Complex Sentences and Subordinating Conjunctions

Like compound sentences, complex sentences contain two ideas or actions. In complex sentences, one idea is more important than the other. Therefore, you must make one idea the main idea of the sentence and join it to a related but subordinate idea. In order to do this, you need to use different joining or subordinating conjunctions. Below is a list of some of these subordinating conjunctions arranged according to different categories.

• WHEN we know more about the situation, we will let you know. 
• AFTER independence in 1962 and throughout the 1960s, Uganda showed great potential as one of the strongest economies in Sub-Saharan Africa. 
• BEFORE countries can be granted market economy status, they will be required to reform their labor standards.
• IF growth is sustained and inequality remains at more or less the same level, it should be possible for Mozambique to reach the Millennium Development Goal for poverty reduction by the year 2015.
• The situation will improve AS LONG AS the government continues to implement the reforms at the same pace.
• When HIV-related conditions occur, workers become increasingly unable to work UNLESS they have access to treatment.
• BECAUSE I have a keen eye for detail, I tend to find many mistakes when I proofread.
• The policy group implemented the reforms immediately SO THAT they could take effect before the year’s end.
• ALTHOUGH the projects are small in scope, they have a great impact on the local populations.
• At the outset of a reform program, some of the reform initiatives will be well-defined WHEREAS others are not foreseen.
• These cross-border movements have occurred DESPITE a tightening of immigration controls. 

These examples show how to create sentences that are more complex. But it is important to remember that you can create good sentences by working out how the various ideas relate to each other, by determining your main idea, and by choosing an appropriate way of putting the ideas together to reflect their relationship. Remember that your sentences need to flow well together, and they need to connect ideas to help the reader understand your writing.

Click below to see a list of connecting words and phrases.