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Sentence Structure:�Sentence Types�

Sentence Types

• Simple
• Compound
• Complex
• Compound-Complex

Basic Elements of Every Sentence

SUBJECT

PREDICATE

Basic Elements

Mary

plays tennis.

SUBJECT

PREDICATE

Simple Sentence

Simple Sentence

• A simple sentence has one subject and one predicate.

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Simple Sentence

We went to San Juan yesterday.

Observe how a simple sentence is constructed:

Simple Sentence

We went to San Juan .

Pronoun

Verb

Simple subject

Complete predicate

Prepositional phrase

SIMPLE SENTENCE

Mary

plays tennis.

SUBJECT

PREDICATE

one subject one predicate

Simple Sentence

play tennis.

Tom and Mary

Compound Subject

&

Simple Sentence

play tennis and swim.

Tom and Mary

Compound Subject Compound Predicate

&

&

SIMPLE SENTENCE�with compound subject

Tom and Mary play tennis.

SIMPLE SENTENCE�with compound subject �and�compound predicate

Tom and Mary play tennis and swim.

Compound Sentence

Compound Sentence

• A compound sentence has more than one part that can stand alone (independent clauses).
• Independent clauses are connected by coordinating conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs or a semi-colon.

Compound Sentence

We went to San Juan, and

most of us danced all night.

Compound Sentence

We went to San Juan,

and most of us danced all night .

Subject

Verb

Coordinating

Conjunction

Predicate

Verb

Prepositional phrase

Modifying phrase

Subject

Compound Sentence� �Use of Coordinating Conjunctions

SUBJECT

PREDICATE

SUBJECT

PREDICATE

and

Compound Sentence

Tom

swims,

Mary

plays tennis.

and

�COMPOUND SENTENCE:�COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS�

FOR

AND

NOR

BUT

OR

YET

SO

�COMPOUND SENTENCE:�COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS�

Tom swims, and Mary plays tennis.

Clause 1 Clause 2

Independent Independent

�COMPOUND SENTENCE:�COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS�

Tom swims, and Mary plays tennis.

Comma before “and”

in compound

sentences!

��COMPOUND SENTENCE:�CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS�

MOREOVER

HOWEVER

OTHERWISE

THEREFORE

​

��COMPOUND SENTENCE:�CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS�

Bob is handsome; moreover, he is rich.

Clause 1 Clause 2

Independent Independent

��COMPOUND SENTENCE:�CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS�

Note: Semicolon

before conjunctive

adverb and comma

after conjunctive adverb!

Bob is handsome; moreover, he is rich.

Conjunctive Adverbs “float”

• Conjunctive adverbs are sometimes called “floating” adverbs because they can be positioned at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a clause.

�CONJUNCTIVE ADVERB:�AT THE BEGINNING, IN THE MIDDLE,AT THE END �

Bob is handsome; moreover, he is rich.

Bob is handsome; he is, moreover, rich.

Bob is handsome; he is rich, moreover.

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Semicolons

• “If the relation between the ideas expressed in the main clauses is very close and obvious without a conjunction, you can separate the clauses with a semicolon” (Little, Brown Handbook, 9th Edition, p. 361).

��COMPOUND SENTENCE:�SEMICOLON�

Tom has benefited from his exercise program; he is slim and energetic.

Complex Sentence

Complex Sentence

• A complex sentence has at least two parts: one that can stand alone and another one that cannot

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• The part that cannot stand alone is linked to the rest of the sentence by a subordinating conjunction

Complex Sentence

Since my boyfriend and I wanted to have fun,

we went to San Juan yesterday.

Complex Sentence

Since we wanted to have fun,

we went to San Juan yesterday.

Predicate

Subject

Subordinating

Conjunction

Part that cannot stand alone

Complex Sentence

SUBJECT

PREDICATE

SUBJECT

PREDICATE

even though

Complex Sentence

Bob

is popular

he

is ugly.

even though

��COMPLEX SENTENCE:�SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS�

The most common subordinating conjunctions are "after," "although," "as," "because," "before," "how," "if," "once," "since," "than," "that," though," "till," "until," "when," "where," "whether,” and while."

��COMPLEX SENTENCE:�SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS�

Bob is popular even though he is ugly.

Clause 1 Clause 2

Independent Dependent

��COMPLEX SENTENCE:�SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS�

Even though Bob is ugly, he is popular.

Clause 1 Clause 2

Dependent Independent

Compound-Complex Sentence

• This type of sentence has more than one part that can stand alone, and at least one that cannot.

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• Conjunctions link the different parts of this sentence.

Compound-Complex Sentence

Compound-Complex Sentence

Since we wanted to have fun,

my boyfriend and I went to San Juan yesterday,

and we danced all night.

Since we wanted to have fun,

my boyfriend and I went to San Juan,

and we danced all night.

Subject

Predicate

Subordinating

Conjunction

Coordinating

Conjunction

Part that cannot stand alone

Compound-Complex Sentence

Compound-Complex Sentence

Mike

is popular

he

is good looking,

because

he

is not very happy.

but

Exercises

Say if the following sentences are:

Simple, compound, complex or compound-complex.

• The bell rang.
• Bridget ran the first part of the race, and Tara biked the second part.
• He stands at the bottom of the cliff while the climber moves up the rock.
• The skier turned and jumped.
• Naoki passed the test because he studied hard and understood the material.

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Answers

• Simple
• Compound
• Complex
• Simple
• Compound-complex

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• Because Kayla has so much climbing experience , we asked her to lead our group.
• You and I need piano lessons.
• I planned to go to the hockey game, but I couldn’t get tickets.
• Dorothy likes white water rafting, but she also enjoys kayaking.
• There are many problems to solve before this program can be used, but engineers believe that they will be able to solve them soon.

Answers

• Complex
• Simple
• Compound
• Compound
• Compound-complex

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References

Writing Academic English, Second Edition, by Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue. White Plains: Addison, Wesley, Longman, 1999.

The Little, Brown Handbook, by H. Ramsey Fowler and Jane E. Aaron, Pearson, 2004.