Glossary · Sentence fluency
What is a complex sentence?
A complex sentence joins a main idea with a subordinate clause, letting you show how ideas relate — cause, time, condition.
A complex sentence contains one main clause (which could stand alone) and at least one subordinate clause (which couldn't), joined by words like because, although, when, if or which. “Although it was raining, the match went ahead” shows a relationship — contrast — that two short sentences would lose.
Complex sentences let you pack in meaning and show sophisticated thinking, but only when they stay clear. A tangled, overlong sentence costs more than it gains.
How markers see it
Accurate complex sentences are evidence for “grammatical range and accuracy” — range that stays accurate scores; range that breaks down doesn't.
See complex sentence on your own writing.
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