Simple, Compound, & Complex Sentences

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What is a simple sentence?

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A simple sentence is a sentence that contains a subject and a verb, and expresses a complete thought. It does not contain any dependent clauses.

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What is a compound sentence?

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A compound sentence is a sentence that contains at least two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

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What is a complex sentence?

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A complex sentence is a sentence that contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

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Identify the structure: 'After midnight, the ghosts will come out of the haunted attic.'

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This is a complex sentence because it contains a dependent clause ('After midnight') and an independent clause ('the ghosts will come out of the haunted attic').

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Identify the structure: 'Morgan and Riley are already planning to build a drawbridge for next year's competition.'

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This is a simple sentence because it has one independent clause with a subject and a verb.

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Identify the structure: 'If they place first, they might win five hundred dollars.'

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This is a complex sentence because it contains a dependent clause ('If they place first') and an independent clause ('they might win five hundred dollars').

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Identify the structure: 'Mr. Blake is in charge of the engineering club.'

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This is a simple sentence because it has one independent clause.

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Identify the structure: 'Jennifer likes William's friend, and she also liked his cousin.'

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This is a compound sentence because it contains two independent clauses joined by the coordinating conjunction 'and.'

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What is a dependent clause?

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A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought. It cannot stand alone as a sentence.

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What is an independent clause?

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An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. It can stand alone as a sentence.