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Simple, Compound, Complex, & Compound-

Complex Sentences

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Sim

ple

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complex

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Introduction

Why is it important to know whether a sentence is simple, compound, or complex??I believe a writer must know how to define simple, compound, and

complex sentences before using them consciously. To me, that's so obvious it hardly needs stating.

Once a writer knows how to write a simple sentence, it is possible to apply strict mechanical "rules" for writing both compound and complex sentences. And with just these three sentence types, it is possible to write good essays, with good sentence variety, perfectly acceptable for academic work.

The explanations are followed by "sentence identification" quizzes.

Sentences: Simple, Compound, and Complex

Experienced writers use a variety of sentences to make their writing interesting and lively. Too many simple sentences, for example, will sound choppy and immature while too many long sentences will be difficult to read and hard to understand.

This PowerPoint presentation contains definitions of simple, compound, and complex sentences with many simple examples. The purpose of these examples is to help the ESL/EFL learner to identify sentence basics including identification of sentences in the short quizzes that follow. After that, it will be possible to analyze more complex sentences varieties.

Beginning Sentences with "And" or "Because"

Should you begin a sentence with "and" or "but" (or one of the other coordinating conjunctions)?

The short answer is "no." You should avoid beginning a sentence with "and," "or," "but," or the other coordinating conjunctions. These words generally are used to join together parts of a sentence, not to begin a new sentence.

However, such sentences can be used effectively. Because sentences beginning with these words stand out, they are sometimes used for emphasis. If you use sentences beginning with one of the coordinating conjunctions, you should use these sentences sparingly and carefully.

Should you begin a sentence with "because"?

There is nothing wrong with beginning a sentence with "because."

Perhaps some students are told not to begin a sentence with "because" to avoid sentence fragments (something like "Because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon" is a sentence fragment), but it is perfectly acceptable to begin a sentence with "because" as long as the sentence is complete (as in "Because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon, I did not see them at the station.")

SIMPLE SENTENCE

A simple sentence, also called an independent clause, contains a subject and a verb, and it expresses a complete thought. In the following simple sentences, subjects are in yellow, and verbs are in green.

A. Some students like to study in the mornings.

B. Juan and Arturo play football every afternoon.

C. Alicia goes to the library and studies every day.

The three examples above are all simple sentences. Note that sentence B contains a compound subject, and sentence C contains a compound verb. Simple sentences, therefore, contain a subject and verb and express a complete thought, but they can also contain a compound subjects or verbs.

More examples:

She went to the store. (subject = she / verb = went)

However, some people choose not to use a subject, as in this example:

Question: Where did she go?

Answer: Went to the store.

"Went to the store," is not good English. If you want your English to improve, avoid making this kind of mistake. Always try to use a subject and a verb when making a sentence.

Starting with simple sentences in this level, we will study sentence structure and if you go through all of the lessons in order, hopefully, your writing and speaking will get better.

Remember:

Still More Examples of Simple Sentences:

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 5. Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon and left on the bus before I arrived. "Mary and Samantha" = compound subject, "arrived" and "left" = compound verb

TIP:If you use many simple sentences in an essay, you should consider revising some of the sentences into compound or complex sentences.

The use of compound subjects, compound verbs, prepositional phrases (such as "at the bus station"), and other elements help lengthen simple sentences, but simple sentences often are short. The use of too many simple sentences can make writing "choppy" and can prevent the writing from flowing smoothly.

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.

COMPOUND SENTENCE

Except for very short sentences, coordinators are always preceded by a comma. In the following compound sentences, subjects are in yellow, verbs are in green, and the coordinators and the commas that precede them are in red.

A. I tried to speak Spanish, and my friend tried to speak English.

B. Alejandro played football, so Maria went shopping.

C. Alejandro played football, for Maria went shopping.

A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinator. The coordinators are as follows: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. (Helpful hint: The first letter of each of the coordinators spells FANBOYS.)

ForAndNorButOrYetSo

More Examples of Compound Sentences

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.

If you rely heavily on compound sentences in an essay, you should consider revising some of them into complex sentences.

TIP:

Coordinating conjunctions are useful for connecting sentences, but compound sentences often are overused. While coordinating conjunctions can indicate some type of relationship between the two independent clauses in the sentence, they sometimes do not indicate much of a relationship. The word "and," for example, only adds one independent clause to another, without indicating how the two parts of a sentence are logically related. Too many compound sentences that use "and" can weaken writing.

Clearer and more specific relationships can be established through the use of complex sentences.

Still Some More Examples:

1. John bought some new shoes, and he wore them to a party.

2. Lydia liked her new house, but she didn't like the front yard.

3. We can go see a movie, or we can get something to eat.

Notice that in each example, there is a subject and a verb in each independent clause. These sentences can be changed by removing the subject:

1. John bought some new shoes and wore them to a party.

2. Lydia liked her new house but not the front yard.

3. We can go see a movie or get something to eat.

These are still good sentences, but by removing the subject from one part of them, they are no longer compound sentences. They are now simple sentences with compound subjects.

COMPLEX SENTENCE

A complex sentence has an independent clause joined by one or more dependent clauses. A complex sentence always has a subordinator such as because, since, after, although, or when or a relative pronoun such as that, who, or which. In the following complex sentences, subjects are in yellow, verbs are in green, and the subordinators and their commas (when required) are in red.

A. When he handed in his homework, he forgot to give the teacher the last page. B. The teacher returned the homework after she noticed the error. C. The students are studying because they have a test tomorrow.D. After they finished studying, Juan and Maria went to the movies. E. Juan and Maria went to the movies after they finished studying.

When a complex sentence begins with a subordinator such as sentences A and D, a comma is required at the end of the dependent clause. When the independent clause begins the sentence with subordinators in the middle as in sentences B, C, and E, no comma is required. If a comma is placed before the subordinators in sentences B, C, and E, it is wrong.

Note that sentences D and E are the same except sentence D begins with the dependent clause which is followed by a comma, and sentence E begins with the independent clause which contains no comma. The comma after the dependent clause in sentence D is required, and experienced listeners of English will often hear a slight pause there. In sentence E, however, there will be no pause when the independent clause begins the sentence.

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.

See the list here.

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:

When the independent clause comes first, a comma should not be used to separate the two clauses.TIP:

1. I did not see them at the station because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon.

2. Joe realized that the train was late while he waited at the train station.

3. Mary and Samantha realized that Joe was waiting at the train station after they left on the bus.

Complex sentences are often more effective than compound sentences because a complex sentence indicates clearer and more specific relationships between the main parts of the sentence. The word "before," for instance, tells readers that one thing occurs before another. A word such as "although" conveys a more complex relationship than a word such as "and" conveys.

The term periodic sentence is used to refer to a complex sentence beginning with a dependent clause and ending with an independent clause, as in "While he waited at the train station, Joe realized that the train was late."

Periodic sentences can be especially effective because the completed thought occurs at the end of it, so the first part of the sentence can build up to the meaning that comes at the end.

Some More Examples:

After I came home, I made dinner.

(dependent clause: "After I came home")

(independent clause: I made dinner)

We visited the museum before it closed.

(dependent clause: before it closed.)

(independent clause: We visited the museum)

Complex sentences are often formed by putting these words at the beginning of the dependent clause: as, as if, before, after, because, though, even though, while, when, whenever, if, during, as soon as, as long as, since, until, unless, where, and wherever. These words are called subordinating conjunctions.

See the list here.

COMPLEX SENTENCES / ADJECTIVE CLAUSES

Finally, sentences containing adjective clauses (or dependent clauses) are also complex because they contain an independent clause and a dependent clause. The subjects, verbs, and subordinators are marked the same as in the previous sentences, and in these sentences, the independent clauses are also underlined.

A. The woman who called my mom sells cosmetics.

B. The book that Jonathan read is on the shelf.

C. The house which Abraham Lincoln was born in is still standing.

D. The town where I grew up is in the United States.

Adjective Clauses are studied in this site separately, but for now it is important to know that sentences containing adjective clauses are complex.

