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LESSON 4
SIMPLE, COMPOUND AND COMPLEX SENTENCE

SIMPLE SENTENCE

A simple sentence, also called an independent clause, contains a subject and a verb,
and it expresses a complete thought. In the following simple sentences, subjects are in
yellow, and verbs are in green.

A. Some students like to study in the mornings.

B. Juan and Arturo play football every afternoon.
C. Alicia goes to the library and studies every day.

The three examples above are all simple sentences. Note that sentence B contains a
compound subject, and sentence C contains a compound verb. Simple sentences,
therefore, contain a subject and verb and express a complete thought, but they can also
contain a compound subjects or verbs.

COMPOUND SENTENCE
A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinator. The
coordinators are as follows: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. (Helpful hint: The first letter of
each of the coordinators spells FANBOYS.) Except for very short sentences,
coordinators are always preceded by a comma. In the following compound sentences,
subjects are in yellow, verbs are in green, and the coordinators and the commas that
precede them are in red.
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A. I tried to speak Spanish, and my friend tried to speak English.

B. Alejandro played football, so Maria went shopping.
C. Alejandro played football, for Maria went shopping.

The above three sentences are compound sentences. Each sentence contains two
independent clauses, and they are joined by a coordinator with a comma preceding it.
Note how the conscious use of coordinators can change the relationship between the
clauses. Sentences B and C, for example, are identical except for the coordinators. In
sentence B, which action occurred first? Obviously, "Alejandro played football" first, and
as a consequence, "Maria went shopping. In sentence C, "Maria went shopping" first.
In sentence C, "Alejandro played football" because, possibly, he didn't have anything
else to do, for or because "Maria went shopping." How can the use of other
coordinators change the relationship between the two clauses? What implications
would the use of "yet" or "but" have on the meaning of the sentence?

COMPLEX SENTENCE
A complex sentence has an independent clause joined by one or more dependent
clauses. A complex sentence always has a subordinator such as because, since, after,
although, or when or a relative pronoun such as that, who, or which. In the following
complex sentences, subjects are in yellow, verbs are in green, and the subordinators
and their commas (when required) are in red.

A. When he handed in his homework, he forgot to give the teacher the last page.
B. The teacher returned the homework after she noticed the error.
C. The students are studying because they have a test tomorrow.
D. After they finished studying, Juan and Maria went to the movies.
E. Juan and Maria went to the movies after they finished studying.
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When a complex sentence begins with a subordinator such as sentences A and D, a

comma is required at the end of the dependent clause. When the independent clause
begins the sentence with subordinators in the middle as in sentences B, C, and E, no
comma is required. If a comma is placed before the subordinators in sentences B, C,
and E, it is wrong.
Note that sentences D and E are the same except sentence D begins with the
dependent clause which is followed by a comma, and sentence E begins with the
independent clause which contains no comma. The comma after the dependent clause
in sentence D is required, and experienced listeners of English will often hear a slight
pause there. In sentence E, however, there will be no pause when the independent
clause begins the sentence.

Exercise 1
Analyse the following sentences. Identify which are simple, compound and
complex sentences, and also the coordinating and subordinating words.

1. The writer of the book thinks that people on welfare are sometimes stigmatised in
society. Sentence type: _____________
2. Many citizens are dissatisfied with the government as they are experiencing
unprecedented economic difficulties. Sentence type: ___________
3. University chiefs these days spend much of their time on fund-raising and
publicity activities. Sentence type: ______________
4. Students need good time management at university since they have numerous
classes to attend and extra-curricular activities to take part in.
Sentence type: ___
5. I queued for over an hour at the counter but still could not get a ticket.
Sentence type: ___________
6. The findings clearly indicate that more (not less) money should be allocated to
the tertiary education sector if Hong Kong is to remain a truly international city.
Sentence type: ___________
7. John passed but Ken failed. Sentence type: ________
8. The student representatives will meet the university management next week.
Sentence type: ___________
9. Mother Teresa, who dedicated her life to helping the poor and needy, died a few
years ago. Sentence type: ________
10. I finished the assignment early and took time to visit my grandparents in Tuen
Mun. Sentence type: __________
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Exercise 2
Identify the following sentences as S=simple, CP=compound, CX=complex,
CC=Compound-Complex. To make this easier, circle the subjects, underline the
verbs, and cross out the prepositional phrases.

1. _____ The most popular sport in the world is soccer.

