verb and a subject.

Therefore, the combination of the dependent and independent clause ensures the complex sentence has meaning.

Complex sentences: Examples

Complex sentences are frequently used in everyday speech. They prevent conversations from sounding terse and robotic. Consider the examples of complex sentences given below.

Complex sentences that start with subordinate conjunctions:

• When Jamie was younger, he believed in Santa Claus.
• If Sarah finds the broken vase, she is going to be very angry.
• After Ramone finishes college this semester, he will be going back to Greece.
• Because the deal was canceled, Noah was asked to come back.
• As soon as Arys reaches here, we can take Johnny back home.

Complex sentences that have subordinate conjunctions in the middle:

• Jamie believed in Santa Claus when he was younger.
• Sarah is going to be very angry if she finds the broken vase.
• Ramone will be going back to Greece after he finishes college this semester.
• Noah was asked to come back because the deal was canceled.
• We can take Johnny back home as soon as Arya reaches here.

Complex sentences that have relative clauses acting as dependent clauses:

• My sister, who completed medical school, is now working at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.
• Relative clause – who completed medical school
• Independent clause – My sister is now working at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.
• The Casablanca Resort, where we went for our honeymoon, is closing this December due to heavy losses.
• Relative clause – where we went for our honeymoon
• Independent clause – The Casablanca Resort is closing this December due to heavy losses.
• The captain of the college football team, who was also the president of the art club, designed the logo for the literary festival.
• Relative clause – who was also the president of the art club
• Independent clause – The captain of the college football team designed the logo for the literary festival.

How to form complex sentences

Complex sentences are created by combining the main clause with a subordinate or dependent clause. Complex sentences can be formed in one of three ways.

• Using relative pronouns like “who,” “whose,” “which,” and “that.”
• Using subordinate conjunctions.
• Using non-finite verb structures like participle and infinitive verb forms.

Use commas correctly

The two main issues authors face in creating complex sentences are using the appropriate subordinate conjunction and the right placement of commas. The need for a comma in a complex sentence is determined by two simple rules:

• If the first part of a sentence is a dependent clause, a comma should be placed before the main clause.
• If the first part of a sentence is an independent clause, there is no need to use a comma.
• Although Norah was wealthy, she was depressed and miserable.

The first sentence has a subordinate clause in the beginning, so it needs a comma before the main clause. The second sentence does not need a comma since it begins with the main clause.

A sentence with just a single independent clause is called a simple sentence. Complex sentences can have more than one independent clause. Furthermore, complex sentences can be created from simple sentences. A complex sentence can be created from two simple sentences by joining them using subordinate conjunctions.

Simple sentences:

• Noah drank an entire gallon of milk. He is puking his stomach out.

Complex sentence:

• After drinking an entire gallon of milk, Noah is puking his stomach out.

A compound sentence needs at least two main clauses, whereas complex sentences require only one main clause.

Compound sentence:

Sam made the gingerbread cookies, and Sarah decorated them.

• What Is a Coordinating Conjunction? – Grammarly
• What Is a Subordinate Clause? – Grammarly
• What Is a Subordinating Conjunction? – Grammarly
• A Guide to Compound-Complex Sentences – MasterClass
• What Is a Complex Sentence? – Grammarly
• What Is a Compound Sentence? – Grammarly

Inside this article

Fact checked: Content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. Learn more.

About the author

Dalia Y.: Dalia is an English Major and linguistics expert with an additional degree in Psychology. Dalia has featured articles on Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, Grammarly, and many more. She covers English, ESL, and all things grammar on GrammarBrain.

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Four Sentence Structures: Simple, Compound, Complex, & Compound-Complex

There are four sentence structures in English: Simple , Compound , Complex, and Compound-Complex . Here are examples of each:

• She ate lunch.  ( Simple : one independent clause)
• She ate lunch, but she was still hungry. ( Compound : two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction ).
• She was still hungry even though she had eaten lunch . ( Complex : an independent clause + a dependent clause)
• She was tired, and she was still hungry even though she had eaten lunch ( Compound-Complex : two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction and one dependent clause)

First: Understanding Clauses

A clause is a group of words that includes a subject and a verb . It's important to understand that there are two types of clauses:

Independent Clauses

A sentence must have at least one independent clause. An independent clause is a group of words that form a complete thought when you put them together. Here are some examples:

• She ate lunch. 
• The car drove on the road. 
• On Tuesday, I had my test. 

These sentences are complete thoughts , which means that no more information is needed to understand them completely.

Dependent Clauses (Subordinate Clauses)

Dependent clauses are incomplete thoughts. They depend on an independent clause in order for the sentence to have meaning. Dependent clauses begin with a subordinate conjunction . Here are some examples:

• when I got home (what happened?)
• because the restaurant was closed (what happened because it was closed?)
• whom I respect very much (whom are we talking about?)

As you can see, more information is needed. To create a complete sentence , you need to add an independent clause . Here are the examples again but written as complete sentences (known as complex sentences):

• I washed the dishes when I got home .
• We couldn't eat because the restaurant was closed .
• The company's owner is Alice Brown , whom I respect very much .

Now that you understand this, we can look at the four different sentence structures.

Structure #1: Simple Sentences

A simple sentence is one independent clause . A clause is a group of words that contain a subject and a verb, and an independent clause it a group of words that form a complete thought when you put them together. Here are some examples:

• She ate lunch. (Independent clause)
• The car drove on the road.  (Independent clause)
• On Tuesday, I had my test. (Independent clause)

Again, all of these sentences are complete thoughts .

Structure #2: Compound Sentences

A compound sentence is made of two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction .

Although the most commonly used coordinating conjunctions are but , and , so , and or, there are  seven coordinating conjunctions in English:

The above sentences are all independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction, so they are all compound sentences.

Structure #3: Complex Sentences

A complex sentence has a dependent clause and an independent clause. The dependent clause can come at the beginning of the sentence or at the end. Here are some examples:

• She fell asleep because she was tired .
• Because she was tired , she fell asleep.
• I'll call you if I go .
• If I go , I'll call you.

