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ENG1001:Sentences:Simple,Compound,andComplex

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EnglishComposition1
Sentences:Simple,Compound,andComplex
Acommonweaknessinwritingisthelackofvariedsentences.Becomingawareofthreegeneraltypesof
sentencessimple,compound,andcomplexcanhelpyouvarythesentencesinyourwriting.
Themosteffectivewritingusesavarietyofthesentencetypesexplainedbelow.

1.SimpleSentences
Asimplesentencehasthemostbasicelementsthatmakeitasentence:asubject,averb,andacompletedthought.
Examplesofsimplesentencesincludethefollowing:
1.Joewaitedforthetrain.
"Joe"=subject,"waited"=verb

2.Thetrainwaslate.
"Thetrain"=subject,"was"=verb

3.MaryandSamanthatookthebus.
"MaryandSamantha"=compoundsubject,"took"=verb

4.IlookedforMaryandSamanthaatthebusstation.
"I"=subject,"looked"=verb

5.MaryandSamanthaarrivedatthebusstationearlybutwaiteduntilnoonforthebus.
"MaryandSamantha"=compoundsubject,"arrived"and"waited"=compoundverb

Theuseofcompoundsubjects,compoundverbs,prepositionalphrases(such
as"atthebusstation"),andotherelementshelplengthensimplesentences,
butsimplesentencesoftenareshort.Theuseoftoomanysimplesentences
canmakewriting"choppy"andcanpreventthewritingfromflowing
smoothly.

Tip:Ifyouusemanysimple
sentencesinanessay,youshould
considerrevisingsomeofthe
sentencesintocompoundor
complexsentences(explained
below).
Asimplesentencecanalsobereferredtoasanindependentclause.Itis
referredtoas"independent"because,whileitmightbepartofacompoundorcomplexsentence,itcanalsostand
byitselfasacompletesentence.

2.CompoundSentences
Acompoundsentencereferstoasentencemadeupoftwoindependentclauses(orcompletesentences)connected
tooneanotherwithacoordinatingconjunction.Coordinatingconjunctionsareeasytorememberifyouthinkof
thewords"FANBOYS":
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So
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ENG1001:Sentences:Simple,Compound,andComplex

Examplesofcompoundsentencesincludethefollowing:
1.Joewaitedforthetrain,butthetrainwaslate.

2.IlookedforMaryandSamanthaatthebusstation,buttheyarrivedatthestationbeforenoonandleftonthe
busbeforeIarrived.

3.MaryandSamanthaarrivedatthebusstationbeforenoon,andtheyleftonthebusbeforeIarrived.

4.MaryandSamanthaleftonthebusbeforeIarrived,soIdidnotseethematthebusstation.

Coordinatingconjunctionsareusefulforconnectingsentences,but
compoundsentencesoftenareoverused.Whilecoordinatingconjunctions
canindicatesometypeofrelationshipbetweenthetwoindependentclauses
inthesentence,theysometimesdonotindicatemuchofarelationship.The
word"and,"forexample,onlyaddsoneindependentclausetoanother,
withoutindicatinghowthetwopartsofasentencearelogicallyrelated.Too
manycompoundsentencesthatuse"and"canweakenwriting.

Tip:Ifyourelyheavilyon
compoundsentencesinanessay,
youshouldconsiderrevisingsome
ofthemintocomplexsentences
(explainedbelow).

Clearerandmorespecificrelationshipscanbeestablishedthroughtheuseofcomplexsentences.

3.ComplexSentences
Acomplexsentenceismadeupofanindependentclauseandoneormoredependentclausesconnectedtoit.A
dependentclauseissimilartoanindependentclause,orcompletesentence,butitlacksoneoftheelementsthat
wouldmakeitacompletesentence.
Examplesofdependentclausesincludethefollowing:
becauseMaryandSamanthaarrivedatthebusstationbeforenoon
whilehewaitedatthetrainstation
aftertheyleftonthebus
Dependentclausessuchasthoseabovecannotstandaloneasasentence,buttheycanbeaddedtoanindependent
clausetoformacomplexsentence.
Dependentclausesbeginwithsubordinatingconjunctions.Belowaresomeofthemostcommonsubordinating
conjunctions:
after
although
as
because
before
eventhough
if
since
though
unless
until
when
whenever
whereas
wherever
while
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ENG1001:Sentences:Simple,Compound,andComplex

Acomplexsentencejoinsanindependentclausewithoneormoredependentclauses.
Thedependentclausescangofirstinthesentence,followedbytheindependentclause,asinthefollowing:
1.BecauseMaryandSamanthaarrivedatthebusstationbeforenoon,I Tip:Whenthedependentclause
didnotseethematthestation.
comesfirst,acommashouldbe
2.Whilehewaitedatthetrainstation,Joerealizedthatthetrainwaslate. usedtoseparatethetwoclauses.
3.Aftertheyleftonthebus,MaryandSamantharealizedthatJoewas
waitingatthetrainstation.
Conversely,theindependentclausescangofirstinthesentence,followedbythedependentclause,asinthe
following:
1.IdidnotseethematthestationbecauseMaryandSamanthaarrivedat Tip:Whentheindependentclause
thebusstationbeforenoon.
comesfirst,acommashouldnotbe
2.Joerealizedthatthetrainwaslatewhilehewaitedatthetrainstation. usedtoseparatethetwoclauses.
3.MaryandSamantharealizedthatJoewaswaitingatthetrainstation
aftertheyleftonthebus.
Complexsentencesareoftenmoreeffectivethancompoundsentencesbecauseacomplexsentenceindicates
clearerandmorespecificrelationshipsbetweenthemainpartsofthesentence.Theword"before,"forinstance,
tellsreadersthatonethingoccursbeforeanother.Awordsuchas"although"conveysamorecomplexrelationship
thanawordsuchas"and"conveys.
Thetermperiodicsentenceisusedtorefertoacomplexsentencebeginningwithadependentclauseand
endingwithanindependentclause,asin"Whilehewaitedatthetrainstation,Joerealizedthatthetrainwas
late."
Periodicsentencescanbeespeciallyeffectivebecausethecompletedthoughtoccursattheendofit,sothefirst
partofthesentencecanbuilduptothemeaningthatcomesattheend.

BeginningSentenceswith"And"or"Because"
Shouldyoubeginasentencewith"and"or"but"(oroneoftheothercoordinatingconjunctions)?
Theshortansweris"no."Youshouldavoidbeginningasentencewith"and,""or,""but,"ortheothercoordinating
conjunctions.Thesewordsgenerallyareusedtojointogetherpartsofasentence,nottobeginanewsentence.
However,suchsentencescanbeusedeffectively.Becausesentencesbeginningwiththesewordsstandout,theyare
sometimesusedforemphasis.Ifyouusesentencesbeginningwithoneofthecoordinatingconjunctions,you
shouldusethesesentencessparinglyandcarefully.
Shouldyoubeginasentencewith"because"?
Thereisnothingwrongwithbeginningasentencewith"because."
Perhapssomestudentsaretoldnottobeginasentencewith"because"toavoidsentencefragments(somethinglike
"BecauseMaryandSamanthaarrivedatthebusstationbeforenoon"isasentencefragment),butitisperfectly
acceptabletobeginasentencewith"because"aslongasthesentenceiscomplete(asin"BecauseMaryand
Samanthaarrivedatthebusstationbeforenoon,Ididnotseethematthestation.")
ThispagewaslastupdatedonJanuary26,2015.CopyrightRandyRambo,2012.

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