Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences

Simple Sentences

Simple Sentences

A complete simple sentence has a least one subject and one verb and it needs to make sense.

(This is your subject and predicate. Or your "Who" and your "What")

Ex. No Subject: Ran five miles.

Complete: Louis ran five miles.

Ex. No verb: The book on the table.

Complete: The book on the table is missing a page.

Any sentence you write will need your subject and your predicate. This fact will never change. If you write a sentence and read it back to yourself and it doesn't make sense, ask yourself this: Do I have the "Who"? Do I have the "What"? Does it make sense in the way its written?

Verbs and Verb Modifiers

• Verb: a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, and forming the main part of the predicate of a sentence, such as hear, become, happen.

• Verb Modifier: Verb phrase modifiers are defined as words, phrases, and clauses that describe a verb phrase.

• Action Verb: Elaine took notes on the meeting.

• Modifier Example: They were long.

Complete Sentences

A complete sentence must express a complete thought. The reader should not be left with questions.

If you find a fragment in your writing, rewrite it to make it a complete sentence.

• If the sentence does not have a subject, add a subject.

• If the sentence does not have a verb, add a verb or verb modifier.

• If the thought is incomplete, add words or combine the incomplete thought with a complete sentence.

Finally!

A complete sentence should have correct end punctuation. A statement should end with a period, and so should a command. A question should end with a questions mark. An exclamation should end with an exclamation point.

Statement: Elaine has lost several files this way.

Command: Turn off the computer.

Question: Will the computer ever be fixed?

Exclamation: What a mess we're in!

Multiple Choice

Is this a complete sentence?

Drives his girlfriend crazy.

• Yes?

• No?

Open Ended

Modify the sentence so its complete.

Drives his girlfriend crazy.

Multiple Choice

Is this a complete sentence?

As soon as he comes home from work.

• Yes?

• No?

Open Ended

Modify the sentence so that it is complete.

As soon as he comes home from work.

Multiple Choice

Is this a complete sentence?

He calls everyone he knows.

• Yes?

• No?

Multiple Choice

Is this a complete sentence?

Dave's sister and his best friend.

• Yes?

• No?

Open Ended

Modify the sentence so it is complete.

Dave's sister and his best friend.

Open Ended

Before you go! Write your own simple sentence!!