(Note: When a dependent clause starts a sentence, you should put a comma at its end to show where the clause ends.)

An adjective clause (also known as a relative clause) is also considered a dependent clause as well. E.g.:

• This is the store where I bought my hat.
• Vancouver, which is in western Canada , is a beautiful city.

Structure #4: Compound-Complex

A compound-complex sentence has the following:

• two independent clauses joined a coordinating conjunction
• a dependent clause

The dependent clause can be anywhere in the sentence. Here are some examples:

• She took out her umbrella because it was raining , and then she walked home.
• I don't like exercising, but I'll do it if I have to .
• The man who was on the other side of the street waved, so I looked at him.

Question: What about Compound-Compound? Complex-Complex?

Technically, you can make more complicated types of of sentence structures, for example:

• She arrived and then he arrived and then I arrived so we were all there.

Is this Compound-Compound-Compound sentence? No. It's still just called a Compound sentence. Also, it's a badly written sentence.

• Before she went home , she cleaned up the area where she had worked .

Is this a Complex-Complex sentence? No. It's still called a complex sentence, even though there are two dependent clauses.

Why is all this important? What sentence structures should I use?

Spoken English tends to mainly use simple and compound sentences, but higher-level writing (e.g. academic and business communications) should use some complex structures. A complex sentence can be more efficient because it can contain several ideas in the same sentence. Also, using conjunctions such although or because  helps the reader understand how ideas relate to each other, which makes your writing more cohesive . 

Still, w riting well doesn't mean only using long and complicated sentences. Writing is most effective when it's clear. This can be achieved by using short, simple sentences, such as this one. I n short, writing effectively and efficiently means using a variety of sentence structures.

^ By the way, the above two paragraphs contained the following:

• Spoken English tends to mainly use simple and compound sentences, but higher-level writing (e.g. academic and business communications) should use a variety of structures (i.e. simple, compound, and complex).
• A complex sentence can be more efficient because it can contain several ideas in the same sentence.
• Also, using conjunctions such ' although ' or ' because ' helps the reader understand how ideas relate to each other , which makes your writing more cohesive .
• Writing is most effective when it's clear.
• Still, writing well doesn't mean only using long and complicated sentences. 
• This can be achieved by using short, simple sentences, such as this one.
• I n short, writing effectively and efficiently means using a variety of sentence structures.
• Compound-complex : 0

Do you think you understand? Try our exercises below!

Exercises #1: Identifying Sentence Structures

• The man smiled and laughed.  Simple Compound Complex Compound-Complex
• The man smiled, but I did not know why.  Simple Compound Complex Compound-Complex
• When the cat is away, the mice will play.  Simple Compound Complex Compound-Complex
• The answer is not known.  Simple Compound Complex Compound-Complex
• If people would like to apply, they can call 1-800-493-222 or they can e-mail [email protected] .  Simple Compound Complex Compound-Complex
• He asked me a question so I answered.  Simple Compound Complex Compound-Complex
• I e-mailed the company, and they responded immediately, which surprised me. Simple Compound Complex Compound-Complex
• Simple (Independent clause) Note: "and laughed" is not a clause because it does not contain another subject and verb. Therefore, this sentence only has one clause
• Compound (Independent clause + coordinating conjunction + Independent clause)
• Complex (Dependent clause + Independent clause)
• Simple (Independent clause)
• Compound-complex (Dependent clause, independent clause + coordinating conjunction + independent clause)
• Compound-complex (Independent clause, coordinating conjunction, independent clause, dependent clause)

Exercises #2: Identifying Sentence Structures

• The train station was still closed but a few coffee shops were open.  Simple Compound Complex Compound-Complex
• If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  Simple Compound Complex Compound-Complex
• Some people only need a computer to do their jobs, so they can easily work from home. Simple Compound Complex Compound-Complex
• On the second weekend of July last year, I went camping. Simple Compound Complex Compound-Complex
• As population increases, food shortages become more common and quality of life can decrease.  Simple Compound Complex Compound-Complex
• The price of the service increased by 20%, but because the company did not inform its customers, many people demanded an explanation.  Simple Compound Complex Compound-Complex
• Many students didn't understand, so their teacher explained the answer very clearly and slowly.  Simple Compound Complex Compound-Complex
• Simple (Independent clause) Note: "On the second weekend of July last year" is a prepositional phrase, not a clause because there is no subject or verb.
• Compound-Complex (Dependent clause, Independent clause + coordinating conjunction Independent clause)
• Compound-Complex (Independent clause, coordinating conjunction, dependent clause, independent clause)
• Compound (Independent clause, coordinating conjunction, Independent clause)

If you have any questions about sentence structures, please leave a comment below or visit our forums .

-- Created by Matthew Barton of Englishcurrent.com (Copyright)

EnglishCurrent is happily hosted on Dreamhost . If you found this page helpful, consider a donation to our hosting bill to show your support!

34 comments on “ Four Sentence Structures: Simple, Compound, Complex, & Compound-Complex ”

Thank you so much for my preparation for my Half- yearly exams

Yes it true I like it but the activity was hard

Thanks for These Qustions!!! We dient find Website which is so good!!!

THANK YOU FROM MONGOLIA

thank you very much .A clear explanation.

I’ve really understood the lesson it was very superb, and easy to understood, really preciate your efforts, and your helping Thank u so much.

I think it is very useful for me to study.

It is very important.

I think this way is good for my study.

Thanks a lot for the notes, the clarifications, the remakes, and the exercises. But I also heard there are somewhere that there are “compound-complex-complex” sentences with more than two independent, and more than two dependent clauses in them. What do you take of this? Regards.

thanks a lot for the notes but i understood this lesson.

thanks , i liked this alot!

when you call to your U.S. bank you may fine yourself speaking to a customer service representative who is sitting in the Philippines or Puerto Rico and when you need technical support for your home computer you will probably get help from a programmer in New Delhi where’s the independent clause an the dependent clause?

