Learning Goal
Students will be able to write,
use and properly punctuate the
four basic sentence structures.
Learning the four sentence structures
will help us to become better writers
by showing us how to use varying
sentence lengths.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b84H3Hnr5N8&t=5s
Four Basic Sentence Structures
•Simple (s)
•Compound (c)
•Complex (cx)
•Compound-Complex (ccx)
Let’s watch a little video that introduces 3 of these.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98OcAe5O0Ws
Basic Elements of Every Sentence
SUBJECT PREDICATE
Basic Elements
SUBJECT PREDICATE
Mary plays tennis.
Simple Sentence
Simple Sentence
• A simple sentence has one subject and one
predicate.
Simple Sentence
Observe how a simple sentence is constructed:
We went to San Juan yesterday.
Simple Sentence
Pronoun Verb Prepositional phrase
We went to San Juan .
Simple subject Complete predicate
SIMPLE SENTENCE
SUBJECT PREDICATE
Mary plays tennis.
one subject one predicate
Simple Sentence
Tom and Mary play tennis.
Compound Subject
&
Simple Sentence
play tennis and swim.
Tom and Mary
Compound Subject Compound Predicate
& &
SIMPLE SENTENCE
with compound subject
Tom and Mary play tennis.
SIMPLE SENTENCE
with compound subject
and
compound predicate
Tom and Mary play tennis and
swim.
Compound Sentence
Compound Sentence
• A compound sentence has more than one
part that can stand alone (independent
clauses).
• Independent clauses are connected by
coordinating conjunctions, conjunctive
adverbs or a semi-colon.
Compound Sentence
Use of Coordinating Conjunctions
SUBJECT PREDICATE
SUBJECT PREDICATE
COMPOUND SENTENCE:
COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
FOR
AND
NOR
BUT
OR
YET
SO
Compound Sentence
We went to San Juan, and
most of us danced all night.
Compound Sentence
Subject Verb Prepositional phrase
We went to San Juan,
Coordinating Predicate
Conjunction
and most of us danced all night .
Subject Verb Modifying phrase
COMPOUND SENTENCE:
COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
Tom swims, and Mary plays tennis.
Clause 1 Clause 2
Independent Independent
COMPOUND SENTENCE:
COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
Tom swims, and Mary plays tennis.
Comma before “and”
in compound
sentences!
COMPOUND SENTENCE:
CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS
MOREOVER
HOWEVER
OTHERWISE
THEREFORE
COMPOUND SENTENCE:
CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS
Bob is handsome; moreover, he is rich.
Clause 1 Clause 2
Independent Independent
COMPOUND SENTENCE:
CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS
Bob is handsome; moreover, he is rich.
Note: Semicolon
before conjunctive
adverb and comma
after conjunctive adverb!
COMPOUND SENTENCE
Semicolons
• “If the relation between the ideas expressed
in the main clauses is very close and
obvious without a conjunction, you can
separate the clauses with a semicolon”
(Little, Brown Handbook, 9th Edition, p.
361).
COMPOUND SENTENCE:
SEMICOLON
Tom has benefited from his exercise
program; he is slim and energetic.
Here’s a little flocabulary about
simple and compound sentences
https://www.flocabulary.com/unit/simple-compound-sente
nces
/
Complex Sentence
Complex Sentence
• A complex sentence has at least two
parts: one that can stand alone and
another one that cannot
• The part that cannot stand alone is linked
to the rest of the sentence by a
subordinating conjunction
COMPLEX SENTENCE:
SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
The most common subordinating
conjunctions are "after," "although,"
"as," "because," "before," "how,"
"if," "once," "since," "than,"
"that," though," "till," "until,"
"when," "where," "whether,” and
while."
Complex Sentence
Since we wanted to have fun,
we went to San Juan yesterday.
Complex Sentence
Since we wanted to have fun,
Subordinating Part that cannot stand alone
Conjunction
Subject Predicate
we went to San Juan yesterday.
COMPLEX SENTENCE:
SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
Bob is popular even though he is ugly.
Clause 1 Clause 2
Independent Dependent
COMPLEX SENTENCE:
SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
Even though Bob is ugly, he is popular.
Clause 1 Clause 2
Dependent Independent
How about a little more
flocabulary? This time about
complex sentences
https://www.flocabulary.com/unit/complex-sentences/
Compound-Complex Sentence
Compound-Complex Sentence
• This type of sentence has more than one
part that can stand alone, and at least one
that cannot.
• Conjunctions link the different parts of this
sentence.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Since we wanted to have fun,
my boyfriend and I went to San Juan yesterday,
and we danced all night.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Subordinating
Conjunction
Since we wanted to have fun,
Part that cannot stand alone
my boyfriend and I went to San Juan,
Coordinating Subject Predicate
Conjunction
and we danced all night.
Can you answer these basic
questions about sentences and
the four basic structures?
What are the two basic elements
of any sentence?
The subject and predicate
Sentences are made up of what
types of clauses?
Independent and Subordinate
Which sentence structure
contains 2 or more independent
clauses?
Compound
Which clause must every
sentence structure contain?
Independent
Which structure contains one
independent and one dependent
clause?
Complex
Which structure contains at least
2 independent clauses and one
subordinate clause?
Compound-complex
What type of conjunction do I
use in a compound sentence?
Coordinating Conjunction
Or FANBOY
What type of conjunction will be
found in a complex sentence?
Subordinate Conjunction
What type of conjunction is used
in a compound-complex
sentence?
It should have both!
Name the sentence structure
After the rain stopped, Lisa went
for a long run.
Complex
Name the sentence structure
Lisa wants to go to the concert,
but she doesn’t have enough
money for a ticket.
Compound
Name the sentence structure
Lisa and Tom love to swim in the
ocean.
Simple
Name the sentence structure
Whenever we go on vacation,
our neighbors mow our lawn,
and they collect our mail.
Compound - Complex
