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:

1. Joe waited for the train.

"Joe" = subject, "waited" = verb

2. The train was late.

"The train" = subject, "was" = verb

3. Mary and Samantha took the bus.

"Mary and Samantha" = compound subject, "took" = verb

4. I looked for Mary and Samantha at the bus station.

"I" = subject, "looked" = verb

5. Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station early but waited until noon for the bus.
"Mary and Samantha" = compound subject, "arrived" and "waited" = compound verb

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:

1. Joe waited for the train, but the train was late.

2. 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.

3. Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon, and they left on the bus before I arrived.

4. 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
 although
 as
 because
 before
 even though
 if
 since
 though
 unless
 until
 when
 whenever
 whereas
 wherever
 while

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.

1. Because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon, I did not see them at the station.
2. While he waited at the train station, Joe realized that the train was late.
3. 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:
Read the following sentences and state whether they are simple, complex or compound.

A simple sentence consists of just one clause.

A complex sentence consists of one independent clause and one or more dependent (subordinate) clauses.
A compound sentence consists of two or more coordinate (independent) clauses.
Exercise
1. We were playing in the garden when the guests arrived.

2. She put on her coat and went out.

3. I can’t figure out what he wants.

4. You don’t look happy to see me.

5. The cat saw the puppies playing in the garden.

6. She leaned out of the window.

7. You shouldn’t have done this to me.

8. They tried very hard but they couldn’t win the match.

9. Who let the cat in?

10. Although it was raining, we went for a walk.

Answers

1. We were playing in the garden when the guests arrived. (Complex sentence)

2. She put on her coat and went out. (Compound sentence)

3. I can’t figure out what he wants. (Complex sentence)

4. You don’t look happy to see me. (Simple sentence)

5. The cat saw the puppies playing in the garden. (Simple sentence)

6. She leaned out of the window. (Simple sentence)

7. You shouldn’t have done this to me. (Simple sentence)

8. They tried very hard but they couldn’t win the match. (Compound sentence)

9. Who let the cat in? (Simple sentence)

10. Although it was raining, we went for a walk. (Complex sentence)

Transformation of Sentences
Transformation of a Sentence means changing its form without altering
its sense. Knowledge of „SentenceTransformation‟ helps us to expand
our usage skills by testing various ways of presenting a sentence without
changing its actual meaning.

There are several ways in which a sentence can be transformed.

Assertive – Exclamatory
Affirmative – Negative
Assertive – Interrogative
Interchange of Degrees of Comparison
Active – Passive

There are three moretypes of Transformation of sentences. Those are –

o Simple Sentences
o Complex Sentences and
Compound Sentences
Co-ordinating Conjunctions:
For
and
nor
but
or
yet
so

“Surbordinating Conjunctions”
After, Although Though As, As if ,Because
Before, If, Even if, In order that, Since,
So that, Unless, Until, When, Whenever,
Where, Whereas, Wherever, Whether,
While, That, What, Which ,Who, Whom,
Whose, Whatever, Whichever, Whoever, Whomever
o
o

What is Clause?
A group of words that forms part of a sentence, and has a subject and a predicate of its
own is called as clause.

The clause can be of two types. Those are –

1. Independent Clause:
A Clause that –

o contains both a subject and a predicate.

o can stand alone as a sentence or
o can be a part of a multi-clause sentence.
o uses conjunctions such as – or, for, nor, so, yet, and, but.

Example: We visited Agra, but we did not go to TajMahal.

2. Dependent Clause:
A Clause that –

o contains a subject and a predicate

o it cannot stand alone as a sentence
o it is always a part of a big sentence.
o It is introduced with a subordinator.

A dependent clause is of three types –

Adjective Clause,
Adverb Clause, and
Noun Clause.
1. Adjective Clause or Relative Clause:
An adjective clause or relative clause is a group of words that contain a subject and a
predicate of its own, and does the work like an adjective in a sentence.
Examples:
o This is a resort that we saw on the TV.
o The Lady who was our tour guide is an American.
o The person who was driving the car was my elder brother.

2. Adverb Clause or Adverbial Clause:

It is a group of words which has a subject and a predicate of its own and does the work of an
adverb in the sentence. It is introduced with subordinating conjunctions like – because,
although, when, if, until, as if etc.
Examples:
o When the sun set, he returned home.
o We are kind to you because you are kind to us.
o The sheep went wherever the shepherd went.