Compound-Complex Sentences

A compound-complex sentence is made from two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.

Some examples:

1. Although I like to go camping, I haven't had the time to go lately, and I haven't found anyone to go with.

independent clause: "I haven't had the time to go lately"

independent clause: "I haven't found anyone to go with"

dependent clause: "Although I like to go camping... "

2. We decided that the movie was too violent, but our children, who like to watch scary movies, thought that we were wrong.

independent clause: "We decided that the movie was too violent"

independent clause: "(but) our children thought that we were wrong"

dependent clause: who like to watch scary movies

Compound-complex sentences are very common in English, but one mistake that students often make is to try to write them without having mastered the simple sentences, compound sentences, and complex sentences first.

A COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCE has two independent clauses joined to one or more dependent clauses.

Connectors & Transitions

Coordinators Subordinators ForAndNorButOrYetSo

First letters spell FANBOYS

AfterAlthoughAs far as As soon asAs ifAs thoughBecause BeforeEven ifEven Though

HowIfInasmuch asIn case thatInsofar asIn thatLestNo matter howNow thatOnceProvided that

SinceSo thatThanThroughTillUnlessUntilWhen(ever)WhereverWhetherWhile

Why

The COORDINATORS above are used to connect simple sentences (or independent clauses) to form compound sentences. In this sense, coordinators join two simple sentences to form compound sentences.

The SUBORDINATORS above, plus some others, are used at the beginning of a clause which make the clause dependent, requiring an additional independent clause to form a complex sentence. A complex sentence is complex because it contains two different types of clauses, a dependent clause and an independent clause.

TRANSITIONS AND CONNECTORS are neither coordinators nor subordinators. Transitions and connectors are used within sentences to show relationships between ideas within sentences. Transitions and connectors can be used between sentences to show relationships between ideas in adjoining sentences, paragraphs, or even major sections of academic papers.

Have you ever taken a long journey to a distant destination on strange roads with only infrequent or poorly designed road signs? It can be both frightening and frustrating. Like a driver heading toward a destination, your reader is on a journey of discovery of your ideas, and you can help your reader toward his destination by providing clearly understood transitions and connectors. Transitions and connectors for your reader are like the road signs that guide the traveller. They help your reader understand your ideas.

Connectors Contrast Emphasis Addition ThereforeSimilarlyHenceThenConsequentlyAlsoThus

HoweverOtherwiseInstead ofButYetOn the other handAlthoughEven thoughIn contrast to (with)On the contraryStill

Keep in mindRememberMost of allMost importantThe best thingThe basic reasonThe chief factorSpecial attention goes to should be paid to

First of allAnother reasonIn additionAlsoMoreoverThe most important reason is FinallyFor exampleThis means thatEqually important

Time showing Chronology

Time Time Comment

When I was five years old As a little girlWhen I grew olderAs a university studentAs an adult

Then NextAfterwardsAfter this stepFinally

Then

firstsecondthirdnextfinal

stepphasestage

Interestingly SurprisinglyUndoubtedlyUnavoidablyFrustratingly

The following subordinating conjunctions and relative pronouns signal how the dependent clause is related to the sentence:TIME: after, before, since, until, when, whilePLACE: where, whereverREASON: as, because, how, so, that, sinceCONDITIONAL: although, if unless, whether ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: that, which, who, whom, whose

MainSlide 18 Slide 22

Choose if the sentence is either Simple, Compound, or Complex

1: The teacher walked into the classroom, greeted the students, and took attendance.

SimpleCompoundComplex

2: Juan played football while Juanita went shopping.



3: Juan played football, yet Juanita went shopping.

4: Although Mexico has the better football team, it lost.



5: The island was filled with many winding trails, a small lake, and dangerous wild pigs.


6: Naoki passed the test because he studied hard and understood the material.

Identifying Simple, Compound, and Complex SentencesMultiple Choice Quiz

15 questions

Identifying subjects and verbs10 questions

Here are two more quizzes for you to download free.

http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/5153030/identifying-simple-docx-16k?da=y

http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/5153032/identifying-subjects-and-verbs-docx-13k?da=y





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