🔵 Mastering Long Sentences with Multiple Clauses | Advanced Level (TOPIK 5–6)
🔵 Deciphering Complexity: Mastering Long Korean Sentences (Advanced)
Struggling with sentences that seem to never end? Teacher Hoon explains how to break down Multiple Clauses (복문) in news, academic papers, and TOPIK 5–6 reading materials.
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The "Block Analysis" Method (EEAT Tip)
At the Advanced (TOPIK 5-6) level, a single sentence can contain 3 or 4 different thoughts linked by specialized endings. As a teacher with 20 years of experience, I always advise: Don't read from start to finish. Identify the Connectors first, treat each clause as a block, and find the main subject at the very end. Let's look at the anatomy of a complex sentence.
📑 Tap to view Analysis Steps
1. Anatomy of a Complex Sentence
복문 (Bok-mun) combines two or more independent or dependent clauses into one grammatical unit. By linking clauses, Koreans convey cause, contrast, and time simultaneously.
Example Breakdown:
"비가 많이 와서(1) 길이 막혔지만(2), 우리는 약속 시간에 도착했다(3)."
1. Cause (Because it rained)
2. Contrast (But the road was blocked)
3. Result (We arrived on time)
2. Connectors for Advanced Logic
Mastering these 5 endings allows you to predict the "direction" of a long sentence:
- 📉 -아서/어서: Reason or cause (Expect a result).
- ⚖️ -지만: Contrast (Expect a switch in tone).
- 🔄 -면서: Simultaneous action (Two things happening at once).
- 📑 -고: Enumeration (Adding more information).
- 🎯 -도록: Purpose or limit (So that / Until).
💡 Teacher Hoon's expert "Main Verb" Tip
In very long Korean sentences, the Final Verb at the very end of the entire sentence is the only one that tells you the tense (past, present, future) and the overall intent. If you get lost, jump to the last word of the sentence to understand the "Bottom Line" first, then work backward!
🗣 Practice Dialogue: Analyzing Reports
A: 보고서를 읽었는데 이해가 안 돼요. 문장이 너무 길어요!
(I read the report but don't understand. The sentences are too long!)
B: 접속어미(Connectors)를 찾으면서 문장을 끊어 읽어보세요. 훨씬 쉬워요.
(Try breaking the sentences while looking for connectors. It's much easier.)
💡 Did You Know? The 100-Word Sentence
In Korean legal or government documents, it's not rare to find a single sentence with over 100 words! This is because formal Korean prefers to keep all related conditions and clauses in one logical unit to prevent ambiguity. Learning to navigate these "Mega Sentences" is a sign of a true TOPIK 6 expert.
Want to Analyze Real News Articles Together?
Breaking down academic texts is much easier with a guide. Book a 1:1 "Advanced Reading & Logic" session with Hoon on italki. We'll pick a current news editorial and "dissect" the long sentences until you can read them as fast as a native speaker.
🚀 Master Complex Korean with Hoon
Advanced Resources from LearningKR:
Reading Editorials |
Legal Korean Guide
