Download Sentence Structure: Simple, Compound, and Complex

Sentence Structure: Simple, Compound, and Complex
Structure Is the Key!
Sentences are the foundation of writing: they are the means through which ideas are
communicated. Experience writers know how to vary the length and structure of sentences and
use them to their advantage. They can use short, choppy sentences. They can use longer
sentences that seem to drag on and on—sentences that contains lots of thoughts and ideas; some
of which seem to never end—to capture the readers’ attention.
Knowing about sentence structure—about simple, compound, and complex sentences—will help
you utilize sentence variety more effectively. They make writing interesting!
I.
Simple Sentence
A simple sentence, which is really just an independent clause, contains a subject and a
predicate and expresses a complete thought.
Examples:
A. Roses are red.
B. Violets are blue.
C. I like giant clams and hate fresh ginger.
D. Robert and Martha are very nice people.
Notes:
 In example C, there are two verbs (like and hate) but only one subject (I). In example D,
there are two subjects (Robert and Martha) but only one verb (are). These are known as
compound verbs and compound subjects, respectively.

“Simple” does NOT mean the same thing as “short.” This is a simple sentence: Charles,
my seven-year-old dog, is really lethargic and doesn’t like doing anything besides
sleeping all day, barking at family members but not strangers, chasing after the cat, and
waiting for his steak dinner.

We mentioned that a simple sentence consists of a subject and predicate. However,
there are sentences that are complete without a subject; they are called imperative
sentences. They are used for demands or requests.
Examples:
A. Bring your No. 2 pencil. (Understood: You bring your No. 2 pencil.)
B. Get the check. (Understood: You get the check.)
II.
Compound Sentence
A compound sentence contains two independent clauses that are joined together by a comma
AND a coordinating conjunction. These coordinating conjunctions are: for, and, nor, but, or,
yet, and so. (Together, they spell FANBOYS.)
Examples:
A. The sun is out, and the sky is blue.
B. I ate breakfast, but I skipped dinner.
Notes:
 The coordinating conjunction that you use (yes, that one little word) can have a dramatic
impact on the meaning of your sentence. Consider these examples:
A. George came to see me this weekend, but I was sad.
B. George came to see me this weekend, so I was sad.

You need both the comma AND the coordinating conjunction to join two independent
clauses. Without the comma, it would be a run-on sentence. Without the coordinating
conjunction, the sentence would have a comma splice. (We will discuss these errors at the
“Common Errors” workshop.)

Instead of using a comma and a coordinating conjunction to join two independent
clauses, you could use a colon, a semicolon, or a dash. However, these punctuation marks
have different usage implications, and we will cover them in more details at the
“Semicolon, Colon, and Dashes—Oh My!” workshop.
III.
Complex Sentence
A complex sentence contains an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. A
dependent clause is preceded by subordinators such as because, since, although, when, or after
or a relative pronoun such as who, which, or that.
Examples:
A. When the sun is down, the birds go to sleep.
B. The universe is still after the wolves howl.
Notes:
 We use a comma if the dependent clause comes before the independent clause. We don’t
use one if the dependent clause comes after the independent clause.
 Even though each clause in example A contains a subject and a verb, we cannot put a
period after “When the sun is down” because it is not a complete thought on its own. It
leaves us hanging and makes us want to ask, “When the sun is down, then what
happens?”
Structure is the Key!
“A Student’s Guide to the English Galaxy”
Phrase: a group of words that functions as a single unit in a sentence. E.g. full of water, a bush
of roses, over the rainbow, eat the cake, top the board, etc.
More examples:
A. I stumbled across a bush of roses.
B. I can see over the rainbow.
In sentence A, “a bush of roses” is a phrase that functions as one unit: it is a bush of roses and
not just a bush or a rose that I stumbled over.
Subject: the person, place, or thing that is doing the action or is being described in the sentence.
1. Simple subject: a noun or pronoun. Examples:



They
Cats
Rain
2. Complete subject: a noun or pronoun, plus any modifiers. Examples:



The big, brow fox
The trees in the forests
Giant clams
3. Compound subject: two or more subjects joined by a conjunction. Examples:

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Michele and David
He and I
Cats and dogs
Predicate: the action or description that occurs in the sentence.
1. Simple predicate: a complete verb, plus any helping verbs. Examples:



Looked
Was seeing
Would have kicked
2. Complete predicate: a simple predicate, plus any modifiers. Examples:

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Looked across the lake
Was seeing stars
Would have kicked the can of dog food
3. Compound predicate: two or more predicates that share the same subject. Examples:

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Looked across the lake and noticed the small flower
Was seeing stars and imagining
Would have kicked the can of dog food and ignored the dog
Independent clause: a unit which contains a subject and a predicate. Examples:


I walked across campus.
She noticed a lot of new students.
Dependent clause: a unit that contains a subject and a predicate but is "masked" by a
subordinator. Therefore, a dependent clause cannot stand by itself. Examples:

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When the dog bites
If it rains tonight
Although it won’t be so bad to paint your face