Sentences: Simple, Compound, and Complex
1. Simple Sentences
A simple sentence has the most basic elements that make it a sentence: a subject, a verb, and a completed thought.
Examples of simple sentences include the following:
- Joe waited for the train.
"Joe" = subject, "waited" = verb - The train was late.
"The train" = subject, "was" = verb - Mary and Samantha took the bus.
"Mary and Samantha" = compound subject, "took" = verb - I looked for Mary and Samantha at the bus station.
"I" = subject, "looked" = verb - Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon and left on the bus before I arrived.
"Mary and Samantha" = compound subject, "arrived" and "left" = compound verb
Tip: If you use many simple sentences in an essay, you should consider revising some of the sentences into compound or complex sentences (explained below).
The use of compound subjects,compound verbs, prepositional phrases (such as "at the bus station"), and other elements help lengthen simple sentences, but simple sentences often are short. The use of too many simple sentences can make writing "choppy" and can prevent the writing from flowing smoothly.
A simple sentence can also be referred to as an independent clause. It is referred to as "independent" because, while it might be part of a compound or complex sentence, it can also stand by itself as a complete sentence.
2. Compound Sentences
A compound sentence refers to a sentence made up of two independent clauses (or complete sentences) connected to one another with a coordinating conjunction. Coordinating conjunctions are easy to remember if you think of the words "FAN BOYS":
· For And Nor But Or Yet So
Examples of compound sentences include the following:
- Joe waited for the train, but the train was late.
- I looked for Mary and Samantha at the bus station, but they arrived at the station before noon and left on the bus before I arrived.
- Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon, and they left on the bus before I arrived.
- Mary and Samantha left on the bus before I arrived, so I did not see them at the bus station.
3. Complex Sentences
A complex sentence is made up of an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses connected to it. A dependent clause is similar to an independent clause, or complete sentence, but it lacks one of the elements that would make it a complete sentence.
Examples of dependent clauses include the following:
· because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon
· while he waited at the train station
· after they left on the bus
Dependent clauses such as those above cannot stand alone as a sentence, but they can be added to an independent clause to form a complex sentence.
Dependent clauses begin with subordinating conjunctions. Below are some of the most common subordinating conjunctions:
· after as before if though until while
· although because even though since unless when
A complex sentence joins an independent clause with one or more dependent clauses.
The dependent clauses can go first in the sentence, followed by the independent clause, as in the following:
Tip: When the dependent clause comes first, a comma should be used to separate the two clauses.
- Because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon, I did not see them at the station.
- While he waited at the train station, Joe realized that the train was late.
- After they left on the bus, Mary and Samantha realized that Joe was waiting at the train station.
Conversely, the independent clauses can go first in the sentence, followed by the dependent clause, as in the following:
Tip: When the independent clause comes first, a comma should not be used to separate the two clauses.
- I did not see them at the station because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon.
- Joe realized that the train was late while he waited at the train station.
- Mary and Samantha realized that Joe was waiting at the train station after they left on the bus.
4. Compound-Complex Sentences
A compound-complex sentence contains two or more independent clauses and one or
more dependent clauses. It is a combination of a compound sentence and a complex
sentence.
Example: As the dog howled, one cat sat on the fence, and the other licked its paws.
(The dependent clause is underlined, and the 2 independent clauses are in italics)
Example: Because I am an English teacher, some people expect me to speak perfectly,
and other people expect me to write perfectly.
(The dependent clause is underlined, and the 2 independent clauses are in italics.)
Example: Some people tell me that my grading is too tough, and others tell me that my
assignments are boring.
(The independent clauses are in black. The dependent clauses are italicized. Note that
the dependent clauses occur within the independent clauses. It often happens.)
Sentence Form Practice ~ Simple, Compound, Complex, Compound-Complex
Label the independent clauses with IC, dependent clauses with DC, and highlight commas and clue words that help you identify the form of sentence.
1. Pauline and Bruno have a big argument every summer over where they should spend their summer vacation.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence
2. Pauline loves to go to the beach and spend her days sunbathing.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence
3. Bruno, on the other hand, likes the view that he gets from the log cabin up in the mountains, and he enjoys hiking in the forest.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence
4. Pauline says there is nothing relaxing about chopping wood, swatting mosquitoes, and cooking over a woodstove.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence
5. Bruno dislikes sitting on the beach; he always gets a nasty sunburn.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence
6. Bruno tends to get bored sitting on the beach, watching the waves, getting sand in his swimsuit, and reading detective novels for a week.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence
7. This year, after a lengthy, noisy debate, they decided to take separate vacations.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence
8. Bruno went to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and Pauline went to Cape Cod.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence
9. Although they are 250 miles apart, they keep in constant contact on the internet.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence
10. Bruno took the desktop computer that he uses at work, and Pauline sits on the beach with her laptop computer, which she connects to the internet with a cellular phone.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence