What best describes a compound sentence?

A compound sentence is characterized by having two or more independent clauses joined together by coordinating conjunctions such as "and," "but," or "or." Each independent clause within a compound sentence can stand alone as a complete sentence, meaning they can express a complete thought independently. This structure allows for the linking of related thoughts, providing more complexity and depth to the communication.

The other options do not accurately describe a compound sentence. A single independent clause refers to a simple sentence rather than a compound one. The idea of multiple clauses that depend on each other suggests a complex sentence structure, where dependent clauses rely on independent clauses for meaning. Lastly, a sentence that only contains phrases would not qualify as a compound sentence since phrases do not contain a subject-verb pair required for independent clauses.