Sentences: Simple, Compound, and Complex

A common weakness in writing is the lack of varied sentences. Becoming aware of three general
types of sentences--simple, compound, and complex--can help you vary the sentences in your
writing.

The most effective writing uses a variety of the sentence types explained below.

1. Simple Sentences

A simple sentence has the most basic elements that make it a sentence: a subject, a verb, and a
completed thought.

Examples of simple sentences include the following:

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 early but waited until noon for the bus.
"Mary and Samantha" = compound subject, "arrived" and "waited" = 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 (explained below).
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.

2. Compound Sentences

A compound sentence refers to a sentence made up of two independent clauses (or complete
sentences) connected to one another with a coordinating conjunction. Coordinating
conjunctions are easy to remember if you think of the words "FAN BOYS":

 For
 And
 Nor
 But
 Or
 Yet
 So

Examples of compound sentences include the following:

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.

Tip: If you rely heavily on compound sentences in an essay, you should consider revising some
of them into complex sentences (explained below).

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.

3. Complex Sentences

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. Below are some of the most
common subordinating conjunctions:

 after
 although
 as
 because
 before
 even though
 if
 since
 though
 unless
 until
 when
 whenever
 whereas
 wherever
 while

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:

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

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.

4 Compound-Complex Sentence
4th Pattern: Subordinator, S + V, S + V, Coordinator S + V.

This pattern is simply the previous two patterns joined together. It is called the Compound-Complex
Sentence :

When Ndeshi ran across the street, Simon hugged her, and he led her to a seat under a tree.

Notice that there must be a subordinator at the beginning AND a comma before main part of the sentence
(underlined) AND a comma before the conjunction and the last main part of the sentence (also
underlined).

EXAMPLES:

Although my roommate sleeps, I study History, and I get the good marks.

Since I study History, I get the good marks, but my roommate just sleeps.
If I study well, I will get good marks, and I will get a good job .

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Direct / Indirect object

In the English language verbs with two objects are followed by two different types of objects.
Let's have a look at the following examples.

I sent Mary some flowers.

I sent some flowers to Mary.

These two sentences contain both kinds of objects. Flowers are the direct object. It refers to
what I sent. Mary is the indirect object. It refers to whom it was sent to.

It is clear that the word order in these two sentences is different - Mary and flowers can be
placed first or second in each of these examples.

The changeable word order in English sentences:

1. If the indirect object comes first in a sentence, there is no preposition.

They gave Harold a new car.

Mrs. Jones offered the girls a cake.

My grandma always wishes me a good luck.

2. If it comes second, a preposition must be used.

They gave a new car to Harold.

Mrs Jones offered a cake to the girls.

My grandma always wishes a good luck to me.

3. If the direct object is a pronoun (it, this ... ), it comes first and we must use a preposition.
Compare the difference in the following examples.
I bought it for my sister.

Can you send it to him?

I'll get it for you as soon as I can.

(Not: I bought my sister it. Can you send him it? I'll get you it as soon as I can.)

Sentence Function

Sentence function refers to a speaker's purpose in uttering a specific sentence, phrase, or

clause. The four basic sentence functions in the world's languages include the declarative,
interrogative, exclamatory and the imperative. Typically, a sentence goes from one function to
the next through a combination of changes in word order, intonation, the addition of
certain auxiliaries or particles, or other times by providing a special verb al form. The
four main categories can be further specified as being either communicative or informative.

Sentence Structures
The use of a variety of sentence structures can do wonders for your writing. Imagine writing a
paragraph consisting of questions (interrogatives) only! While it is wise to use a combination of
sentence structures, especially questions and exclamations, you can imagine that the overuse of
these can also have a negative impact on your writing. When you use questions, for
example, ensure that all of them do not start in the same way. Now let us look at four common
sentence structures in English.

4.1 Statements (Declarative sentences)

Statements (declarative sentences) are the most common type of sentences. The primary aim is to
convey information about facts, beliefs and opinions.

A standard statement uses the basic word order pattern, i.e., SUBJECT + PREDICATE (+ object
+ adverbial modifier).
Adverbial modifiers are placed at the end of the sentence after the object (or after the verb if
there is no object). Attributes (adjectives, numerals) are placed before their nouns, and attributes
in the form of nouns with prepositions are placed after their nouns.

Maria works.
Tom writes stories.
He talked to Anna yesterday.
My son bought three history books.
Tom writes short stories for children.

4.2 Questions (Interrogative sentences)

According to Marguerite Wessels (2010, p. 217), questions are formed in several ways. We can:

 Introduce the question by using interrogative pronouns (who, whose, which) or by

interrogative adverbs (why, where, how);

 Change the word order by moving the verb to the beginning of the sentence, i.e. she looks
smart = Does she look smart?

Here are some categories of questions:

General questions (Yes/No)

Auxiliary verb + subject + main verb (+ object + adverbial modifier):

Do you smoke?
Does he speak English?
Is he writing a report now?
Have you seen this film?
Special questions (Wh-)

Question word + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb (+ object + adverbial modifier):
Where does he live?
What are you writing now?
When did they visit Mexico?
Alternative questions
Alternative questions require a reply which relates to the choices given in the sentence. They
have the same word order as general questions.
Does he live in Paris or Rome?
Are you writing a report or a letter?
Tag questions

Tag questions consist of two parts. The first part has the same word order as statements, and the
second part is a short general question (the tag). To make a tag, use the first auxiliary. If there is
no auxiliary, use do, does or did.

Question tags are not really questions but are a way of asking the other person to make a
comment and so keep the conversation open. Tags are very common in spoken English, and
have many functions.

The two basic rules about tag questions are:

If the statement is negative, the tag must be positive:

If the statement is positive the tag must be negative.

- You don't like me, do you?
- You won't tell him my secret, will you?
- You're coming to my party, aren't you?
- She's really good at chess, isn't she?
- You haven't done your homework, have you?

The tense of the tag is determined by the tense of the auxiliary/modal verb of the
statement that precedes it:

If the statement does not use an auxiliary/modal (i.e. it is in the present or past simple tense),
then the auxiliary to do must be used.
- She comes from Korea, doesn't she?
- You like heavy metal music, don't you?
- He got top grade in the math test, didn't he?
- I really messed up, didn't I?
4.3 Commands (Imperative sentences)

Commands have the same word order as statements, but the subject (you) is usually omitted.

Go to your room.

Listen to the story.

They are used in issuing orders or directives:

Leave your coat in the hall Don't shut the door

Give me your phone number Stop!

Two types of Commands

Commands / Imperatives can be divided into Positive and Negative commands. Can you guess
the difference between the two?

We can express commands in English by an imperative sentence made with the bare infinitive
without to.

Examples: Be careful. Open your books. Come here.

For the negative imperative we use do not or don’t.

Don't be late. Do not sit down. Don't have so many bags.

In writing it is not usual to use an exclamation mark. If we put it at the end of an imperative
sentence, it becomes more urgent.

Examples: Wait! Don't do that!

We can emphasize our request with do. It is common in polite requests.

Do sit down. Do be reasonable.

On the other hand, do before the imperative can express the irritation of the speaker.

Do be quiet. Do come on time.

‘You’ before the command also shows the speaker’s anger or even rudeness.

You get out of here. Don't you follow me.

More examples of imperative sentences:

Please sit down. (request)

Read pages 45-90 for homework. (command)

You should wear gloves outside. (advice)

Get along with others. (advice)

Let's eat the picnic under the tree. (suggestion)

Please hand me a pencil. (request)

Be quiet! (command)

Wait! (command/warning)

Watch out for the dog! (warning)

When we use “please” in an imperative sentence, we use a full stop instead of an exclamation
mark because it is a polite command.

Sit down! Please sit down.

Come here! Please come here.

4.4 Exclamatory sentences

Exclamatory sentences have the same word order as statements (i.e., the subject is before the
predicate).

She is a great singer!

It is an excellent opportunity!
How well he knows history!

What a beautiful town this is!

How strange it is!

In some types of exclamatory sentences, the subject (it, this, that) and the linking verb are often
omitted.

What a pity!

What a beautiful present!

What beautiful flowers!

How strange!

Sentence Classification according to Construction

Here is some new information about sentences.

Sentences may also be classified according to their construction and, in particular, where the
main clause falls in the sentence. Let us take a closer look.

1. A loose sentence

In the loose sentence, the main clause is placed at the beginning, e.g.

We started to climb after the storm had subsided although the snow was still swirling about
the peak, in the hope of reaching the first camp before nightfall.

This is the commonest and easiest way of constructing a sentence, but it can become rambling
and undisciplined if we allow it to wander on and on.
2. A periodic sentence

A periodic sentence has the main point of the sentence coming towards the end of the sentence.
We call this a periodic sentence. It keeps the listener waiting for the main point. This type of
sentence is often more disciplined than the loose sentence.

Although snow was still swirling about the peak after the storm had
subsided, in the hope of reaching the first camp before nightfall we
started to climb.

This construction holds the reader’s interest until the end. It also ensures that the sentence closes
in an orderly way with the main point being concluded by a period (full stop).

Writing periodic sentences requires more discipline than is demanded when we write loose
sentences. It also shows greater writing skill. They are more satisfying to read, however, because
they seem to build to a climax. Periodic sentences are very useful in the creation of suspense in
writing.

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.

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.")

3. A balanced sentence

A balanced sentence is a sentence that employs parallel structures of approximately the same
length and importance. A sentence is balanced when more than one points are in balance or
in contrast with another. A sentence is considered to be balanced if its two parts are equal in
length, importance, as well as structure. The two clauses in the sentence are often separated by
either a semicolon (;) or connecting words such as 'and', 'but', 'or', etc.

Example:

"White chickens lay white eggs, and brown chickens lay brown eggs; so if white cows give white
milk, do brown cows give chocolate milk?"

We are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and
righteousness like a mighty stream.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

I want to shop in New York and fall in love in Paris.

I cannot love her, but I cannot hate her either.

4. A mixed sentence

In a mixed sentence the main clause is put somewhere in the middle. A mixed construction is a
sentence with incompatible elements that begins with one type of structure and then shifts to another.
In these sentences, the speaker sets out to say one thing and abruptly switches to something else
without warning.

Example:

Although snow was still swirling about the peak after the storm had
subsided, we started to climb in the hope of reaching the first camp
before nightfall.

I am sure that you will agree that this kind of sentence construction is also more interesting than
the loose sentence, which seems to ramble on without much purpose.

The purpose of the mixed sentence is to give variety to one’s writing.

5. An antithetical sentence

When the main ideas in a sentence are contrasted with one another, we create an antithetical
sentence.

Examples:

The women prayed upstairs nearer to heaven; the men downstairs, nearer to hell .

Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing.

Speech is silver, but silence is gold.

Patience is bitter, but it has a sweet fruit.