的复合句一般分为三大类型：名词性从句、形容词性从句和副词性从句。
名词性从句
在整个复合句中起名词作用，充当主语、宾语、表语和同位语等的各种从句，统称为名词性从句。名词性从句主要有以下几种：
1. that引导的从句e.g. It is reported that one third of Guangzhou citizens plan to buy a private car.
2. whether/if引导的从句e.g. Whether motorcycles should be banned in Guangzhou has become an issue of controversy.
3. how/why/when/where引导的从句e.g. This essay aims to explore why so many white collar workers suffer from insomnia.
4. who/whom/whose/what/which引导的从句e.g. Who should be responsible for the environmental degradation is still unknown.
形容词性从句
具有形容词功能，在复合句中做定语的从句被称之为形容词性从句或定语从句。被修饰的名词、词组或代词被称为先行词。形容词性从句分为两种类型：
由关系代词who, whom, whose, that, which, as引导的从句。例如: People who are strongly against human cloning claim that it is immoral and unethical.
由关系副词when, where, why引导的从句。例如: I would like to analyze the reasons why a growing number of teenagers are addicted to gambling.
副词性从句
副词性从句也称为状语从句，主要用来修饰主句或者主句的谓语。大致分为九大类，分别表示时间、地点、原因、目的、结果、条件、让步、比较和方式。
时间状语从句e.g. When everyone is fully aware of the severity of fresh water scarcity and takes effective measures, I am convinced that we will tackle this problem constructively.
地点状语从句e.g. Where there is smoke, there is fire.原因状语从句e.g. Pets should be forbidden because they may spread diseases and damage the cityscape.
目的状语从句e.g. Old people should be encouraged to live in a nursing house so that they can enjoy professional care and first-rate facilities.
结果状语从句e.g. Some government officials fail to recognize the potential hazards of improper waste disposal, so that the environment in some cities is deteriorating.
条件状语从句e.g. If we continue to overlook the increasing waste in Guangzhou, it is likely that Guangzhou will become a huge landfill site sooner or later.
让步状语从句e.g. While I admit that smoking has some side-effects, I still feel that it is ridiculous to ban smoking in public places.
比较状语从句e.g. Red is two times as much as Blue.
方式状语从句e.g. Just as we protect less able human beings, so we should safeguard the welfare of other weaker species.