In the English language, a compound sentence is made up of at least two independent clauses. It does not require a dependent clause. Clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction, a semicolon that functions as a conjunction, a colon instead of a semicolon between two sentences when the second sentence explains or illustrates the first sentence and no coordinating conjunction is used to connect sentences, or a conjunctive adverb preceded by a semicolon. A conjunction can be used to make a compound sentence. Conjunctions are words like for , and , nor , but , or , yet , and so on .