What do you think? Read the above page and give it a try.

ty very much for this

Understood and this section was very interesting.

Thanks teacher

Thanks this really helps.

It was really informative

I find it difficult, some people understand, some people don’t. But I’ll try harder.

Thank you so much as I learned a lot about sentence structure which will help me in my future English speaking test. I am so happy with this

this page is amazing. thank you.

THANK YOU FROM ROME HABITANT ICI BEASTIA

Thank you so much

Thank you. It was very helpful

Love this wow

Thank you . It was really very helpful.

In some compound sentences, I didnt find a comma. I was figuring out , if we write a compound sentence without putting a comma, is it OK?

Hello. Some English teachers would say that you should have a comma before the coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) in a compound sentence. However, it’s not really needed, and if you don’t put one, it’s not a mistake.

Wow，that’s helpful!especially for non-language learner.

THANK YOU, ALL THE WAY FROM LESOTHO❤️❤️

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Biography in a Sentence  🔊

Definition of Biography

a person’s life story as told by another person

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Since the actress never asked you to write about her rise to stardom, your book isn’t an authorized biography.  🔊

The popular author will recount the singer’s upbringing in a biography.  🔊

In order for the writer to pen my biography, he’ll need to ask me numerous questions about my life.  🔊

Using my grandmother’s diaries, I was able to mesh her stories into a biography.  🔊

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Harvey Weinstein’s New York Conviction Is Overturned

The state’s top court ruled that Mr. Weinstein, the disgraced Hollywood producer whose sexual abuse case incited the #MeToo movement, did not receive a fair trial. A separate 16-year sentence in California was not affected.

• Share full article

Maria Cramer

Here are five takeaways from the overturned conviction.

In a 4-to-3 decision on Thursday, New York’s highest court overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction on felony sex crime charges , a reversal that horrified and dismayed many of the women whose decision to speak out against Mr. Weinstein, a prominent Hollywood producer, accelerated the #MeToo movement.

The New York Court of Appeals agreed with Mr. Weinstein’s defense team that the trial judge who presided over the sex crimes case in Manhattan, Justice James Burke, made a critical error when he let prosecutors call as witnesses several women who testified that Mr. Weinstein had assaulted them, even though none of those allegations had led to charges.

The women became known as Molineux witnesses, a term that refers to trial witnesses who are allowed to testify about criminal acts that the defendant has not been charged with committing. In writing for the majority, Judge Jenny Rivera said permitting such testimony in Mr. Weinstein’s case had served to wrongly “diminish defendant’s character before the jury.”

The ruling, four years after Mr. Weinstein was convicted of forcibly performing oral sex on a production assistant and of raping an actress, did not surprise many legal analysts who had questioned whether prosecutors had taken too big a risk in their efforts to win over the jury.

The Harvey Weinstein Appeal Ruling, Annotated

Read the ruling from New York’s top court that overturned the 2020 conviction of Harvey Weinstein on felony sex crime charges in Manhattan, with context and explanation by New York Times journalists.

In its decision, the court came to the conclusion that prosecutors had done just that and, along with Justice Burke, had violated a central tenet of criminal trials: Defendants should be judged only on the charges against them.

Here are five takeaways from the court’s ruling:

The court cited “egregious errors.”

The court said the trial’s fairness had been compromised by two key prosecution strategies: the use of Molineux witnesses and the prosecutors’ disclosure that if Mr. Weinstein took the stand in his own defense, they would ask him about dozens of allegations of other crimes and boorish, frightening behavior.

Before the trial, during what is known as a Sandoval hearing, Justice Burke said he would let prosecutors question Mr. Weinstein about 28 allegations that included physically attacking his brother, threatening to cut off a colleague’s genitals with gardening shears, throwing a table of food, and screaming and cursing at hotel restaurant staff after they told him the kitchen was closed.

That threat made it impossible for Mr. Weinstein to take the stand even though he was “begging” to testify in his own defense, his lawyer, Arthur Aidala, said during oral arguments before the Court of Appeals in February.

In its majority opinion, the court agreed.

“The threat of a cross-examination highlighting these untested allegations undermined defendant’s right to testify,” Judge Rivera wrote. “The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial.”

The three dissenting judges slammed the majority.

Three judges — Madeline Singas, Anthony Cannataro and Michael J. Garcia — dissented in a pair of scathing opinions that accused the majority of continuing “a disturbing trend of overturning juries’ guilty verdicts in cases involving sexual violence.”

The judges said the court had ignored evidence that the Molineux witnesses had established: that Mr. Weinstein had displayed a pattern of coercion and manipulation.

Judge Singas said the ruling would make it harder to use such witnesses in future sexual assault cases.

“Men who serially sexually exploit their power over women — especially the most vulnerable groups in society — will reap the benefit of today’s decision,” she wrote.

Judge Cannataro said the additional witnesses the prosecution had presented had helped upend the still-pervasive notion that a sexual assault must involve “the stereotypical stranger in a dark alley who isolates his victim or waits for her to be alone before launching a violent assault.”

The case clearly caused tension among the court, evident in a series of back-and-forth statements between the judges, with the majority defending itself against the dissenters’ claims that the ruling weakened the ability of accusers to push their cases through the criminal court system.

“We do not ‘shut eyes to the enduring effect of rape culture on notions of consent, and intent,’” Judge Rivera wrote, referring to part of Judge Singas’s dissent. “On the contrary, consistent with our judicial role, our analysis is grounded on bedrock principles of evidence and the defendant’s constitutional right to the presumption of innocence and a fair trial.”

Victims and activists are devastated but remain determined.

Dawn Dunning, one of the Molineux witnesses who testified against Mr. Weinstein, said she was asked after the ruling if she regretted testifying.

