Which sentence is a compound sentence?

• A. The rain stopped, and the game began.
• B. The rain stopped.
• C. Because it rained, the game was canceled.
• D. The players practiced after the rain.

Answer: (A)

A compound sentence is made by linking two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction (often with a comma before the conjunction). Here, two complete thoughts stand out: “The rain stopped” and “the game began.” Each could be a sentence on its own, and the comma plus the conjunction and connects them to form one sentence.

The other options don’t have two independent clauses linked together. “The rain stopped” is just one simple thought. “Because it rained, the game was canceled” starts with a dependent clause introduced by Because, so it’s a complex sentence, not a compound one. “The players practiced after the rain” has only one main idea, with a time phrase added, not a second independent clause.