3. Noun Clause:
A Noun Clause is a group of words which contains a subject and predicate of its own and
does the work of a noun.It is introduced by the subordinators as - how, whatever, who,
what etc.
Such a clause functions as the complement of a verb, subject or object of a verb,
preposition.

Examples:
o What she saysis not acceptable.
o Pay careful attention to what I am going to say.
o They asked who was in the comity.

SIMPLE, COMPOUND AND COMPLEX SENTENCES

To understand the types of transformation of sentences we need to know the definition of
THE Simple Sentence, Complex Sentence, and Compound Sentence.

Simple Sentence:
A simple sentence is a sentence that consists of just one independent clause.
Examples: The value of exercise is great.
He confessed his fault.
I saw a wounded bird.

Compound Sentence:
A sentence which is a combination of two simple sentences of equal rank is called a
compound sentence.
Examples: Gagan went to market and bought some vegetables.
We informed him about it but he failed to understand.
You must not be late or you will be punished.

Complex Sentence:
A complex sentence is a sentence that contains an independent clause and one or more
dependent clauses.
Example: He confessed that he was guilty of his illegal act.
I found the book which I had lost.
The reply which you have made is foolish.
He saw a man who was caught by the policewhile robbing gold ornaments.
Transforming Simple Sentences into Complex Sentences:
Converting Simple Sentences into Complex Sentences can be done easily. And this can be
done by simply expanding a word or a phrase into a clause. Moreover, we can do the same
thing when we want to change the Complex Sentences into Simple Sentences. And this can
be done by eliminating a clause into a word or a phrase.

 He confessed his crime. (Simple sentence)

 He confessed that he was guilty. (Complex sentence)

Here we expanded the noun ‘his crime’ into the noun clause ‘that he was guilty’

 He bought his uncle’s factory. (Simple sentence)

 He bought the factory that belonged to his uncle.

Here we expanded the noun phrase ‘his uncle’s factory’ into the adjective clause ‘that
belonged to his uncle’.

RULES:
Few examples are given below to understand the concept and conventional
rules of transforming Simple Sentence to Complex Sentence:-

Rule: 1:
“Present participle” in a simple sentence, to convert into complex sentence by
adding “since/as/when” in the first half of the sentence.

o Simple Sentence: Closing the door, I went back to school.

o Complex Sentence: When I closed the door, I went back to school.
Rule: 2
“Being/ Verb+ing” in a simple sentence, to convert into a complex sentence by
adding “as/when/since” at the first half of the sentence.

o Simple Sentence: After winning a beauty contest she cried.

o Complex Sentence: As she won the beauty contest, she cried.

Rule: 3
“Too…to” in a simple sentence, to convert into a complex sentence by adding “so…that
(negative)”.
o Simple Sentence: He is too weak to carry the box.
o Complex Sentence: He is so weak that he cannot carry the box.
Rule: 4
“To” in the simple sentence, to convert into a complex sentence by adding “so that” in the
sentence.
o Simple sentence: We eat to live.
o Complex Sentence: We eat so that we can live.

Rule: 5
In the simple sentence “in spite of/ despite”, to convert into the complex sentence by
adding “though/ although” in the sentence.
o Simple Sentence: In spite of being rich, she is hard working.
o Complex Sentence: Though she is rich, she is hard working.
o

Rule: 6
“Because of” in the simple sentence, to convert it to the complex sentence by
adding “since” at the beginning of the sentence.
o Simple Sentence: Because of his illness, he could not join the meeting.
o Complex Sentence: Since he was ill, he could not join the meeting.

Rule: 7
“Subject + verb + object + present participle” type of simple sentence, to convert it to the
complex sentence by “subject + verb + object + relative pronoun of the object + be verb
according to relative pronoun and tense + rest of the sentence”.
o Simple Sentence: I saw a bird flying.
o Complex Sentence: I saw a bird which was flying.

Rule: 8
In the simple sentence starts with “without”, by adding “if/ in case” is converted into the
complex sentence.
o Simple Sentence: Without adding the sugar the dish will taste bad.
o Complex Sentence: If you do not add sugar the dish will taste bad.

