Complex Sentences Read and Respond

An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and forms a complete thought. An independent clause can also be called a simple sentence or a main clause. A subject is the main noun or noun phrase in a sentence. It’s the person, place, thing or idea that’s doing the action of a sentence. A verb is a word that expresses an action, an occurrence or a state of being. A verb is the main part of the predicate of a sentence. The predicate is the part of the sentence that tells something or asks something about the subject.

Which of the following is an independent clause?

• After going to the store,

• Because Bernadette had a lot of shopping to do,

• Before Bernadette went to the store.

• Bernadette jogged to the corner store.

A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but does not form a complete thought. It leaves you wanting more information. When a dependent clause is left on its own, it becomes a type of sentence fragment. A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence. It may look like a sentence but does not actually express a complete thought. To make this fragment into a complete sentence, link it with an independent clause!

How could the following sentence fragment be revised to make it a complex sentence?

If Percy could be a professional cook.

• If he could be a professional cook.

• If Percy could be a professional cook, he’d make food from everywhere in the world.

• After Percy became a professional cook,

• Professional cooks from around the world.

Subordinating conjunctions join dependent and independent clauses to create complex sentences. They link an independent clause with a dependent clause. Examples of subordinating conjunctions include after, although, as, because and before. You’ll find a subordinating conjunction at the beginning of a dependent clause.

Identify the dependent clause in the following sentence.

I want to go to the museum and the movies although it is raining.

• I want to go to the museum

• I want to go to the museum and the movies

• is raining

• although it is raining

Tags

CCSS.RF.3.3B

CCSS.RF.3.3C

CCSS.RF.3.3D

CCSS.RF.4.3A

CCSS.RF.5.3A

A relative pronoun is found at the beginning of a type of dependent clause called a relative clause. A relative clause gives more information about a word, phrase or idea in the independent clause. Examples of relative pronouns include who, which, that, whose, whom and whoever.

Identify the relative clause in the following sentence.

I try to avoid restaurants that serve hot dogs without ketchup.

• I try to avoid restaurants

• I try to avoid restaurants that

• that serve hot dogs without ketchup.

• hot dogs without ketchup.

Tags

CCSS.RF.3.3B

CCSS.RF.3.3C

CCSS.RF.3.3D

CCSS.RF.4.3A

CCSS.RF.5.3A

A complex sentence is a sentence in which an independent clause is joined with at least one dependent clause. Using a mixture of simple, compound and complex sentences makes your writing sound more interesting. Your writing will sound more repetitive if you only use one type of sentence. Complex sentences can also help show certain relationships between ideas in a sentence. Different subordinating conjunctions show different relationships between the independent and dependent clauses.

Read the following sentences.

Heather always gets sick when she eats cheese. She ordered a cheeseburger for lunch.

Which of the following revisions is a correctly written complex sentence that shows a relationship between the two ideas?

• Even though Heather always gets sick when she eats cheese, she ordered a cheeseburger for lunch.

• Heather always gets sick when she eats cheese, she loves lunch.

• Heather always gets sick when she eats cheese.

• Heather ordered a cheeseburger for lunch, she enjoys the circus.

Tags

CCSS.L.2.1F

CCSS.L.3.1H

CCSS.L.3.1I

CCSS.L.5.1E

CCSS.L.7.1B

Sometimes, a dependent clause that starts with a subordinating conjunction comes before the independent clause in a sentence, or "at the start of the sentence." When that happens, put a comma after it to separate it from the independent clause.

Other times, a dependent clause that starts with a subordinating conjunction comes after the independent clause, or "at the end of the sentence." When that happens, you don’t need a comma to separate it.

Identify the error in the following sentence.

My sister ran up to hug me, before I could say goodbye.

• There should be a comma after "sister."

• There should not be a comma after "me."

• "Before I could say goodbye" must come at the beginning of the sentence.

• There should be a comma after "goodbye."

Tags

CCSS.RF.3.3B

CCSS.RF.3.3C

CCSS.RF.3.3D

CCSS.RF.4.3A

CCSS.RF.5.3A