Study Guide

Simple, Compound, & Complex Sentences

I. Simple

A Simple Sentence may contain a Compound Subject is a subject with two or more nouns
or pronouns joined by the word and or another conjunction. Compound subjects share the
same predicate. Ask yourself the following when forming compound subjects.

• are both the subjects different?

• are both the predicates the same?
• If they are, take the subject from the 2nd sentence and add the conjunctions and or or
and the subject from the 2nd sentence to the 1st sentence.
• do I have two or more nouns or pronouns?
• are my nouns or pronouns joined by and or another coordinating conjunctions?
• are my nouns or pronouns used in a series and if so did I use a comma?
• do my nouns or pronouns share one common verb?
Example:
Her shoes were covered with mud. Her ankles were covered with mud, too.
Compound Subject: Her [shoes] and [ankles] were covered with mud.
'Her shoes and ankles' is the compound subject.
The predicate in both the sentences is 'were covered with mud.'
A Simple Sentence may contain a Compound Predicate is a predicate with two or more verbs
joined by the word and or another conjunction. Compound predicates share the same subject.
Ask yourself the following when forming compound predicates.

• are the both subjects the same?

• are both the predicates different?
• If they are, delete the subject from the 2nd sentence and add the conjunctions and, or, or
but.
• do I have two or more verbs
• are my verbs joined by the word and or another coordinating conjunction?
• do my verbs share a common subject?
Example:
Jan jumped on her bike. Jan rode around the block.
Compound Predicate: Jan [jumped] on her bike and [rode] around the block.
The compound predicate is 'jumped on her bike and rode around the block.' The subject in
both the sentences is Jan.
A Simple Sentence may contain a Compound Subject and a Compound Predicate.
[Jan] and [Bill] [jumped] and [rode] around the block.
II. Compound

A Compound Sentence is a sentence with two or more simple sentences joined by the word
and or another conjunction.

• delete the period, add a comma, and add a coordinating conjunction.

• be sure that the 2nd sentence has a subject.
• do I have two or more simple sentences?
• are my simple sentences joined by the word and or another coordinating conjunction?
• have I used a comma to the left of my coordinating conjunction?
Example:
Jan jumped on her bike. Mary followed on her bike.
Compound Sentence: [Jan jumped on her bike,] and [Mary followed on her bike.]

III. Complex
The Complex Sentence contains at least one independent clause & one dependent clause.
The dependent clause can come first or last. Use a comma (,) after a dependent clause that
comes first.
Remember that a complex sentence is a simple sentence (independent clause) to which a part of
a sentence (dependent clause) has been added. (The dependent clause needs the rest of the
sentence for support.) A dependent clause contains a subject and verb. It begins with a
subordinating conjunction, and thus it does not express a completed thought. A dependent
clause is also called a subordinate clause. Dependent clauses are cliff hangers and cannot stand
alone. Ask yourself the following when forming complex sentences.

• have I used a subordinating conjunction?

• if my dependent clause is at the beginning of my sentence, did I use a comma?
Example:
Because I like to study grammar, I love this class.
I love this class because I like to study grammar

Subordinating
Conjunctions
Time Cause and Effect Contrast
 • after • because • although

• before as • since • while

• soon as • if • though

• as • even though • whereas

• when
• unless
until
•
while
•

IV. Compound and Complex

How to Write a Compound-Complex Sentence

Here are four simple steps for how to write effective compound-complex sentences.

 Choose your independent clauses: You're looking for at least two parts of your
sentence that could stand alone as complete sentences. Tip: they should have a verb
and a subject. Make sure that the two clauses are related in some way—otherwise they
should stay as two separate sentences.
 Choose your dependent clause: Dependent clauses don't express complete thoughts.
You couldn't get the full picture of what someone is saying from a dependent clause.
Instead, they back up your independent clauses by providing more information.
 Add your conjunctions: These are the glue that hold all of those clauses together. To
join your dependent clauses, use subordinating conjunctions like before, as, or
although. For joining independent clauses, you'll need a coordinating conjunction, like
for, yest, or so.
 Punctuate your sentence properly: If these sentences sound confusing, it's because
they are. You'll need perfect punctuation to keep all of the ideas in the right place and
to make the sentence easier to understand. The most common error is creating a run-
on sentence. This is when you connect your independent clauses with just a comma.
Instead, swap your comma for a semi-colon, or add a coordinating conjunction.

Troubleshooting
Comma splices are a common mistake to make when writing compound-complex sentences.
Use a grammar checker, such as ProWritingAid, to identify any instances of comma splices, so
you can fix them and strengthen your sentences.

Compound-Complex Sentence Structures

The easiest way to understand the structure of a compound-complex sentence is to first
understand the structures of compound and complex sentences.
When two or more independent clauses are put together, they create a compound sentence.
Independent clauses are complete sentences.

Let’s look at an example of a compound sentence:

 There are some ruins near my house, and I go there sometimes when I need to think.
The sentence above has two independent clauses, “there are some ruins near my house,” and “I
go there sometimes when I need to think.”

A coordinating conjunction typically joins the independent clauses in a compound sentence. In

the sentence above, the conjunction "and" joins the independent clauses. The other six
coordinating conjunctions that can be used are “for,” “or,” “nor,” “but,” “yet,” and “so.”

You can also join compound sentences with a semicolon instead of a coordinating conjunction
and a comma. For example, we can write the same sentence above like this:

 There are some ruins near my house; I go there sometimes when I need to think.
To be considered complex, a sentence needs to have an independent clause and one or more
dependent clauses. For example:

 Thereare some ruins near my house, which my cousins and I used to play in when we
were younger.
In the sentence above there’s an independent clause, “there are some ruins near my house” and a
dependent clause, “which my cousins and I used to play in when we were younger.”

In complex sentences, subordinate conjunctions introduce dependent clauses. In the sentence

above, we used “which.” Other subordinate conjunctions include “after,” “although,” “if,”
“until,” and “while.”

A compound-complex sentence is like a Frankenstein's monster made up of compound

sentence structure and complex sentence structure. it has bits of both sentence types. Here is an
example of a compound-complex sentence:

 Thereare some ruins near my house, which my cousins and I used to play in when we
were younger, and I go there sometimes when I need to think.
This sentence includes two independent clauses and one dependent clause.

Let’s break down the sentence to highlight all the relevant sections of the sentence:

 Independent clause 1: There are some ruins near my house

 Subordinating conjunction: which
 Dependent clause: my cousins and I used to play in when we were younger
 Coordinating conjunction: and
 Independent clause 2: I go there sometimes when I need to think.

Compound-Complex Sentence Examples

Compound-complex sentences are very useful in analytical and academic writing for
explaining complicated topics. Creative writers can also use them to add interest and engage
their readers.

Here are a few more examples of compound-complex sentences:

 He finished his report for work, but he still needs to fill out the accompanying
presentation even though he should have had it done last quarter.
 While waiting for the bus, Angela played games on her phone, and Lizzy read a book.
 After all this time, I still can't fathom why he had to make such a big deal of it, but I
guess he had his reasons.
 Cameron and Jennifer had only known each other for 3 weeks, but they decided to travel
the world together before starting work, and they never regretted the decision.
 As I put the kettle on, I looked in the jar for biscuits, but I couldn't see any in there.
 While Jessica likes rom-coms, Sarah likes thrillers, but Ellie only watches
documentaries.

Conclusion on the Compound-Complex Sentence

Remember, your compound-complex sentence needs to have:

 At least two independent clauses

 At least one dependent clause