Sentence Structure: Simple, Compound, and Complex

Questions to Ponder
What makes a complex sentence so complex? My sentence is short. Why does my instructor complain that its a run-on? It has a subject and a verb. Cant I just put a period there?

and everybodys favorite: Why should I care about sentence structure anyway?

Because Structure Is the Key!

Sentences are the foundation of writing: they are the means through which ideas are communicated. Experience writers know how to vary the length and structure of sentences and use them to their advantage. They can use short, choppy sentences. They can use longer sentences that seem to drag on and onsentences that contains lots of thoughts and ideas; some of which seem to never endto capture the readers attention. Knowing about sentence structureabout simple, compound, and complex sentenceswill help you utilize sentence variety more effectively. They make writing interesting! I. Simple Sentence

A simple sentence, which is really just an independent clause, contains a subject and a predicate and expresses a complete thought.
Examples: A. Roses are red. B. Violets are blue. C. I like giant clams and hate fresh ginger. D. Robert and Martha are very nice people.

Notes: In example C, there are two verbs (like and hate) but only one subject (I). In example D, there are two subjects (Robert and Martha) but only one verb (are). These are known as compound verbs and compound subjects, respectively. Simple does NOT mean the same thing as short. This is a simple sentence: Charles, my seven-year-old dog, is really lethargic and doesnt like doing anything besides sleeping all day, barking at family members but not strangers, chasing after the cat, and waiting for his steak dinner. We mentioned that a simple sentence consists of a subject and predicate. However, there are sentences that are complete without a subject; they are called imperative sentences. They are used for demands or requests.
Examples: A. Bring your No. 2 pencil. (Understood: You bring your No. 2 pencil.)
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B. Get the check. (Understood: You get the check.)

II.

Compound Sentence

A compound sentence contains two independent clauses that are joined together by a comma AND a coordinating conjunction. These coordinating conjunctions are: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. (Together, they spell FANBOYS.)
Examples: A. The sun is out, and the sky is blue. B. I ate breakfast, but I skipped dinner.

Notes: The coordinating conjunction that you use (yes, that one little word) can have a dramatic impact on the meaning of your sentence. Consider these examples:
A. George came to see me this weekend, but I was sad. B. George came to see me this weekend, so I was sad.

You need both the comma AND the coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses. Without the comma, it would be a run-on sentence. Without the coordinating conjunction, the sentence would have a comma splice. (We will discuss these errors at the Common Errors workshop.) Instead of using a comma and a coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses, you could use a colon, a semicolon, or a dash. However, these punctuation marks have different usage implications, and we will cover them in more details at the Semicolon, Colon, and DashesOh My! workshop. Complex Sentence

III.

A complex sentence contains an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. A dependent clause is preceded by subordinators such as because, since, although, when, or after or a relative pronoun such as who, which, or that.
Examples: A. When the sun is down, the birds go to sleep. B. The universe is still after the wolves howl.

Notes: We use a comma if the dependent clause comes before the independent clause. We dont use one if the dependent clause comes after the independent clause. Even though each clause in example A contains a subject and a verb, we cannot put a period after When the sun is down because it is not a complete thought on its own. It leaves us hanging and makes us want to ask, When the sun is down, then what happens?

Structure is the Key!

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A Students Guide to the English Galaxy

Phrase: a group of words that functions as a single unit in a sentence. E.g. full of water, a bush of roses, over the rainbow, eat the cake, top the board, etc.
More examples: A. I stumbled across a bush of roses. B. I can see over the rainbow.

In sentence A, a bush of roses is a phrase that functions as one unit: it is a bush of roses and not just a bush or a rose that I stumbled over. Subject: the person, place, or thing that is doing the action or is being described in the sentence. 1. Simple subject: a noun or pronoun. Examples:
They Cats Rain The big, brow fox The trees in the forests Giant clams Michele and David He and I Cats and dogs

2. Complete subject: a noun or pronoun, plus any modifiers. Examples:

3. Compound subject: two or more subjects joined by a conjunction. Examples:

Predicate: the action or description that occurs in the sentence. 1. Simple predicate: a complete verb, plus any helping verbs. Examples:
Looked Was seeing Would have kicked Looked across the lake Was seeing stars Would have kicked the can of dog food Looked across the lake and noticed the small flower Was seeing stars and imagining Would have kicked the can of dog food and ignored the dog

2. Complete predicate: a simple predicate, plus any modifiers. Examples:

3. Compound predicate: two or more predicates that share the same subject. Examples:

Independent clause: a unit which contains a subject and a predicate. Examples:

I walked across campus. She noticed a lot of new students.

Dependent clause: a unit that contains a subject and a predicate but is "masked" by a subordinator. Therefore, a dependent clause cannot stand by itself. Examples:
When the dog bites If it rains tonight Although it wont be so bad to paint your face

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