Sentence Types

- Simple
- Compound
- Complex

 Simple Sentences

- Simple sentences contain no conjunction (i.e., and, but, or, etc.),

- Examples
1. Frank ate his dinner quickly.
2. Peter and Sue visited the museum last Saturday,
3. Are you coming to the party?

 Compound Sentences

- Compound sentences contain two statements that are connected by a conjunction

(i.e., and, but, or, etc.).

- Examples
1. I wanted to come, but it was late.
2. The company had an excellent year, so they gave everyone a bonus.
3. I went shopping, and my wife went to her classes.

 Complex Sentences

- Complex sentences contain a dependent clause and at least one independent clause.
The two clauses are connected by a subordinator (i.e, which, who, although, despite,
if, since, etc.).

- Examples
1. My daughter, who was late for class, arrived shortly after the bell rang.
2. That's the man who bought our house.
3. Although it was difficult, the class passed the test with excellent marks.

64
 Simple , Compound &Complex sentences
State whether the following sentences are simple, complex or compound.

1. We met rather few people who spoke English.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
2. I have been on rather too many planes and trains recently.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
3. We drove right up to Helsinki in two days.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
4. I don’t care how expensive it is.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
5. Two minutes ago the child was fast asleep, but now he is wide awake.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence

71
6. He is not tall enough to be a soldier.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
7. I guess she just doesn’t respect you.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
8. I have got four sisters and each of them is quite different from the others.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
9. You can either come with me now or walk home.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
10. He will never leave home because he hasn’t got the courage to.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
11. When all else fails, read the user manual.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence

72
12. It was Sam who paid for the drinks.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence

 Identify whether the sentences are simple, complex or compound

 Please underline dependent clauses where it applies.
1. Vampires Dairies is my favorite television show, but I also love True Blood.

2. The student wiped the white board that was filthy with last week’s notes.

3. The trendy fashion designer released her new line on Wednesday.

4. Trina and Hareem went to a bar in Hollywood to celebrate their anniversary.

5. Wicked Regina cast a spell on the entire city, so the citizens decided to rebel.

6. While waiting for the paint to dry, Angela went to Home Depot, and Martin organized

the kitchen appliances.

7. After listening to the Kanye West CD, I have new respect for his music.

8. After the teacher chose groups, John and Sara were selected as partners for a

project, yet Sarah did most of the work.

73
 Complex Sentences
• A complex sentence contains a main clause and one or more
dependent clauses.

• If the dependent clause comes before the independent clause, add a

comma after the dependent clause. If the main clause comes first, no
comma is needed between the two.

• Complex sentences can show a more specific relationship between

the parts of the sentence than a compound sentence.

Complex Sentence Examples

• Independent clause first:
We won the game because we worked together as a team.

• Dependent clause first:

Although I broke my arm, I still cheered for my team from the sidelines.

 Clauses
A clause “a group of words containing a subject and predicate and
functioning as a member of a complex or compound sentence.

Examples :

o I graduated last year. (One clause sentence)

o When I came here, I saw him. (Two clause sentence)
o When I came here, I saw him, and he greeted me. (Three clause sentence)

74
Types of Clause
Clauses are mainly of two types:

 Independent Clause
 Dependent Clause

1- Independent Clause
An independent clause functions on its own to make a meaningful sentence and looks
much like a regular sentence.
In a sentence two independent clauses can be connected by the coordinators: and,
but, so, or, nor, for*, yet*.
Example:
o He is a wise man.
o I like him.

2- Dependent Clause
A dependent clause cannot function on its own because it leaves an idea or thought
unfinished. It is also called subordinate clause. Dependent clauses help the independent
clauses complete the sentence. A dependent clause alone cannot form a complete
sentence.
The subordinators do the work of connecting the dependent clause to another clause
to complete the sentence. In each of the dependent clause, the first word is a
subordinator. Subordinators include relative pronouns, subordinating conjunctions,
and noun clause markers.

Example:

o When I was dating Daina, I had an accident.

o I know the man who stole the watch.
o He bought a car which was too expensive.
o I know that he cannot do it.
o He does not know where he was born.
o If you don’t eat, I won’t go.
o He is a very talented player though he is out of form.

75
Determine whether the underlined word groups are dependent clauses,
independent clauses, or not a clause.

1. Although it was raining, Maria went for a jog at Civitan Park.

2. Brianna eats chocolate whenever she gets a poor grade in math.

3. After the flood, the family moved into a temporary shelter.

4. While walking at the park, John saw a raccoon eating potato chips.

5. Students enrolled in bachelor's and associate's degree programs must pass the
Regents' Test as a graduation requirement.

6. Students who fail to show up for the Regents' test must enroll in the Regents'
remediation courses.

7. When you finish your homework, please take the dog for a walk.

8. After Juan completed the assignment, he swam laps at the gym.

9. Christa left home at 4:00 a.m. since she had to drive to Atlanta for a meeting.

10. Before completing the assignment, Evan decided to eat a quick lunch.

76
 Determine whether the underlined word groups are dependent clauses,
independent clauses, or not a clause.

1. Juan continued playing although he injured his knee.

2. I thought that the offer was too good to be true.

3. While I was scrubbing the floors, Juliet was watching television.

4. Although tired and grumpy, Laura agreed to babysit for her sister-in-law.

5. Inspired and energized, Sean solved the case of the missing energy drink.

6. While driving home from spring break, Maria saw a tornado touch down.

7. People who drink and drive should be arrested.

8. Ever since my daughter purchased a ferret, I have noticed that authors

describe their bad guys as ferret-like.