“My answer is a resounding ‘no,’” she said in a statement. “I am a stronger person for having done so, and I know that other women found strength and courage because I and other Weinstein survivors confronted him publicly. The culture has changed, and I am confident that there is no going back.”

She and others encouraged Alvin L. Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, to retry the case. The 2020 case was tried under Cyrus R. Vance Jr., Mr. Bragg’s predecessor. Through a spokeswoman, Mr. Bragg said that he would retry the case.

Ashley Judd , the first actress to come forward with allegations against Mr. Weinstein, called the news “unfair to survivors.”

“We still live in our truth,” she said. “And we know what happened.”

Ms. Judd appeared with several other sexual assault survivors and activists on Thursday at a hastily arranged news conference on the 29th floor of the Millennium Hilton in Midtown.

Tarana Burke, the founder of #MeToo, said one of the overarching goals of the movement — to get the court system to take sexual assault cases more seriously — is “long, strategic and thoughtful.”

“The bad thing about survivors is there are so many of us,” she said. “But the good thing about survivors is that there are so many of us.”

Mr. Weinstein’s conviction in California still stands.

Mr. Weinstein, who had been serving a 23-year sentence at Mohawk Correctional Facility in upstate New York, learned about the decision after someone at the prison showed him a news report about the ruling, according to his lawyer, Mr. Aidala.

He talked to Mr. Aidala just after 10 a.m., about an hour after the ruling came down.

Mr. Aidala said Mr. Weinstein “wasn’t emotional, like crying,” but he was “very gracious, very grateful.”

Even with the conviction overturned, Mr. Weinstein is not a free man. He is still facing a 16-year sentence in California, where a jury convicted him in 2022 of raping a woman in a Beverly Hills hotel . He was to serve that term after his New York sentence. Now, he could be transferred to California, but he will most likely be transferred from state prison to Rikers Island, the jail complex in New York City, as he waits for Mr. Bragg to decide whether to push for another trial.

… But he will soon appeal it.

After Thursday’s decision came down, Mr. Weinstein’s lawyer in California, Jennifer Bonjean, said she expected the ruling to help him when he appeals his California conviction on May 20.

A jury in Los Angeles Superior Court deadlocked on charges of sexual battery by restraint, forcible oral copulation and forcible rape in December 2022. Those charges were related to accusations brought by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and the wife of Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, and Lauren Young, a model and screenwriter.

But the jury found Mr. Weinstein guilty on three other counts — rape, forcible oral sex and sexual penetration — involving an Italian actress who testified that he attacked her in a hotel room in 2013. The jury acquitted Mr. Weinstein of one count of sexual battery involving a massage therapist.

In that case, as in New York, prosecutors were allowed to use witnesses who accused Mr. Weinstein of sex crimes that he had not been charged with. However, the laws around such witnesses are different in California.

Jurors in the California trial were “overwhelmed with this bad character evidence that was not legitimate, that tainted the whole trial in California from our perspective,” Ms. Bonjean said.

Jodi Kantor , Jan Ransom , Chelsia Rose Marcius and Hurubie Meko contributed reporting.

Claire Fahy

Lindsay Goldbrum, a lawyer who has represented a number of Weinstein’s accusers, said in a statement that the witness testimony at issue was crucial to rebutting the defense’s assertion that the sexual encounters were consensual. The ruling today “will undoubtedly deter future sexual assault victims from coming forward,” she said.

Hurubie Meko

Weinstein’s lawyer Arthur Aidala said he would be brought to a facility closer to New York City in preparation for a new case, and then “we start from scratch.”

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Benjamin Weiser

What is the Court of Appeals, and how does it work?

The Court of Appeals, which handed down the Weinstein ruling on Thursday, is New York’s highest court — and thus gets the final say on cases in the state before a party may seek review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The appeals court’s seven members include a chief judge, Rowan Wilson , and six associate judges. The judges’ vote to overturn Weinstein’s conviction was 4-to-3.

In order for Harvey Weinstein to have the appeals court hear his case after he was found guilty in a Manhattan trial in 2020, he first had to appeal to an intermediate court — called the appellate division. A panel of that court unanimously upheld Mr. Weinstein’s conviction in 2022. From there, he then could pursue his case in the Court of Appeals.

According to Thursday’s ruling, two associate judges on the Court of Appeals did not participate in the Weinstein decision; they were replaced by two justices from the appellate division.

Weinstein learned about the decision after someone showed him a news report that said his conviction had been reversed, his lawyer Arthur Aidala said.

Mr. Weinstein’s criminal convictions in California still stand.

A decision by New York’s highest court to overturn the 2020 sex crimes conviction of Harvey Weinstein has upended a criminal case that helped ignite the #MeToo movement. But that conviction was just one of two secured against Mr. Weinstein in recent years.

In the other case, brought by prosecutors in Los Angeles in January 2020 , Mr. Weinstein was accused of rape and other crimes, convicted and ultimately sentenced to 16 years in prison , with the term to begin after his New York sentence. Mr. Weinstein is expected to appeal the California conviction next month, said his lawyer Jennifer Bonjean.

Ms. Bonjean added that she thinks Thursday’s decision — which found that Mr. Weinstein was not tried solely on the crimes he was charged with but also for past behavior — will bolster the appeal in Los Angeles.

“The New York decision relates to the excessive use of other accusers — and the concept of uncharged accusers and bad acts is equally applicable in the L.A. case,” Ms. Bonjean said.

In the Los Angeles case, prosecutors called 44 witnesses, including four women who said they had been assaulted by Mr. Weinstein and were allowed to testify to show a pattern of abuse, though their accounts were not tied to the charges.

“They were overwhelmed with this bad character evidence that was not legitimate that tainted the whole trial in California from our perspective,” Ms. Bonjean said of the jurors in that case.

Ms. Bonjean, who represented Bill Cosby in the successful appeal of his sexual assault conviction, also said that the Los Angeles prosecutors erred by informing the jury that Mr. Weinstein had been convicted in New York, which might have unfairly swayed jurors.

