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Understanding Sentence Structures

This document defines and provides examples of four types of sentences: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. A simple sentence contains one independent clause with a subject and verb. A compound sentence joins two independent clauses with a conjunction. A complex sentence combines an independent clause with one or more dependent clauses. Finally, a compound-complex sentence contains at least two independent clauses and one dependent clause. Examples are given for each sentence type to illustrate their distinguishing characteristics.

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158 views2 pages

Understanding Sentence Structures

This document defines and provides examples of four types of sentences: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. A simple sentence contains one independent clause with a subject and verb. A compound sentence joins two independent clauses with a conjunction. A complex sentence combines an independent clause with one or more dependent clauses. Finally, a compound-complex sentence contains at least two independent clauses and one dependent clause. Examples are given for each sentence type to illustrate their distinguishing characteristics.

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Sentence Types:

Simple, Compound, Complex, and Compound-Complex


Simple Sentences
- A simple sentence contains a subject and a verb.
- It expresses a single complete thought that can stand on its own.
Examples:
1. The baby cried for food.
^There is a subject and a verb that expresses a complete thought.
2. Professor Maple’s intelligent students completed and turned in their homework.
^ A simple sentence does not necessarily have to be short. It can have adjectives. In this case,
there are two verbs “completed” and “turned in.” However, the sentence expresses one
complete thought and therefore is a simple sentence.
3. Megan and Ron ate too much and felt sick.
^Although there are two subjects and two verbs, it is still a simple sentence because both
verbs share the same subjects and express one complete thought.

Compound Sentences
- A compound sentence has two independent clauses. An independent clause is a part of a
sentence that can stand alone because it contains a subject and a verb and expresses a
complete thought.
- Basically, a compound contains two simple sentences.
- These independent clauses are joined by a conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
Examples:
1. The shoplifter had stolen clothes, so he ran once he saw the police.
^Both sides of the conjunction “so” are complete sentences. “The shoplifter had stolen clothes”
can stand alone and so can “he ran once he saw the police.” Therefore, this is a compound
sentence.
2. They spoke to him in Spanish, but he responded in English.
^This is also a compound sentence that uses a conjunction to separate two individual clauses.

Complex Sentences
- A complex sentence is an independent clause joined by one or more dependent clauses. A
dependent clause either lacks a subject or a verb or has both a subject and a verb that does
not express a complete thought.
- A complex sentence always has a subordinator (as, because, since, after, although, when) or
relative pronouns (who, that, which).
Examples:
1. After eating lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, Tim went to the gym to exercise.
^ The independent clause is ‘Tim went to the gym to exercise.” The subordinating clause before
it is dependent on the main, independent clause. If one were to say “after eating lunch at The
Cheesecake Factory,” it would be an incomplete thought.
2. The woman who taught Art History 210 was fired for stealing school supplies.
^ The dependent clause in this sentence is “who taught Art History 210” because if removed, the
rest of the sentence would stand as an independent clause. “Who taught Art History 210” is an
adjective clause that provides necessary details about the subject, woman.

Compound-Complex Sentences
- A compound-complex sentence has two independent clauses and at least one dependent
clause.
Examples:
1. After the two soccer players lost their game, they joined their other teammates for
lunch, and they went to the movies.
^ If we remove the dependent clause “after the two soccer players lost their game,” we have a
compound sentence. The dependent clause makes this sentence compound-complex.
2. The man believed in the system, and he knew that justice would prevail after the
murderer was sent to jail.

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