What is a complex sentence?
If you’ve already learned what makes a simple sentence or a compound sentence, you’ve come to the right place. Think of complex sentences as the third level. It’s the most complicated one out of the three, but it’s not too difficult once you understand what’s required.
First, you need an independent clause and a dependent clause. The dependent clause needs to include a subordinating conjunction.
Do I need to use a comma for complex sentences?
Yes and no! It depends on the placement of your subordinating conjunction. If you start your complex sentence with a subordinating conjunction, you need a comma after the first dependent clause.
For example, “Because I had a fever, I skipped school” requires a comma after the word, “fever”.
If you begin your sentence with an independent clause, and you use a subordinating conjunction in the middle of your sentence, then you do not need to include a comma.
For example, “I skipped school because I had a fever” does not require any commas because the subordinating conjunction, “because” comes in the middle of the sentence.