“That turned the presumption of innocence on its head and tainted the entire trial and was even used to enhance his sentencing,” said Ms. Bonjean, who added that she expected to file an appeal in the California case on May 20.

The California prosecution in Los Angeles Superior Court focused in part on allegations that Mr. Weinstein raped a woman identified as Jane Doe 1 in a hotel room in February 2013. He was convicted in December 2022 of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration by a foreign object. But he was not convicted on four other counts.

At his sentencing, Mr. Weinstein pleaded for leniency, telling the judge that the case against him was not solid and did not justify a long prison term.

“I tried all my life to bring happiness to people,” Mr. Weinstein said in court. “Please don’t sentence me to life in prison. I don’t deserve it.”

Jane Manning, the director of the Women’s Equal Justice Project and a former sex crimes prosecutor, said that the appeals court decision in New York should not affect the case in Los Angeles.

“California law explicitly permits prosecutors to show that a defendant’s sexually predatory conduct is part of a pattern,” Ms. Manning said. “They explicitly permit evidence of similar crimes to be admitted in sex assault cases because they understand just how relevant this evidence is.”

Ms. Manning said that New York, on the other hand, does not have a statute that guides courts on this issue and “so it is left completely to the courts to determine what is and isn’t permissible when it comes to evidence of similar crimes.”

It was unclear on Thursday just when Weinstein would be transferred to a California prison. A spokesman for the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, which runs the prison where he is now in custody, said the agency was “reviewing the court decision.”

Duncan Levin, a former New York prosecutor who was briefly part of Weinstein’s legal team, said in a statement: “This is how the court system is supposed to work: fundamental due process for everyone without fear or favor. The New York Court of Appeals adhered to the basic principles of rule of law, and that was not an easy thing to do here.”

At a news conference outside Manhattan’s Criminal Courts Building, where Weinstein was convicted in 2020, Arthur Aidala, one of Weinstein’s lawyers, said that from the start his team “knew that Harvey Weinstein did not get a fair trial.”

Aidala called Judge Jenny Rivera, who wrote the decision, a “real hero for women.” The decision, he said, stated that “you can’t convict someone based on their entire life.”

Weinstein will now be able to return to court and tell his side without having “so much baggage” from his past divulged to the jury, Aidala said. “He’s been dying to tell his story from Day 1,” he said.

Weinstein is slated to appeal his California conviction on May 20, according to his lawyer Jennifer Bonjean, who said that she expected that today’s ruling would bolster his appeal in that case. She said jurors were “overwhelmed with this bad character evidence that was not legitimate, that tainted the whole trial in California from our perspective.”

The Model Alliance, a labor rights group focused on young women in the fashion industry, criticized the ruling in a news conference on Zoom. Carré Otis, a model who is on the group’s board, described herself as “sickened” by the decision. “As an advocate, I’m fired up,” she added.

Sara Ziff, the executive director of the Model Alliance, called on lawmakers in Albany to pass the Fashion Workers Act, which would provide labor protections for models, before the end of the legislative session on June 6. “While today’s news is devastating, it only strengthens our commitment to reforming industries predominantly made up of young women,” she said.

In their dissents, three judges offer sharp critiques of the majority’s decision.

In a pair of scathing opinions, three judges on the New York Court of Appeals who dissented in the court’s ruling to overturn Harvey Weinstein’s conviction accused the majority of continuing “a disturbing trend of overturning juries’ guilty verdicts in cases involving sexual violence.”

Madeline Singas, one of the dissenting judges, said the majority of the court had ignored the evidence that showed Mr. Weinstein’s affinity for “manipulation and premeditation.”

Worse, she wrote, the court had made it harder for victims to hold their assailants accountable in future cases.

“Men who serially sexually exploit their power over women — especially the most vulnerable groups in society — will reap the benefit of today’s decision,” Judge Singas wrote.

She joined Judges Anthony Cannataro and Michael J. Garcia in the dissent. Judge Garcia did not write his own opinion, but agreed with the other two dissenting judges.

In his dissent, Judge Cannataro said that the additional witnesses the prosecution presented — who said Mr. Weinstein had assaulted them but whose accusations were not part of the charges against him — had been vital to show Mr. Weinstein’s pattern of manipulation and coercion.

Their testimony, he wrote, helped upend the still-pervasive notion that a sexual assault must involve “the stereotypical stranger in a dark alley who isolates his victim or waits for her to be alone before launching a violent assault.”

In the Manhattan trial, Justice James Burke was careful in his decision to let prosecutors present evidence that showed that more “complex psychological and sociological dynamics” were at play, Judge Cannataro wrote.

The decision to overturn the conviction “represents an unfortunate step backward from recent advances in our understanding of how sex crimes are perpetrated and why victims sometimes respond in seemingly counterintuitive ways,” Judge Cannataro wrote.

Judge Singas said that the witness testimony of the additional women, who described their disgust and horror at Mr. Weinstein’s advances, had made it clearer to the jury that the former producer had to have known that he did not have the women’s consent.

“Their testimony explained the idiosyncrasies of the entertainment industry that allow assaults to be perpetrated by influential and powerful men against young and relatively powerless aspiring actresses,” Judge Singas wrote.

The majority appeared to take umbrage with the fierce statements of the dissenting judges, defending their ruling in numerous footnotes and throughout the opinion, a back-and-forth that suggested the decision had given rise to considerable tension among the judges.

Judge Jenny Rivera, who wrote for the majority, said Judge Singas “misconstrues” their analysis of why the additional witnesses were not needed to combat “rape myths.”

She pushed back on Judge Singas’s assertions that the court had made it harder for future victims to have their cases prosecuted, calling them “exaggerated claims.”

Weinstein’s team is scheduled to hold a news conference at 1:30 p.m. at the park across the street from Manhattan’s Criminal Courts building, where the trial of Donald J. Trump is underway inside. The area is surrounded by security and camera banks of press.