2. _____ People in ancient China and Japan had a form of soccer, and even Rome
had a game that resembled soccer.
3. _____ The game as it is played today got its start in England.
4. _____ In the Middle Ages, whole towns played soccer on Shrove Tuesday.
5. _____ Goals were built at opposite ends of town, and hundreds of people who
lived in those towns would play on each side.
6. _____ Such games resembled full-scale brawls.
7. _____ The first side to score a goal won and was declared village champion.
8. _____ Then both sides tended to the wounded, and they didnt play again for a
whole year.
9. _____ The rules of the game were written in the late 1800s at British boarding
schools.
10. _____Now, nearly every European country has a national soccer team, and the
teams participate in international tournaments.
11. _____For both rich and poor in Rome, public baths were a daily pleasure.
12. _____The baths were somewhat similar to modern health clubs, although they
had little equipment for exercising.
13. _____Rome alone had 856 baths; most of them were private.
14. _____Citizens who became rich were expected to build baths for their fellow
citizens, and many generously built huge marble facilities.
15. _____15.For the equivalent of about a quarter-penny, any Roman could be
massaged, scrubbed, and soaked in a public bath.
16. _____First, bathers might exercise, and then they went to a hot, dry room to
sweat.
17. _____Next, they visited a hot, steamy room, and the final stage was a plunge
into ice-cold water.
18. _____After the citizens finished their baths, they would wrap themselves in
towels and visit with friends or walk about the grounds.
19. _____The serious-minded could browse through the baths library.
20. _____They also sat around and played chess and checkers in game rooms.

Exercise 3
Determine the sentence type
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1. __ Although it started to rain, we decided to continue our walk.

2. __ There were books on the floor, under the table, and all about the room.
3. __ She was going to school full-time and hoped to graduate in June.
4. __ Transportation came to a halt as the steadily falling snow accumulated faster
than the snow plows could clear it away.
5. __ Marie and Bill and I stayed up until four in the morning.
6. __ Unless conditions change for her, she will spend the rest of her life working for
7. __Minimum wage in a dusty mill; there are thousands of women like her.
8. __ He wanted to go, but her child was sick.
9. __ Joe is smart; he will go far.
10. __ As soon as Dick started a coin collection, his brother bought an album of rare
stamps.
11. __ Nature is her passion in life, and colleagues say that she is a skilled naturalist.

Exercise 4
Choose the sentence type below:
1. Pauline and Bruno have a big argument every summer over where they should spend
their summer vacation.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence

2. Pauline loves to go to the beach and spend her days sunbathing.

A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence

3. Bruno, on the other hand, likes the view that he gets from the log cabin up in the
mountains, and he enjoys hiking in the forest.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence

4. Pauline says there is nothing relaxing about chopping wood, swatting mosquitoes,
and cooking over a woodstove.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence
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5. Bruno dislikes sitting on the beach; he always gets a nasty sunburn.

A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence

6. Bruno tends to get bored sitting on the beach, watching the waves, getting sand in his
swimsuit, and reading detective novels for a week.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence

7. This year, after a lengthy, noisy debate, they decided to take separate vacations.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence

8. Bruno went to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and Pauline went to Cape
Cod.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence

9. Although they are 250 miles apart, they keep in constant contact on the internet.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence

10. Bruno took the desktop computer that he uses at work, and Pauline sits on the
beach with her laptop computer, which she connects to the internet with a cellular
phone.
A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence

Exercise 6:
Determine the sentence type.
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1. Marcia, who is my sister, was treasurer of her class last year; this year she is
president.
2. The doctor whom I see is my friends grandfather.
3. Do you know the date of our Math exam?
4. The author who is touring several cities to promote his book will be in Chicago at
the end of October.
5. After school, the three of us went to the park and played basketball.
6. Although I have read many books by John Steinbeck, my favorite is The Pearl.
7. When Marcia was treasurer of her class last year, she was also president.
8. We took a taxi home after the theatre.
9. The policeman was not impressed by your alibi
10. As soon as I heard the news, I rushed straight to the police.
11. Amy watches football on television, but she never goes to a game
12. If you give your details to our secretary, we will contact you when we have a
vacancy

Exercise 5
Combine the following into sentences that contain parallel structure. Use
both..and, not only but also, either.. or, neithernor

1. Ron enjoys horseback riding. Bob enjoys horseback riding.

_________________________________________________________
2. You can have tea, or you can have coffee.
_________________________________________________________
3. Jack is absent. Richard is absent.
_________________________________________________________
4. We can fix dinner for them here, or we can take them to a restaurant.
________________________________________________________
5. The library doesnt have the book I need. The bookstore doesnt have the book I
need.
_________________________________________________________
6. You have met his father. Have you met his mother?
Yes, I ___________________________________________
7. I know you are studying math. Are you studying chemistry too?
Yes, I ___________________________________________
8. They dont have a refrigerator for their new apartment. Do they have a stove?
No, They ________________________________________
9. Youre going to vote for Mr. Smith, or youre going to vote for Mr. Jones. Right?
Yes, ____________________________________________
10. I know you lost your wallet. Did you lose your keys too?
Yes, ______________________________________