Rule: 9
In the simple sentence “at the time” will be converted into “when” in the complex
sentence.
o Simple Sentence: She woke up at the time of load shedding.
o Complex Sentence: She woke up when it was load shedding.

Rule: 10:
In the simple sentence, “adjective” will be converted into “that/which” in the complex
sentence.
o Simple Sentence: It was a blue shirt.
o Complex Sentence: It was a shirt which was blue.
SIMPLE TO COMPOUND

Rule 1:
If the simple sentence is stating that a person is doing two things one after another, the
compound sentence will mention the first thing before the second thing and join them with a
conjunction-“and” and the tense will be same as of doing the second thing.
Example:
Simple: Coming home she had lunch.
Compound: She came home and had lunch.
Simple: Going to the office I will write the article.
Compound: I will go to the office and will write the article.

Rule 2:
If the simple sentence has “besides being,” the compound sentence will use “not only..….but
also.”
Simple: Besides being beautiful the girl is intelligent.
Compound: The girl is not only beautiful but also intelligent.
Simple: Besides being a brilliant student she is a good singer.
Compound: She is not only a brilliant student but also a good singer.

Rule 3:
If the simple sentence has “in spite of,” the compound sentence will use the conjunction “but”
joining the two different clauses.
Simple: In spite of his poverty the postman never shirks his duty.
Compound: The postman is poor, but he never shirks his duty.
Simple: In spite of his illness he sat for the exam.
Compound: He was ill, but he sat for the exam.

Rule 4:
 If the simple sentence tells that a person must do something to achieve a certain thing, the
compound sentence will follow this structure, ”person must do….or/otherwise the person will
not…..”
Simple: You must study hard to get good marks in the exam.
Compound: You must study hard or/otherwise, you will not get good marks in the exam.
Simple: He must run fast to win the race.
Compound: He must run fast or/otherwise, he will not win the race.

Rule 5:
If the simple sentence dictates that a person must do something to escape/avoid a certain thing,
the compound sentence will follow one of the following structures:
 ”person must do….or/otherwise the person will + verb’s simple form…..”
 ”person must do…...or/otherwise the person will be + verb’s past participle form.”
Simple: He must run fast to avoid losing in the race.
Compound: He must run fast or/otherwise, he will lose the race.
Simple: The culprit must run away to avoid his arrest.
Compound: The culprit must run away or/otherwise, he will be arrested.

Rule 6:
If the simple sentence states any cause of a person’s doing something, the compound sentence
will first state the cause, then join the result or outcome with a conjunction “and.”
Simple: Being guilty he ran away.
Compound: He was guilty, and he ran away.
Simple: Being so happy he started to dance.
Compound: He was very happy, and he started to dance.

Rule 7:
If the simple sentence has “for” having the result before it and cause after it, the compound
sentence will contain the conjunction “so”/”therefore” having the cause before it and the result
after it.
Simple: The boss praised him for his hard work.
Compound: He worked hard, so the boss praised him.
Compound: He worked hard, and therefore, the boss praised him.
In the above sentence, the result is “the praise of the boss, ” and the cause is “his(a person’s)
hard work.”
Simple: The singer is very popular among people for her sweet voice.
Compound: The singer’s voice is sweet, so she is very popular among people.
Compound: The singer’s voice is sweet therefore she is very popular among people.

Rule 8:
If the simple sentence has “to” having the result/outcome before it and the cause/reason after
it, the compound sentence will have the conjunction “and” all other things being the same.
Simple: She came here to meet me.
Compound: She came here and met me.
Simple: She studied hard to get good marks.
Compound: She studied hard and got good marks.

Rule 9:
If the simple sentence has “In the event of being,” the compound sentence will follow this
structure “person must not be+ adjective + or/otherwise + person will not be…….”
Simple: In the event of being late you will not be allowed to participate in the meeting.
Compound: You must not be late or/ otherwise you will not be allowed to participate in the
meeting.
Rules to Change Compound sentence to Simple sentence

Rule 1:
If the compound sentence has “not only..….but also”, the simple sentence will use “besides
being.”
Compound: The girl is not only beautiful but also intelligent.
Simple: Besides being beautiful the girl is intelligent.
Compound: He is not only a good writer but also an outstanding lecturer.
Simple: Besides being a good writer he is an outstanding lecturer.

