Chapter 3. Coordination and subordination
Sentences can be classified according to their internal complexity. A sentence is simple when it consists of a single independent clause while it is complex when it consists of a main and a subordinate clause or two (or more) coordinate clauses. The main difference between subordination and coordination is that coordinated clauses have the same status while the main clause and the subordinated one do not.
For example, two clauses that form a coordinated sentence (a) might be used as independent sentences. Furthermore, changing the order of the clauses does not have an influence on the meaning. In contrast, subordination is a syntactic mechanism by which a clause becomes dependent on another one (b). See the examples below.
a. marc juice drink lisa bread eat
‘Marc drinks juice and Lisa eats bread.’
(based on Happ & Vorköper, 2006:538)
b. ix1 notice ix(dem)a man book steal
‘I noticed that this man stealing a book.
(based on Baker et al., 2016: 150)