Lesson video

Hi everybody, and welcome to today's lesson.

In this lesson we are going to be practising complex sentences, and there's going to be two types of complex sentences today, relative clause complex sentences and adverbial clause complex sentences.

So, make sure you are in a quiet space away from distractions, and then when you're ready we can start.

Okay, so let's look at the agenda.

We're going to start with a little writing warmup, then we're going to move on to what complex sentences are generally, then we will break that down and look at adverbial complex sentences and relative clause complex sentences, and then we're going to end our lesson with a quick quiz.

So, in this lesson you will need either a book, a piece of paper, a pen or pencil, and obviously your thinking hats.

Okay, so for our writing warmup we are going to be writing compound sentences and simple sentences, so we need to recap what we already know about simple and compound sentences.

So, let's start with simple sentences.

So, a simple sentence has a main clause.

Do we remember what a clause means? Have a think.

So, a clause has a verb, so a verb is a doing or a being word, okay? What about a compound sentence? A compound sentence has two main clauses joining them with a coordinating conjunction, okay? And these are the coordinating conjunctions if you've forgotten, and, but, and or.

And remember, but and or need a comma before them.

Okay, so let's have a go at writing a compound sentence about Lady Macbeth plotting an evil plan.

Okay, there's a picture of Lady Macbeth from our "Animated Tales" clip.

We're going to use and, but, or or because we're writing a compound sentence, which means we've got to join two main clauses together.

So, here's one that I wrote earlier.

The devious Lady Macbeth stared at the letter and started to hatch a plan.

So, I've got my two main clauses, and the reason why I know I've got my two main clauses is because I've got two verbs.

It's the devious Lady Macbeth stared at the letter, it's got the verb stared.

And I'm joining it with the second sentence which has hatch, started to hatch a plan.

So, she started to hatch a plan, join them together, and that makes my compound sentence.

I want you to pause the video now and have a go at writing your own compound sentence with either and, but, or or.

Off you go.

Brilliant.

Okay, so let's have another look at another type of compound sentence.

So, this is another one that I've written using but, the evil comma devious lady wanted to kill King Duncan comma but wasn't sure how to convince Macbeth to do it.

So, here I've got my two main clauses, the evil, devious lady wanted to kill King Duncan, that's my first main clause.

She wasn't sure how to convince Macbeth to do it is my second main clause, and I've joined it with a but.

Two opposing ideas.

Okay, so we're going to look at complex sentences now.

Okay, so, complex sentences are different because they have a main clause and a subordinate clause.

So, you can see here I've highlighted main clause in pink and subordinate clause in green so that it makes it clearer for you to see.

A subordinate clause needs the main part or the main clause of the sentence to make sense.

They don't make sense on their own.

For example, let's have a look at this sentence.

Lady Macbeth was feeling excited comma, despite having to have Duncan killed.

So, the part that's the main clause is in pink, Lady Macbeth was feeling excited.

That makes sense on its own.

If you took out that part of the sentence and put it on its own with a full stop at the end it would make sense, Lady Macbeth was feeling excited.

However, if you took out despite having to have Duncan killed on its own it doesn't make sense, so it needs to have the main clause to make it make sense.

Let's check for punctuation.

So, this is where we've got to be really careful because we need a capital letter of course to start off our sentence as always.

We also need, this is the difference, is we always need for a complex sentence if we're separating the main clause and the subordinate clause a comma.

So, that's why we've got our comma there, and obviously we also need a full stop at the end.

Okay, so adverbial subordinate clauses, very tricky phrase to say.

An adverbial subordinate clause usually begins with a subordinate conjunction, and these are the types of conjunctions they could begin with, although, because, even though, despite, when, as.

So, a subordinate conjunction can go either at the start, in the middle, or at the end of a sentence.

Here are some examples of where it has gone in at the start, in the middle, and at the end.

So, I've highlighted the subordinate conjunction in black for you to see.

Despite having to have Duncan killed comma, Lady Macbeth was feeling excited.

And this is an example of the subordinate conjunction in the middle.

Lady Macbeth comma, despite having to have Duncan killed comma, was feeling excited.

So, if it's in the middle you need to have a comma on either end of the subordinate clause, okay? And then at the end, Lady Macbeth was feeling excited comma, despite having to have Duncan killed.

So, if you have a good look now the only one that requires two commas is when you have the subordinate conjunction in the middle of the sentence.

When the subordinate clause is in the middle it's sandwiched by two commas, but if the subordinate conjunction is at the beginning or at the end then you only need one comma.

Okay, so now it's your go.

You're going to pause the video to complete your task.

I would like you to write an adverbial clause complex sentence about the witches.

You can look at the picture to help you.

And you can either start with the adverbial clause at the beginning, middle, or the end.

If you look at my example, my scaffold, my support to help you, I've started with an, with the conjunction at the beginning.

