Tactical Purpose
This type of sentence is used to convey multiple related pieces of information about an occurrence in a more efficient way. Often times the sentence is used to give context about time frame/reaction or connect similar ideas/thoughts. These intentions are expressed in the example given. When demonstrating a direct cause and effect situation, it would be awkward to separate the cause and effect into different sentences, hence the use of a compound-complex structure. This type of sentence is often used when talking about a hypothetical.
Steps for Analysis
This type of sentence must use at least 2 independent clauses and 1 dependent clause. An independent clause is a part of a sentence that has both a subject and a verb. A dependent clause is a part of a sentence that includes a subject and verb, but could not be a sentence on it’s own, for example, a prepositional phrase. As previously mentioned, look out for this type of sentence when an author is discussing cause-effect relationships or hypothetical scenarios.
Examples of Compound-Complex Sentence
“If I sought to answer all of the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would be engaged in little else in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work.”
King, Martin Luther. "Letter from Birmingham Jail." csuchico.edu,
www.csuchico.edu/iege/_assets/documents/susi-letter-from-birmingham-jail.pdf.
Accessed 6 Sept. 2022.
Analysis
The "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is a letter written by Martin Luther King after his arrest. In the letter, which precedes his "I Have A Dream" speech by only a few months, King criticizes the ignorance of white churches towards black issues, among other matters surrounding societal/civil rights issues. The entire passage is full of very eloquently, efficiently written insults and "burns". The primary moral message of the letter is that people have a responsibility to break unjust laws and incite political change directly through non-violent protest. This idea of non-violent protest is one that MLK supported throughout his work. In the letter, Martin Luther King talks about his response to adversity he has faced in general. The theme of the letter is clearly centered on this adversity. He uses a compound-complex on line 2, when he talks about his response to criticism. This sentence includes 2 independent clauses, the first being: "my secretaries would be engaged in little else in the course of the day". The second independent clauses he uses is "I would have no time for constructive work." "If I sought to answer to answer all of the criticisms that cross my desk" is a clear example of a dependent clause. This sentence has a subject and a verb: "I", and "sought", but on it's own, it could not be a full sentence. It's easy to see that not only is MLK talking hypothetically here, but he also seeks to demonstrate a cause and effect.