KINDS OF SENTENCES
Sentences: Simple, Compound, and Complex
I. 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
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
II. 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 and co relative 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.
Correlative conjunctions, like "both...and" or "either...or", are used in
compound sentences to connect two or more parts of a sentence that are
equal in grammatical structure and importance. They function as
coordinating conjunctions, joining two independent clauses or elements of
equal rank.
III. . 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:
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