Rule 2:
If the compound sentence has the conjunction “but” joining the two different clauses, the
simple sentence will use “in spite of” at the beginning.
Compound: The book was long but interesting.
Simple: In spite of being long the book was interesting.
Compound: He was ill, but he came for rehearsal.
Simple: In spite of his illness he came for rehearsal.

Rule 3:
If the compound sentence has this structure, ”the person must do….or/otherwise, the person
will not…..”, the simple sentence will follow this structure, “ person must do….to + the
result/outcome of doing the work.
Compound: You must study hard or/otherwise, you will not get good marks in the exam.
Simple: You must study hard to get good marks in the exam.
Compound: He must run fast or/otherwise, he will not win the race.
Simple: He must run fast to win the race.

Rule 4:
If the compound sentence first states a cause behind a work, then join the result or outcome
with a conjunction “and ”, the simple sentence will follow this structure, “ Being + adjective
(cause)+ main clause.
Compound: He was guilty, and he ran away.
Simple: Being guilty he ran away.
Compound: He was very happy, and he started to dance.
Simple: Being so happy he started to dance.

Rule 5:
If the compound sentence contains the conjunction “so”/”therefore” having the cause before it
and the result after it, the simple sentence will have “for” having the result before it and cause
after it.
Compound: He worked hard so the boss praised him.
Simple: The boss praised him for his hard work.
In the above sentence, the result is “the praising of boss”, and the cause is “his(a person’s) hard
work”.
Compound: The singer’s voice is sweet so she is very popular among people.
Compound: The singer’s voice is sweet therefore she is very popular among people.
Simple: The singer is very popular among people for her sweet voice.

Rule 6:
If the compound sentence has the conjunction “and” having the result/outcome before it and
the cause/reason after it, the simple sentence will use “to” all other things being the same.
Compound: She came here and met me.
Simple: She came here to meet me.
Simple: She studied hard to get good marks.
Compound: She studied hard and got good marks.

Rule 9:
If the compound sentence follows this structure, “person must not be+ adjective + or/otherwise
+ person will not be…….”, the simple sentence will use “In the event of being” in the beginning +
adjective+ main clause.
Compound: You must not be late or/ otherwise you will not be allowed to participate in the
meeting.
Simple: In the event of being late you will not be allowed to participate in the meeting.
Compound: You must not be lazy or/ otherwise you will not be allowed on the team.
Simple: In the event of being lazy you will not be allowed on the team.

Rules to change Compound sentence to Complex sentence

Rule 1:
If the compound sentence uses the conjunction “but”/ “yet” to connect the different clauses,
the complex sentence will use “though”/”Although” in the beginning and “but”/”yet” will be
removed.
Compound: He is poor but he is happy.
Complex: Though he is poor, he is happy.
Compound: She is ill yet she worked very hard.
Complex: Althoughshe is ill, she worked very hard.
Compound: The class was lengthy but it was enjoyable.
Complex: Though the class was lengthy, the class was enjoyable.

Rule 2:
If the compound sentence uses the conjunction “or”/”otherwise” to connect different clauses
and future tense is used in the second clause, the complex sentence uses “lest” in the middle
and “should” after the person.
Compound: Study hard, or you will fail.
Complex: Study hard lest you should fail.
Compound: Practice hard otherwise you will be out of the cricket team.
Complex: Practice hard lest you should be out of the cricket team.

Rule 3:
If the compound sentence uses the conjunction “and” to join the different clauses, the complex
sentence will use “As soon as” in the beginning removing the “and” from the middle.
Compound: The rain stopped, and we started the journey.
Complex: As soon as the rain stopped, we started the journey.
Compound: The crowd saw the hero and started shouting.
Complex: As soon as the crowd saw the hero, they started shouting.

Rule 4:
If the compound sentence uses “and”/ “so” /”hence” /”therefore” to connect the different
clauses, the complex sentence uses “since”/”as”/”when” in the beginning removing “and”/
”so”/ ”hence”/ ”therefore” from the middle.

Compound: The weather was bad and the match did not take place.
Complex: Since the weather was bad the match did not take place.
Compound: She was ill so she did not come.
Complex: As she was ill she did not come.

Rule 5:
If the compound sentence uses “and” to connect two different clauses about the same person,
the complex sentence will use relative pronoun “who” in place of “and” removing the pronoun
after it.
Compound: I saw a girl and she was singing.
Complex: I saw a girl who was singing.
Compound: I have a friend and she is a writer.
Complex: I have a friend who is a writer.

