ROJ - Sentence Types Review Lesson

Simple sentences contain one subject/verb pair and express a complete thought. They may contain more than one subject, as in the following example:

My wife and I got married in Japan.

Simple sentences may also contain more than one verb as in the next example.

He cut the grass and put away the lawnmower.

Here are some other examples of simple sentences and their subject/verb patterns.

The movie wasn't very interesting. (subject, verb)

My friends and I disliked the movie. (subject, subject, verb)

My friends and I cooked and ate the meal together. (subject, subject, verb, verb)

I might watch TV or read a book after dinner. (subject, verb, verb)

Compound Sentences

The second type of sentence, the compound sentence, consists of two simple sentences joined together by a coordinating conjunction.

There are seven coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. A comma precedes a coordinating conjunction which joins two simple sentences.

Note: Do not be confused between a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence and a compound verb in a simple sentence. Study the following examples carefully.

My friend plays the guitar and writes music.

This is a simple sentence containing a subject (friend) and a compound verb (plays/writes).

My friend plays the guitar, and he writes music.

This is a compound sentence — two simple sentences joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction. The subject of the first simple sentence is friend and the verb is plays. The subject of the second simple sentence is he and the verb is writes.

Complex Sentences

Clauses are groups of words that contain subjects and verbs. There are two types: independent (main) clauses and dependent (subordinate) clauses. An independent clause, in addition to containing a subject and verb, expresses a complete thought, and can stand alone as a simple sentence. A dependent clause on its own is just part of a sentence or fragment. It must be joined to an independent clause for it to make sense to the reader.

There are three types of dependent clauses: adjective clauses, adverb clauses, and noun clauses. When you join dependent and independent clauses together, you create complex sentences. Study the examples below.

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