The Complex Sentence Challenge

There are several ways to make complex sentences and in Y6 we like to use these types of sentences to make our work more mature. Here are two ways to make these sentences:

Complex sentences with subordinate clauses (extra information!)

Here is an easy way to make a mature sentence:

The cat was watching the mouse. (Simple sentence)

The cat, who was very curious, was watching the mouse. (Complex sentence)

Note how you can remove the ‘, who was very curious,’ and you have a sentence that makes sense – that is why I call these sentences ones with extra information – they are simple sentences with extra information added! Did you notice how the extra information was added? It has a comma either side of it!

Here is another complex sentence with extra information:

The man, with the bushy beard, ate a delicious, ripe banana for his tea.

The extra information, including the commas, is highlighted in yellow. Oh and look at that, by accident I wrote a complex sentence with extra information (, including the commas,), because I could have just written the simple sentence ‘The extra information in highlighted in yellow’.

Can you highlight the extra information, including the commas, (there I go again!) in these sentences?

  1. Mr. Smith, the headteacher, was waiting for the telephone to ring.
  2. The man, who looked very grim, strolled down the long road.
  3. The wet coats, which were dripping all over the floor, took ages to dry.
  4. The small child, that hated ice cream, took a huge bite out of the apple.

Look and see how the extra information can start in different ways – the / who / which / that. Can you think of any other ways to start the extra information?

Complex sentences starting with a verb.

Another way to create complex sentences is to start it with a verb. This often means the word will end in ‘ing’. For example:

Skipping along the sand, the child was looking up into the sky.

Now look carefully at the sentence. It starts with a verb and then just before the person / animal or thing that is ‘doing’ the verb there is a comma. Here is another example:

Watching through the binoculars, Mr. Singh saw a stunning black-capped kingfisher.

Look how the verb is highlighted and so is the comma. Who is doing the watching? Yes, Mr. Singh. So the sentence starts with what the person is doing and then there is a comma just before the person who is doing it.

Now there is a trap that lots of Y6 pupils fall into. That is explained well in this sentence:

Sleeping well, the puppies were sleeping.

If you go back to the child skipping along the sand, after the comma there was a different verb – looking. Also Mr. Singh saw a kingfisher after the sentences started with him watching.

So this means that these complex sentences have two verbs that are different – you do not repeat the verb that started the sentence.

Gosh – that took a lot of thinking about! Let’s have a look at a few more sentences. Look out for:

  • A verb at the beginning of the sentence
  • A comma just before the person / animal / object that is doing the verb
  • A different verb later in the sentence!

Can you highlight these in the following sentences?

  1. Creeping across the grass, the snake hissed at the toad.
  2. Eating quietly, the princess started to feel full.
  3. Pulling on his blue jeans, Elvis was ready to sing to the waiting audience.
  4. Sprinting down the track, the steam train was about to arrive in Bangkok.

Your task is to:

  • Write two or three paragraphs about your most embarrassing moment or an imaginary adventure using at least three complex sentences with extra information and three complex sentences which start with a verb.
  • Highlight or underline neatly the complex sentences.