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Sentence Structure Is How The Basic Grammatical Elements (A Subject, Predicate, and

This document defines sentence structure and describes the four main types: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. Simple sentences contain one independent clause. Compound sentences join two independent clauses with a conjunction. Complex sentences have one independent clause and one dependent clause. Compound-complex sentences contain at least two independent clauses and one dependent clause, combining elements of compound and complex structures. Examples are provided for each sentence type.

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59 views2 pages

Sentence Structure Is How The Basic Grammatical Elements (A Subject, Predicate, and

This document defines sentence structure and describes the four main types: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. Simple sentences contain one independent clause. Compound sentences join two independent clauses with a conjunction. Complex sentences have one independent clause and one dependent clause. Compound-complex sentences contain at least two independent clauses and one dependent clause, combining elements of compound and complex structures. Examples are provided for each sentence type.

Uploaded by

Peter Jun Park
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Sentence Structure

Definition
Sentence structure is how the basic grammatical elements (a subject, predicate, and
sometimes direct or indirect objects) of a sentence are put together. The rules for how a sentence
is constructed are simple but firm. These include the necessity for a subject, predicate, and object
(in that order) in every sentence. Beyond that, we can add additional elements like prepositions
and dependent clauses. Advanced sentences can weave these elements together to create more
and more complex structures. There are four types of sentence structure.

4 Types of Sentence Structure


Now that we’ve tackled “what is sentence structure,” let’s look more in depth at its different
types.

Simple Sentences
The most basic type of English sentence is the simple structure. This is when a sentence is
composed of just one independent clause – a clause which contains a subject (the noun
performing the action of the sentence) and predicate (the action being taken) and expresses a
complete thought. Like all sentences, it can also contain a direct object (the noun receiving the
action of a sentence) or indirect object (the object for whom the action is being done).
A few simple sentence examples:
• I didn’t go to the game.
• She was correct.
• The writer was out of ideas.
• The movie was over two hours long.

Compound Sentences
The compound sentence combines two or more independent clauses with a coordinating
conjunction (or, and, but, yet, for, nor, so) or a semicolon.
Here are some examples:
• She was sick, so she didn’t go to school.
• Greg kept his distance; he knew he was a dangerous man.
• I was exhausted, but I worked all night.
• Mom was still at work, and Dad was out to dinner.

Notice how all of these sentences could be broken into two: “She was sick. She didn’t go to
school.” “Mom was still at work. Dad was out to dinner.” That’s because these sentences contain
2 independent clauses, which can be turned into simple sentences.

Complex Sentences
Complex sentences consist of an independent clause and a dependent clause. A dependent clause
is an incomplete thought (e.g., “Although I was sick, ...” “Because he was gone, ...”) and thus
needs to be attached to an independent clause. It’s also known as a subordinate clause.
Some complex structure examples:
• If he was so funny, the whole crowd would have been laughing.
• I went to dinner because I was hungry.
• She turned her down because she was in love with someone else.

Compound-Complex Sentences
True to their name, compound-complex sentences combine the ideas behind both compound
and complex sentences: they contain at least two independent clauses and a dependent clause.
Because they can be pretty hard to parse, I’ve color coded the independent clauses,
the coordinating conjunction/semicolon, and the dependent clauses. Let’s take a look:
• Because he was injured, the team played with a short bench and their rivals beat
them soundly.
• I wondered what became of him; if he liked Chicago so much, it made no sense for
him to up and leave.
• The teacher gave Jimmy a time-out because of his bad behavior and we all laughed
at him, reveling in the chaos he had wrought.

Sentences contain a lot of moving parts, and these structures tackle just a small portion of
sentence grammar.

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