Maia Coleman

Sarah Ann Masse, an actress who in 2017 accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her and who has founded an organization supporting survivors of sexual abuse in Hollywood, said in a statement that today’s decision reflects a broader failure of the justice system to support survivors.

“Abusers are given chance after chance to get back to their ‘normal lives’ while survivors continue to suffer from a lack of support, prolonged trauma, chronic illness, mental health struggles, economic harm and various forms of retaliation,” she said.

Reached by phone, Donna Rotunno, Weinstein’s lead trial attorney in New York, lauded the court’s decision. “From Day 1 of this I have said they were prosecuting him for sins, not crimes,” she said. “I think it’s bigger than Weinstein; this speaks to our justice system as a whole. The court ruling says to prosecutors: Winning at all costs is not your job. Your job is to put on a fair trial.”

Chelsia Rose Marcius

Fatima Goss Graves, the chief executive of the National Women’s Law Center, said at a news conference in Manhattan that today’s decision would only invigorate the #MeToo movement. “One well-known case does not define this movement,” she said.

Despite their visibly deep disappointment about today’s decision, Judd, Burke and Graves are composed and smiling. All said they took solace in their strong bond. Burke said movements like #MeToo are “long, strategic and thoughtful.” She added: “The bad thing about survivors is there are so many of us. But the good thing about survivors is that there are so many of us.”

Weinstein’s accusers express fury and disappointment over the court’s ruling.

Several women who have accused Harvey Weinstein of sex crimes or harassment expressed a range of emotions on Thursday morning after New York’s highest court overturned Mr. Weinstein’s 2020 conviction.

It’s “a terrible reminder that victims of sexual assault just don’t get justice,” said Katherine Kendall , an actress who accused Mr. Weinstein of luring her to what she believed would be a work discussion in 1993. Instead, she said, he chased her around his New York apartment while he was nude. “I’m completely let down by the justice system right now,” she added. “I’m sort of flabbergasted.”

Ambra Battilana Gutierrez , a Filipino Italian model, had accused Mr. Weinstein of grabbing her breasts and putting his hands up her skirt in 2015 during a business meeting at his office in Manhattan, but the Manhattan district attorney’s office decided not to charge him .

“If the D.A. had taken my case seriously in 2015, we wouldn’t be here,” Ms. Battilana Gutierrez said on Thursday. “This is an ongoing failure of the justice system — and the courts — to take survivors seriously and to protect our interests.”

Amber Tamblyn, an actress, writer and director who has been outspoken during the #MeToo movement , was flooded with anger when she learned of Thursday’s decision, calling it “a loss to the entire community of women who put their lives and careers on the line to speak out.”

Tomi-Ann Roberts, a professor of psychology at Colorado College, said the ruling infuriated her but did not shock her. She had accused Mr. Weinstein of sexually harassing her during an encounter at a hotel in 1984 that she believed was a business meeting.

“The only thing I can hope with this is that it re-energizes the #MeToo movement to demand that the criminal and civil justice systems do better at holding perpetrators accountable for this range of activities that are all degrading and all should be illegal,” said Dr. Roberts, whose research focuses on the consequences of sexual objectification.

Ms. Kendall added that sexual assault victims “who go up against powerful men rarely get justice.”

“But the important thing is that we do not stop speaking out,” she said. “Our culture needs to keep supporting silence breakers.”

Jodi Kantor , Jan Ransom and Maria Cramer contributed reporting.

Michael Osgood, the former head of the New York Police Department’s special victims division, who led a team of 25 detectives in the Weinstein investigation, said that the decision today was a result of missteps by the former Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance. “We built a rock-solid case,” he said of the 2015 case involving the model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez. “Harvey Weinstein was able to penetrate the district attorney’s office and cover that assault up.”

The actress Ashley Judd is speaking now at a news conference in Manhattan. This morning, she said, she heard the news from my colleague Jodi Kantor. Judd said she was stunned. “This is what it's like to be a woman in America,”she said, “living with male entitlement to our bodies.”

Tarana Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement, said this news conference was pulled together quickly in response to the ruling. Many people, she said, had thought that the original verdict represented a change in how the justice system operates. “This moment makes it feel like we were wrong.”

Nicole Hong

The appeals court agreed with Weinstein that the trial judge violated his right to testify in his own defense. The trial judge had ruled that if Weinstein took the stand, prosecutors would be allowed to question him about a long history of bad behavior, including allegations that he threw food at an employee and punched his brother at a business meeting. The appeals ruling said this “impermissibly” affected Weinstein’s decision not to testify at trial.

William Rashbaum

Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the former Manhattan district attorney who oversaw the investigation and prosecution of Weinstein, said in a lengthy statement that he was “shocked” by the decision, which he said “did not advance justice.”

Of Weinstein’s victims, he said, “I am deeply grateful to and humbled by the survivors who came forward in the brightest glare of a public courtroom to tell their stories at great personal cost and trauma,” adding, “The judicial system, in my opinion, has let them down today.”

Vance, noting that Weinstein’s conviction was previously upheld by a lower appeals court in “a thoughtful and unanimous opinion,” said the witness testimony at issue “was fair and necessary to explain to the jury how and why these women were repeatedly victimized.” He also said those witnesses were just a fraction of the women victimized by Weinstein over years of abuse.

The model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, who had accused Weinstein of groping her breast and putting his hand up her skirt, said in a statement: “If the D.A. had taken my case seriously in 2015, we wouldn’t be here. This is an ongoing failure of the justice system — and the courts — to take survivors seriously and to protect our interests.”

Justice Madeline Singas wrote a fiery dissent that accused the court of making it more difficult for victims to seek justice against their assailants. “Men who serially sexually exploit their power over women — especially the most vulnerable groups in society — will reap the benefit of today’s decision,” she wrote.

