Sentence Structure
In the English language, there are four types of sentence structure. It goes from simple to very complex. The structure is like a stair way. A writer steps from one stair level to another. No one level is better than another.
Here are the four types of sentence structure:
1. simple sentence (The old car was not working.)
2. compound sentence (My friend is smart, and his sister is a good actor.)
3. complex sentence (Because she is friendly, my dog likes to greet everyone.)
4. compound/complex sentence (The new book, that my mother gave me, was really good, but I think it is too expensive.)
Each type of sentence is perfectly okay to use. However, a good writer will weave in all four types of sentence so that the reader retains interest.
SIMPLE SENTENCE
A simple sentence is a sentence that contains one subject and one verb. The subject can be compound as can be the verb. This is the simplest sentence to construct; hence, the term SIMPLE SENTENCE.
EXAMPLES:
- Henry took his cat to the vet for a check up. [Henry is the subject, and took is the verb]
- My friend and her little sister went on a grand vacation of the
- The big goat butted, kicked, and bit me. [goat is the subject, and butted, kicked and bit is the compound verb (yes, it is compound)]
- After the cold snap, Martie could be seen wearing a parka. [Martie is the subject, and could be seen wearing is the verb]
COMPOUND SENTENCE
A compound sentence is a sentence that contains at least two simple sentences that are joined together by either a COMMA/CONJUNCTION or by a SEMI-COLON;
EXAMPLES:
- The old car was stolen, but the new car was not. [The old car was stolen is one simple sentence, and the new car was not is another simple sentence. These two simple sentence are joined together by a comma/conjunction.]
- Henrietta could be a difficult person; Hans, her brother, was very easy going and friendly. [Henrietta could be difficult person is one simple sentence, and Hans, her brother, was very easy going and friendly is the second simple sentence. The two simple sentences are joined together by a SEMI
IDENTIFY THE SENTENCE TYPE:
- Wilson, Annie, and Tom were going to the concert; Winston wanted to go but couldn’t.
- After the long day, Winnie could hardly wait to get home to eat.
- My dog would not get into her dog house, and so I worried about her getting too cold.
- Laughing is good medicine for the soul.
- I think that I am a good person, yet I don’t think the same about my twin brother.
Classwork
COMPLEX SENTENCE:
A COMPLEX SENTENCE is a sentence that is composed of ONE simple sentence (one subject/one verb) and at least ONE dependent clause (adjective/adverb/noun clause). A COMPLEX SENTENCE can be long, but it doesn’t have to be long.
EXAMPLES:
Because Sarah likes to talk a lot, her brother Adam says he never gets a word in edgewise. [This is a complex sentence. (Her brother Adam says he never gets a word in edgewise. This is a simple sentence.) Because Sarah likes to talk a lot (this is an adverb clause)]
Tilli never answers her cell phone whenever she is driving her car. [This is a complex sentence. (Tilli never answers her cell phone. This a simple sentence.) Whenever she is driving her car (this a an adverb clause)]
The gripey man, who complained about everything in the neighborhood, moved to another town. [The gripey man moved to another town. (simple sentence) Who complained about everything (adjective clause)]
YOU IDENTIFY THE COMPLEX SENTENCE. WHY IS IT A COMPLEX SENTENCE?
It makes me mad when I’m told that I’m wrong.
Soopie is my dog’s name; Hector is my cat’s name.
Because I’m not used to getting up early, I really dread my new job.
The walrus, that one over by the pool, is really full of life.
NOW YOU TURN A SIMPLE SENTENCE INTO A COMPLEX SENTENCE:
Wendy fell down in the parking lot.
Pedro loves to cook.
COMPOUND/COMPLEX SENTENCE
- A COMPOUND/COMPLEX SENTENCE is two or more SIMPLE SENTENCES joined together correctly with at least one of the simple sentences (could be more) having a DEPENDENT CLAUSE added to it. Look for clues: COMMA/CONJUCTION, COMMA, and SEMI-COLON. Compound/complex sentences can be very long.
EXAMPLES:
Jill, who is my sister, fell down, and my mother rushed to help her up.
[Jill fell down is a simple sentence. My mother rushed to help her up is another simple sentence.
Who is my sister an adjective clause.] This is an example of a compound/complex sentence.
Because it was raining, we couldn’t go outside; the coach, that was in charge of us, let us watch a movie.
[we couldn't got outside is a simple sentence. The coach let us watch a movie is another simple sentence. There are two dependent clauses: Because it was raining and that was in charge of us].
YOU IDENTIFY THE SENTENCE TYPE:
Julie and her big brother won the award, and their best friends couldn’t have been happier.
Because it was already very late, we decided that stopping for breakfast could wait; we would eat an early lunch.
I was not able to do the algebra problem, yet my little brother, who is only in seventh grade, could solve it.
Whenever it storms, the electricity in our house goes out and stays out for hours.
"In teaching others we teach ourselves" - Proverb