Rule 6:
If the compound sentence follows this structure, “Let+ object form of pronoun+ affirmative
form of subordinate clause+ or/otherwise+ main clause”, the complex sentence starts with “if”
having first or third person after it and it bears a negative meaning.
Compound: let me go there or/otherwise I will be unable to learn it.
Complex: If I do not go there I will be unable to learn it.
Compound: Let me study hard or/otherwise I will be unable to get good marks.
Complex: if I do not study hard I will be unable to get good marks.

Rule 7:
If the compound sentence uses an affirmative form of verb+ or/otherwise + main clause, the
complex sentence starts with “if” having the second person after it and expressing a negative
meaning.
Compound: Study hard, or you will fail.
Complex: If you do not study hard, you will fail.
Compound: Practice more, or you cannot become a good singer.
Complex: If you do not practice more, you cannot become a good singer.

Rule 8:
If the compound sentence uses an affirmative form of verb+ and + main clause, the complex
sentence starts with “if” having second person after it and it's in affirmative form.
।
Compound: Study hard, and you will get good marks.
Complex: If you study hard, you will get good marks.
Compound: Read more, and your writing capability will increase.
Complex: If you read more, your writing capability will increase.

Rule 9:
If the compound sentence has this form, “very….and so/hence/therefore+ main clause”, then
the complex sentence will use “so…that” form.
Compound: I am very tired, and so/hence/therefore I cannot work.
Complex: I am so tired that I cannot work.
Compound: The place is very crowded, and so/hence/therefore I cannot find a place to stand.
Complex: The place is so crowded that I cannot find a place to stand.

Rule 10:
If the compound sentence uses ”or” between two clauses stating an advice, the complex
sentence starts with “Unless” following second person(you).
Compound: Say prayers, or you cannot advise anyone to say prayers.
Complex: Unless you say prayers, you cannot advise anyone to say prayers.
Compound: Practice hard, or you cannot become a good singer.
Complex: Unless you practice hard, you cannot become a good singer.
EXERCISE-1
Identify the type of sentences given below:
1. Wherever you go I shall follow you.
2. She must weep or she will die.
3. While my parents are absent I cannot come.
4. It is doubtful whether he will succeed.
5. He ran to the station but missed the train.
6. The train stopped at once.
7. He is too lazy to succeed.
8. We can prove that the earth is round.
9. We eat to live.
10. Be kind and help me.
11. He wrote according to instructions.
12. I shall not go unless I am invited.

Answers:
1. Complex
2. Compound
3. Complex
4. Complex
5. Compound
6. Simple
7. Simple
8. Complex
9. Simple
10. Compound
11. Simple
12. Complex
 EXERCISE-2
A]Transform the following Simple sentences to Complex sentences.
1. He confessed his crime.
2. The P.M. expects everyone to do his duty.
3. He was too much excited to hear Hemant.

Answers:
1. He confessed that he was guilty.
2. The P.M. expects that everyone should do his duty.
3. He was so excited that he could not hear Hemant.

B] Transform the following Simple sentences to Compound sentences.

1. We must eat to live.
2. He is so poor to complain.
3. Having finished his exercises, he put away his books.

B] Answers
We must eat or we cannot live.
He is very poor but he does not complain.
He finished his exercises and put away his books.
C] Transform the following Compound sentences to Complex sentences.
1. Do goodand you will be happy.
2. I missed the train but managed to arrive on time.
3. He is young but he is very responsible.

C]Answers
If you do good, you will be happy.
Although I missed the train, I managed to come on time.
Though he is young, he is responsible.
D] Transform the following Complex sentences to Compound sentences.
1. The country has made huge progress but we still have a long way to go.
2. The battle has been won but the war isn’t over yet.
3. Leprosy is curable and everybody knows this.
4. He is a magician from Turkey and he has performed all over the world.

D]Answers
1. Although the country has made huge progress, we still have a long way to go.
2. Though the battle has been won, the war isn’t over yet.
3. Everybody knows that leprosy is curable .
4. He is a magician from Turkey who has performed all over the world.

ASSIGNMENT
Pick up any two examples of each type and transform
the same into the rest types.