SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Experienced writers use a variety of sentences to make their writing interesting and lively. Too
many simple sentences, for example, will make your writing sound choppy and immature while too
many long sentences will make your writing difficult to read and hard to understand. This handout
explains three different types of sentences: simple, compound, and complex.
Before we begin, there are a few terms that need to be defined:
Noun A person, place, thing, or Ex: dog, school, rubber
idea duck
Verb An action or state of being Ex: jumped, felt, are, were
Subject A noun or set of words Ex: The yellow puppy
that acts out the verb
Clause A structure that has a Ex: The yellow puppy
subject and a finite verb barked.
Independent Clause A structure that has a Ex: The yellow puppy
subject and verb. It barked at the black cat.
expresses a complete
idea that can stand alone.
Dependent Clause A structure that has a Ex: After the yellow puppy
subject and a verb but barked
does not express a
complete thought. It
cannot stand alone
Coordinating conjunctions A word that connects Ex: The yellow puppy
words, phrases, or barked, and the black cat
clauses jumped.
(for, or, and, yet, nor,
so, but)
FANBOYS
Subordinating A word that connects an Ex: After the yellow puppy
conjunctions independent clause to a barked, the black cat
dependent clause jumped.
(because, after, before,
since,
Although, than, that,
unless, until, if, when,
where, while, even
though, until, who,
which, how)
SIMPLE, COMPOUND, COMPLEX and COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCES
1. Simple Sentence - A sentence which has only one subject followed by a finite verb in the
predicate part is known as the simple sentence.
Example
a. The earth moves round the sun.
b. Harsha bought a pen
Functions of Simple Sentences
Use simple sentences when presenting a limited amount of information. We also use Simple
sentences to keep our text concise and formal.
To declare a direct statement Ex: First, I will give background information
about my project.
To display a simple list Ex: My evidence comes from journal articles,
periodicals, and books.
To give concise directions Ex: Turn to Table 1 in the appendix.
To ask a question Ex: What is the true meaning of the poem?
2. Compound Sentence- A sentence in which two independent clauses are joined by a
coordinating conjunction is known as a compound sentence
Example
a. Manisha is a teacher and her brother is a doctor
b. He worked hard, but failed the examination
3. Complex Sentence- A sentence which consists of a main clause (an independent clause) and
a subordinate(dependent) clause is known as a complex sentence.
Example
a. Doctors claim that cancer is curable.
b. Students stood up when the teacher entered the classroom.
4. Compound- Complex Sentences- As the name suggests, a compound-complex
sentence comprises a compound and a complex sentence.
A sentence is compound when it has two (or more) independent clauses. A sentence is complex
when it combines one independent clause with at least one dependent clause.
As a result, a sentence must have two (or more) independent clauses, and at least one dependent
clause to become a compound-complex sentence.
Example
a. 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.
b. While waiting for the bus, Angela played games on her phone, and Lizzy read a book.
Note: Sentences highlighted in bold in the example section indicate main/independent clause
Functions of Compound, Complex, and Compound-Complex Sentences
Compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences can serve similar purposes. The writer
can tailor the amount of information he or she provides by adding independent and dependent
clauses to simple sentences
To combine similar ideas • Compound: Recycling is an effective
way of helping the environment, and
everyone should recycle at home.
• Complex: Since recycling is an
effective way of helping the
environment, everyone should recycle
at home.
• Compound-Complex: Since recycling
is an effective way of helping the
environment, everyone should recycle
at home and we can all work together to
protect our planet.
To compare or contrast ideas • Compound: Van Gogh was a talented
and successful artist, but he had intense
personal issues.
• Complex: Although he was a talented
and successful artist, Van Gogh had
intense personal issues.
• Compound-Complex: Although he was
a talented and successful artist, Van
Gogh had intense personal issues;
indeed, many say his inner turmoil
contributed to his beautiful art.
To convey cause and effect or chain of • Compound: The researchers did not
events come to the correct conclusion, so they
restructured their hypothesis.
• Complex: Since the researchers did not
come to the correct conclusion, they
restructured their hypothesis.
• Compound-Complex: Since the
researchers did not come to the correct
conclusion, they restructured their
hypothesis, and they will attempt the
experiment again.
To elaborate on a claim or extend reasoning • Compound: Cell phones should not be
permitted in class, for they distract
students and teachers.
• Complex: Since cell phones distract
students and teachers, they should not
be used in class.
• Compound-Complex: Since cell
phones distract students and teachers,
they should not be used in class, and I
encourage faculty to forbid their use.
Activity 1
Directions: Identify the sentence type. Circle any coordinating or subordinating conjunctions.
Underline independent clauses once and dependent clauses twice. Then, explain what function
the sentence is performing.
1. Even though the patients showed various symptoms, the clinical study found that lack of
sleep contributes to the inability to focus, irritability, and poorer health.
Sentence type:
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Function:
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2. The business analysts proposed higher numbers for next quarter, and they expect to
exceed those numbers the following quarter.
Sentence type:
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Function:
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3. Homeless teens face intense obstacles, but when it comes to schooling, they do have the
chance to receive an education if they enroll in a special program.
Sentence type:
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Function:
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TASK FOR WRITING
Write a paragraph about how you celebrated your birthday. The sentences in the paragraph should follow
different sentence patterns.
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