| Number of Ideas | One complete idea. | Two complete ideas. | One main idea + one extra (dependent) idea. |
| Number of Verbs | Usually one main verb. | Two main verbs (one for each idea). | Two verbs (one for the main idea, one for the extra idea). |
| Conjunctions | Can use conjunctions (like "and" for lists), but not required. | Must use a conjunction (like FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). | Uses special conjunctions (like because, if, when, although) for the extra idea. |
| Examples with Conjunctions | "I like cats and dogs." (One verb: "like," joining a list.) | "I like cats, and she likes dogs." (Two verbs: "like" and "likes.") | "I like cats because she likes dogs." (Main: "like," Extra: "likes.") |
| Subject | One subject doing the action. | Two subjects (can be same or different). | One main subject, plus an extra subject in the dependent part. |
| Can Stand Alone? | Yes, it’s complete by itself. | Each part could stand alone as a separate sentence. | Main idea can stand alone; extra idea cannot. |
| Comma Use | No comma needed before conjunction (if used). | Comma usually comes before the conjunction. | Comma depends: often after the extra idea if it comes first (e.g., "Because I’m tired, I sleep."). |
| Example | "I run and jump." (One idea, verbs "run" and "jump" as a list.) | "I run, but she jumps." (Two ideas, verbs "run" and "jumps.") | "I run because she jumps." (Main: "I run," Extra: "because she jumps.") |