Simple, Complex, and
Compound Sentences
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Dependent and Independent Clauses
To distinguish between independent clause - can stand on its own
simple, complex, or as a sentence
compound sentences, it dependent clause - cannot stand on its
own as a sentence
is important to know
Try saying the dependent clause
what independent and out loud on its own; does it
sound like a complete thought?
dependent clauses
are.
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Sentences can be simple, complex, or
compound.
A simple sentence has one independent clause.
A complex sentence has one independent clause and one or
more dependent clauses.
A compound sentence joins two independent clauses.
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Simple Sentence
A simple sentence has Examples:
one independent
1. The dog sat.
clause with one or more
subjects (nouns) and 2. The cat ate and sat.
one or more predicates 3. The dog and cat ate and
(verbs). It expresses a sat.
complete thought.
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Compound Sentence
Examples:
A compound sentence
1. I was too busy to play, so
joins two independent he went outside without
clauses (sentences that me. (“so” is the conjunction
that joins the two
could stand on their independent clauses)
own) and separates
2. The game ended; our
them with a comma and team lost. (the semicolon
a conjunction, or a joins the two independent
semicolon. clauses)
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Complex Sentence
Example:
A complex sentence has
1. When I walked
one independent downstairs, I had a big
clause which can stand surprise.
on its own as a sentence 2. After he took the
and one or more medicine, he immediately
felt
In the better.
examples above, can you
dependent clauses figure out which is the
independent clause and which
which cannot. is the dependent one?
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“I had a big surprise” is the independent clause because it could
stand on its own. “When I walked downstairs” is the dependent
clause because it is not a sentence on its own.
“He immediately felt better” is the independent clause because
it could stand on it’s own. “After he took the medicine” is the
dependent clause because it is not a sentence on its own.
How did you do?
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The End
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WRITING: •Fragments and Run-On Senten
ces
● Elementary Sentence Writing •Common Sentence Errors
● Middle School Writing Mechan •Types of Sentences
ics •Improving Sentence Structure
● Middle School Writing Enhanc
ement
● High School Writing Mechanic
s
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