Justice Anthony Cannataro, who also dissented, wrote that the additional witnesses the prosecution presented were vital to show Weinstein’s pattern of manipulation and coercion. Their testimony helped upend the still pervasive notion that a sexual assault must involve “the stereotypical stranger in a dark alley who isolates his victim or waits for her to be alone before launching a violent assault.”

Weinstein has been held in semi-protective custody at Mohawk Correctional Facility east of Syracuse, where he has spent his days reading and studying the law, his spokesman said.

Weinstein, who has diabetes, eye problems and heart issues, has used a walker in prison and was housed in a medical unit, his spokesman said. “He’s been to the hospital for his eye issues,” said the spokesman, Juda Engelmayer. “He has been going through bouts of difficulty.”

Testimony by these witnesses was a key part of Weinstein’s appeal argument.

Central to the decision to overturn the conviction of Harvey Weinstein was something called “Molineux witnesses.” That term refers to witnesses in a trial who are allowed to testify about criminal acts that the defendant has not been charged with committing.

During the trial, prosecutors sought to persuade jurors that Mr. Weinstein had a long history of using his prominence as a Hollywood producer to lure young women to hotel rooms and sexually assault them.

They did this by calling other women to the stand who said Mr. Weinstein had assaulted them, including Dawn Dunning, Tarale Wulff and Lauren Young . Mr. Weinstein was not charged with assaulting those women, but Justice James Burke allowed them to appear for the prosecution as Molineux witnesses, also known as “prior bad act” witnesses.

The legal standard for prior bad acts in New York State dates back to the case of a chemist named Roland B. Molineux , who was convicted in 1900 of sending a bottle full of cyanide to the director of the Knickerbocker Athletic Club , with whom he had a personal feud. The cyanide killed a woman who was living with the club director and took the poison, believing it was a medicine.

During Mr. Molineux’s trial, prosecutors presented evidence that he had previously poisoned another rival in the same manner, with a mailed tin of poison masquerading as medicine. He was never charged with the earlier crime.

A year later, the Court of Appeals overturned his conviction in a landmark decision that said the state could not present evidence about a defendant’s other alleged crimes. Jurors, the court ruled, would believe a defendant “was guilty of the crime charged because he had committed other, similar crimes in the past.”

But exceptions to the ruling were laid out. For instance, a judge could admit such evidence to establish a motive for the crime being tried, to prove the crime wasn’t an innocent mistake or to establish a common scheme or plan.

Before letting the evidence in, the judge would have to weigh the extent to which the evidence helped to prove that the crime was part of a pattern, versus how prejudicial the effect on the jury would be, the court decided.

But those are both highly subjective judgments, according to legal experts. And that leaves defendants like Mr. Weinstein ample ground to challenge a guilty verdict in higher courts.

Jonah Bromwich

A spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney’s office said in a statement: “We will do everything in our power to retry this case, and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault.”

A spokesman for Weinstein said the lawyers will respond to the New York Court of Appeals decision at 1:30 p.m. on the steps of the criminal courthouse at 100 Centre Street.

Here’s a timeline of Weinstein’s New York case.

March 27, 2015 : Prosecutors in Manhattan decline to prosecute Harvey Weinstein after a Filipino Italian model, Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, tells the police that Mr. Weinstein groped her breast and slid his hand up her skirt during a business meeting at his office in Manhattan. The Manhattan district attorney at the time, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., reaches the decision despite a secret recording obtained by Ms. Battilana Gutierrez in which Mr. Weinstein can be heard apologizing and offering what seems like an admission.

Oct. 5, 2017 : Investigations by The New York Times and The New Yorker reveal accusations that Mr. Weinstein mistreated women and that his company covered it up.

March 19, 2018 : Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York orders a review of the decision not to charge Mr. Weinstein in 2015, calling Mr. Vance’s decision-making into question.

April 25, 2018 : Mr. Vance assigns a new prosecutor to lead the investigation.

May 25, 2018 : Mr. Weinstein surrenders to the police after being indicted on charges of rape and criminal sexual act. The rape charge stems from an alleged assault on an aspiring actress, Jessica Mann, at a Manhattan hotel in 2013. The criminal sexual act charge involves Lucia Evans, a marketing executive who told investigators that Mr. Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him during a meeting in his office in 2004.

July 2, 2018 : Prosecutors add charges against Mr. Weinstein related to accusations that he forced oral sex on Miriam Haley, a former production assistant on the television show “Project Runway,” in his Manhattan apartment in July 2006.

Oct. 11, 2018 : A judge dismisses the forcible oral sex charge against Mr. Weinstein involving Ms. Evans after prosecutors acknowledge that the lead detective in the case withheld pertinent information that a witness had cast doubt on Ms. Evans’s account.

Aug. 26, 2019 : Prosecutors obtain a new indictment against Mr. Weinstein, allowing them to call as a witness Annabella Sciorra, an actress who said that Mr. Weinstein raped her at her Manhattan apartment in 1993 or 1994.

Jan. 6, 2020 : Mr. Weinstein is indicted in Los Angeles, where he is accused of raping one woman and groping and masturbating in front of a second within two days in February 2013. The California charges are filed the same day that the legal parties in Mr. Weinstein’s New York trial first gather in Manhattan to discuss jury selection and other legal matters.

Feb. 18, 2020 : After a monthlong trial in which they hear testimony from Ms. Sciorra, Ms. Haley and Ms. Mann, among other people, jurors in New York began deliberations.

Feb. 24, 2020 : The jury, consisting of five men and seven women, finds Mr. Weinstein guilty of rape and criminal sexual act but acquits him on three other counts, including the two most serious charges against him: being a sexual predator.

March 11, 2020 : Mr. Weinstein is sentenced to 23 years in prison. His first stop in New York’s penal system is the notorious Rikers Island jail complex where he becomes inmate No. 3102000153.

April 10, 2020 : Prosecutors in California add a charge against Mr. Weinstein, alleging that he committed an assault at a Beverly Hills hotel in May 2010.

April 5, 2021 : Mr. Weinstein appeals his New York conviction, saying several women who had accused him of sexual assault should not have been allowed to testify.