So, as is my subordinate conjunction, and I've started with as.

So, as the evil, mm, witches, and that's when you'd put another adjective.

As the evil, hideous witches raised their arms comma, and then you've got to put in your main clause.

Okay, so your subordinate clause is at the beginning, and we're starting with our subordinate conjunction as.

Then you, I would like you to fill in the rest with a main clause, or if you want a challenge you can write your own adverbial clause complex sentence with, starting with any of the subordinate conjunctions we've mentioned before you could use, despite, although, when.

And as an extra challenge you can either put it at the beginning, you can use it in the middle, or at the end.

Pause the video and have a go.

Okay, so here is my example.

As the evil, hideous witches raised their arms in the air comma, a flash of lightning lit up the ragged sky.

Now I'd like you to give yourself a tick for each of the following.

I've given myself a tick for hideous because I've included an adjective.

I've started with as with a capital letter.

I've used two adjectives.

What else could I tick off? Raised, why would I tick that one off? Hmm, have a think.

I've used my comma to separate my subordinate clause in green and my main clause in pink.

If you used a verb well done, if you've got that right.

And what have I got at the end, a full stop.

So, I'd like you to pause the video and give yourself a tick for your capital letter at the beginning, your subordinate conjunction, wherever you've put it, your adjectives, your verbs, your commas or comma to separate your subordinate clause and your main clause, and your full stop at the end.

Relative clauses, okay, so what is a relative clause? A relative clause can be used to give additional information about a noun within a sentence.

They are also a type of subordinate clause.

So, let's look at this example.

In this example, this sentence below, our noun is Lady Macbeth, and I've highlighted that in blue so that you can see it clearly.

So, we are using the relative clause here to give additional information about Lady Macbeth.

So, Lady Macbeth comma, who is devious and ambitious comma, wanted to have Duncan killed.

So, relative clauses are normally in the middle of a sentence with the main clause sandwiched on either end.

So, for this example we have Lady Macbeth wanted to have Duncan killed as our main clause, and in the middle of that sentence we have our subordinate clause, or our relative clause to be more specific, which is who is devious and ambitious, okay? And we always remember to have our commas on either end of the relative clause in the middle of a sentence.

So, some of the relative pronouns that we would use in relative clauses are that, which, who, where, and when, and how would you know which relative pronoun to use? So, if you were talking about a person you could use who or that.

If you're talking about a place you could use that or where.

If you're talking about a specific time it would be when, and if you were talking about an object or animals you would use which.

So, again, let's be really, really sure that we understand our punctuation when we are writing relative clause complex sentences.

We always have our comma on either end of the relative clause, at the start and at the end of the relative clause.

And then of course we have to have to have to have our capital letter at the start of the sentence and our full stop.

Okay, now it's your turn to have a go at writing a relative clause complex sentence about the witches this time.

So, I wrote about Lady Macbeth, you're going to write about the witches.

And I would like you to pause the video.

I've given you a little bit of help with a scaffold, and I've started it with the witches comma, who were, and that's when you've got to think of your relative clause.

And then to finish off you've got to think of a, the rest of the main clause.

And if you wanted to do a super challenge you could add in some extra adjectives, verbs, and adverbs too.

So, pause the video and have a go.

Okay, so this is my example.

So, I've got the witches comma, who were huddled around the cauldron comma, cackled malignantly.

So, if I look at my main clause would it make sense on its own, the pink part? The witches cackled malignantly, yes.

So, thumbs up that it makes sense on its own, so that is the main clause and it has a verb.

So, the verb is cackled.

Okay, so let's check for punctuation now.

You are going to give yourself a tick while I tick mine.

Have you got your capital letter? Tick it off.

I've ticked off huddled because it is a, mm, have a think.

What, why have I ticked that off? I've got my comma.

That's right, it's a verb.

Where are the other verbs? Cackled, yes.

I've got my adverb, malignantly.

Is there anything else that I've missed? What else do I need to tick off? Tell the screen, point to the screen.

Yes, that's right.

I've missed my full stop, I need to tick that off.

And I've missed my other comma, so I need to give myself two extra ticks for my sentence.

Okay, true or false quiz.

True or false, complex sentences have two different types of clauses, true or false? Shout it out.

True, yes.

They need to contain a main clause, which makes sense on its own, and a subordinate clause, which doesn't make sense on its own, and needs the main clause for it to make sense.

Okay, true or false, complex sentences need to have more than 20 words in them.

Hmm, shout it out, true or false? I can't hear you, true or false? That's right, it's false.

There is no minimum or maximum number of words, they just have to have a main clause and a subordinate clause.

So, congratulations, you have come to the end of this lesson about complex sentences.

If you would like to share your sentences with your, with a parent or a carer please feel free to do that, and I look forward to teaching you your next lesson.