What is a simple sentence?

Task 1: Read the following statements then sort out them

as:
1. a simple sentence
2. a compound sentence
3. a Complex sentence

A- I knew the actress who played that part in

the 1980s.
B-Because the storm hit, the game was
canceled.
C- He opened the drawer, so he found his
missing disk.
D- When the bus arrived, we quickly boarded.
E- The most popular sport in the world is
soccer.
F- The Army, Navy, and Marines sent troops to
the disaster area.
G- The dog barked all the night.
1. a simple sentence
2. a compound sentence
3. a Complex sentence

A- I knew the actress who played that part in the 1980s.

B-Because the storm hit, the game was canceled.
C- He opened the drawer, so he found his missing disk.
D- When the bus arrived, we quickly boarded.
E- The most popular sport in the world is soccer.
F- The Army, Navy, and Marines sent troops to the disaster
area.
G- The dog barked all the night.
What is a simple sentence?
 Clauses are the building blocks of sentences.
What is a clause?

o A group of words that contains (at least) a subject

and a verb;
o A group of words that contains a noun, an adjective
and a pronoun;
o A group of words that contains a verb, a noun, and
an adverb.
Task 2: Which of the following are clauses?
A- After working all day in the language laboratory.
B- Ecology is a science.
A- After working all day in the language laboratory.
B- Ecology is a science.
C- Because pollution causes lung cancer.
D- To protect the environment.

Ecology is a science.
Subject verb (other
words)

Because pollution causes

lung cancer.
Subject verb
(other words)
 (Independent)
A- Ecology is a science.
B- Students normally spend four years in college.
(Dependent)
C- If you leave your car unlocked.
D- Because I had a job interview.

 An independent clause contains a subject, a verb, and

can stand alone as a complete idea (expresses a complete
thought/ makes sense).
Subject + Verb + Complement
 Dependent clause begins with a subordinator such as (if,
that, who, ….) followed by a subject, verb, and
complement. It does not express a complete
thought/idea and cannot stand by itself as a sentence.

Subordinator + subject + verb + complement

… when the semester was over.

… who was accepted by the university.
… because I have a job interview.
… that the experiment was a success.
Task 3: Identify the following groups of words as an
independent, a dependent clause or a phrase. Use these
abbreviations: IC (independent clause), DC (dependent
clause), or P (phrase).
___________ 1. Under the table
___________ 2. After I scanned the document
___________ 3. I scanned the document.
___________ 4. To find a fossil* /ˈfɒs. ə l/
___________ 5. Mr. Darwin found a fossil.
___________ 6. Over the bridge and through the woods*.
___________ 7. We chased the wind over the bridge and
through the woods.
___________ 8. Which is on the floor.
___________ 9. Find your new socks*.
___________ 10. Because of the new guidelines.
___________ 11. Standing on the corner.
___________ 12. Why are we standing on the corner?
___________ 13. After you go to the party.
___________ 14. Leonardo da Vinci was one of the greatest
painters of the Italian Renaissance*.
Renaissance: the period of new growth of interest and
activity in the areas of art, literature and ideas in Europe,
especially northern Italy, during the 14th, 15th and 16th
centuries.
___________ 15. Jet lag* affects most long-distance
travelers.

Jet lag*: the feeling of tiredness and confusion which

people experience after making a long journey in an aircraft
to a place where the time is different from the place they
left.
 What is a simple sentence?

A simple sentence is one independent clause that

stands alone as a complete idea.
 Say which of the folowing are sentences? Why?
 I enjoy playing tennis with my friends every weekend.
 I enjoy playing tennis and look forward to it every
weekend.
 My friend and I play tennis and go bowling every
weekend.
 I enjoy playing tennis with my friends every weekend.
S V
One clause

I enjoy playing tennis and look forward to it every

S V V weekend.

One clause: compound

verb: enjoy / look

My friend and I play tennis and go bowling every weekend.

S V V

One clause: compound

subject/verb
Task 4: Write 5 simple sentences about each photo.

Cooking

Crime
 Work

Pet animals
 Travelling

Music
 Accidents

Terrorism
Corruption