June 2, 2022 : A New York appeals court upholds Mr. Weinstein’s 2020 conviction on felony sex crimes in a unanimous decision.

Dec. 19, 2022 : After a trial that began in October 2022, jurors in Los Angeles return a mixed verdict, finding Mr. Weinstein guilty of raping and sexually assaulting an actress in 2013, but not guilty of one other charge. They are unable to reach a decision on three additional counts.

Feb. 23, 2023 : Mr. Weinstein is sentenced to 16 years in prison in the Los Angeles case, with that prison term to begin after he serves his time in New York.

April 25, 2024 : New York’s highest court overturns the 2020 conviction, ruling that Mr. Weinstein was not tried solely on the crimes he was charged with, but instead for much of his past behavior.

Jodi Kantor

Jodi Kantor has been reporting on Harvey Weinstein since 2017, when she and Megan Twohey revealed decades of abuse allegations against him.

News analysis

Harvey Weinstein’s conviction was fragile from the start.

The overturning of Harvey Weinstein’s New York sex crimes conviction on Thursday morning may feel like a shocking reversal, but the criminal case against him has been fragile since the day it was filed. Prosecutors moved it forward with risky, boundary-pushing bets. New York’s top judges, many of them female, have held rounds of pained debates over whether his conviction was clean.

“I’m not shocked,” said Deborah Tuerkheimer, a former Manhattan prosecutor who is now a law professor at Northwestern, in an interview. The issue of whether Mr. Weinstein’s trial was fair “is a really close question that could have gone either way.”

Outside the justice system, evidence of Mr. Weinstein’s sexual misconduct is overwhelming. After The New York Times revealed allegations of abuse by the producer in 2017, nearly 100 women came forward with accounts of pressure and manipulation by Mr. Weinstein. Their stories sparked the global #MeToo reckoning.

But while Mr. Weinstein’s alleged victims could fill an entire courtroom, few of them could stand at the center of a New York criminal trial. Many of the horror stories were about sexual harassment, which is a civil violation, not a criminal one. Some were from out of state, especially California. Others fell beyond the statute of limitations. One of the original accusers was dropped from the trial because of allegations of police misconduct.

Manhattan prosecutors, under pressure for not pursuing charges earlier, made a series of gambles.

First, they proceeded with a trial based on only two victims, who accused him of sexually assaulting them but also admitted to having consensual sex with him at other times — a combination that many experts say is too messy to win convictions . To prove their case against Mr. Weinstein, who denies all allegations of non-consensual sex, the prosecutors had little concrete evidence.

So to persuade the jury, the lawyers turned to a controversial strategy that would ultimately lead to the conviction’s undoing. They put additional women with accounts of abuse by Mr. Weinstein — so-called Molineux witnesses — on the stand to establish a pattern of predation. The decision seemed apt for the moment: In a legal echo of the #MeToo movement, Mr. Weinstein was forced to face a chorus of testimony from multiple women.

The women’s testimony was searing, and when Mr. Weinstein was convicted in 2020, and then sentenced to 23 years in prison, it looked like the prosecutors had expanded the possibilities for holding sex offenders accountable.

“I did it for all of us,” Dawn Dunning , who served as a supporting witness in the trial, said in an interview afterward. “I did it for the women who couldn’t testify. I couldn’t not do it.”

But because New York law is open to interpretation on when those witnesses are allowed, the move risked violating a cardinal rule of criminal trials: Defendants must be judged on the acts they are being charged with.

That became the main basis for Mr. Weinstein’s repeated appeals of his conviction. For years, his lawyers have argued that his trial was fundamentally unfair, because it included witnesses who fell outside the scope of the charges. In addition to the alleged sexual assault victims, prosecutors brought in character witnesses who portrayed Mr. Weinstein as a capricious, cruel figure.

In 2022, a New York appeals court dismissed those concerns and upheld his conviction, after a vigorous debate by the judges. They wrote that the testimony from the additional witnesses had been instrumental in showing that the producer did not see his victims as “romantic partners or friends,” but that “his goal at all times was to position the women in such a way that he could have sex with them, and that whether the women consented or not was irrelevant to him.”

This February, when New York’s highest court heard the producer’s last-chance appeal, the proceedings did not garner much attention . But they felt quietly dramatic: Seven of the state’s highest judges, four of them women, were debating whether the man whose alleged offenses formed the cornerstone of the #MeToo movement had been treated fairly in court.

Today the court decided, with a majority that included three of those female judges, to throw out the conviction and order a new trial. Mr. Weinstein remains convicted in California and could be moved to prison there.

“We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes,” the judges wrote in their decision on Thursday.

“No person accused of illegality may be judged on proof of uncharged crimes that serve only to establish the accused’s propensity for criminal behavior,” the opinion continued.

But the decision landed by the slimmest of majorities: 4 to 3, with stinging dissents from judges who said they feared the implications of the court’s ruling. “The majority’s determination perpetuates outdated notions of sexual violence and allows predators to escape accountability,” Judge Madeline Singas wrote, adding that witness rules had evolved to be more flexible. “By ignoring the legal and practical realities of proving a lack of consent, the majority has crafted a naive narrative.”

Reached by phone a few minutes after the court shared its decision, Ashley Judd, the first actress to come forward with allegations against Mr. Weinstein, was unwavering in her own judgment. “That is unfair to survivors,” she said of the ruling.

The heated back-and-forth from the New York judges, and the early reaction to the decision, launched fresh debate about whether the ground rules for sexual misconduct convictions need to be updated.

“The #MeToo movement showed how important it is to have accounts from multiple accusers,” Ms. Tuerkheimer said. But witness rules — which are strict for a reason — can leave courtrooms an “alternate universe in which evidence relevant to sex crimes is often kept from the jury.”

“There’s a tension at the heart of it,” she said, “and prosecution in the #MeToo era will continue to deal with this dilemma.”