9. Such descriptions are not fair to ferrets.

10. Since I could not go to the Pancake Breakfast, I gave away my tickets.

77
 Simple , Compound &Complex sentences
State whether the following sentences are simple, complex or compound.

1. We met rather few people who spoke English.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
2. I have been on rather too many planes and trains recently.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
3. We drove right up to Helsinki in two days.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
4. I don’t care how expensive it is.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
5. Two minutes ago the child was fast asleep, but now he is wide awake.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence

71
6. He is not tall enough to be a soldier.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
7. I guess she just doesn’t respect you.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
8. I have got four sisters and each of them is quite different from the others.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
9. You can either come with me now or walk home.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
10. He will never leave home because he hasn’t got the courage to.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence
11. When all else fails, read the user manual.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence

72
12. It was Sam who paid for the drinks.

Simple sentence

Complex sentence

Compound sentence

 Identify whether the sentences are simple, complex or compound

 Please underline dependent clauses where it applies.
1. Vampires Dairies is my favorite television show, but I also love True Blood.

2. The student wiped the white board that was filthy with last week’s notes.

3. The trendy fashion designer released her new line on Wednesday.

4. Trina and Hareem went to a bar in Hollywood to celebrate their anniversary.

5. Wicked Regina cast a spell on the entire city, so the citizens decided to rebel.

6. While waiting for the paint to dry, Angela went to Home Depot, and Martin organized

the kitchen appliances.

7. After listening to the Kanye West CD, I have new respect for his music.

8. After the teacher chose groups, John and Sara were selected as partners for a

project, yet Sarah did most of the work.

73
 Complex Sentences
• A complex sentence contains a main clause and one or more
dependent clauses.

• If the dependent clause comes before the independent clause, add a

comma after the dependent clause. If the main clause comes first, no
comma is needed between the two.

• Complex sentences can show a more specific relationship between

the parts of the sentence than a compound sentence.

Complex Sentence Examples

• Independent clause first:
We won the game because we worked together as a team.

• Dependent clause first:

Although I broke my arm, I still cheered for my team from the sidelines.

 Clauses
A clause “a group of words containing a subject and predicate and
functioning as a member of a complex or compound sentence.

Examples :

o I graduated last year. (One clause sentence)

o When I came here, I saw him. (Two clause sentence)
o When I came here, I saw him, and he greeted me. (Three clause sentence)

74
Types of Clause
Clauses are mainly of two types:

 Independent Clause
 Dependent Clause

1- Independent Clause
An independent clause functions on its own to make a meaningful sentence and looks
much like a regular sentence.
In a sentence two independent clauses can be connected by the coordinators: and,
but, so, or, nor, for*, yet*.
Example:
o He is a wise man.
o I like him.

2- Dependent Clause
A dependent clause cannot function on its own because it leaves an idea or thought
unfinished. It is also called subordinate clause. Dependent clauses help the independent
clauses complete the sentence. A dependent clause alone cannot form a complete
sentence.
The subordinators do the work of connecting the dependent clause to another clause
to complete the sentence. In each of the dependent clause, the first word is a
subordinator. Subordinators include relative pronouns, subordinating conjunctions,
and noun clause markers.

Example:

o When I was dating Daina, I had an accident.

o I know the man who stole the watch.
o He bought a car which was too expensive.
o I know that he cannot do it.
o He does not know where he was born.
o If you don’t eat, I won’t go.
o He is a very talented player though he is out of form.

75
Determine whether the underlined word groups are dependent clauses,
independent clauses, or not a clause.

1. Although it was raining, Maria went for a jog at Civitan Park.

2. Brianna eats chocolate whenever she gets a poor grade in math.

3. After the flood, the family moved into a temporary shelter.

4. While walking at the park, John saw a raccoon eating potato chips.

5. Students enrolled in bachelor's and associate's degree programs must pass the
Regents' Test as a graduation requirement.

6. Students who fail to show up for the Regents' test must enroll in the Regents'
remediation courses.

7. When you finish your homework, please take the dog for a walk.

8. After Juan completed the assignment, he swam laps at the gym.

9. Christa left home at 4:00 a.m. since she had to drive to Atlanta for a meeting.

10. Before completing the assignment, Evan decided to eat a quick lunch.

76
 Determine whether the underlined word groups are dependent clauses,
independent clauses, or not a clause.

1. Juan continued playing although he injured his knee.

2. I thought that the offer was too good to be true.

3. While I was scrubbing the floors, Juliet was watching television.

4. Although tired and grumpy, Laura agreed to babysit for her sister-in-law.

5. Inspired and energized, Sean solved the case of the missing energy drink.

6. While driving home from spring break, Maria saw a tornado touch down.

7. People who drink and drive should be arrested.

8. Ever since my daughter purchased a ferret, I have noticed that authors

describe their bad guys as ferret-like.

9. Such descriptions are not fair to ferrets.

10. Since I could not go to the Pancake Breakfast, I gave away my tickets.

77