structure simple sentence, complex sentences, and compound sentence

•Waiting to have my car's oil changed is boring.

examples of two independent clauses together in one sentence joined by a comma and/or a coordinating conjunction:

Everyone else in the program is half her age is an independent clause. "Everyone else in the program" is the subject, "is" is the action, and a complete thought is expressed.

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Compound sentence: I enjoy watching golf matches on television, especially on Sundays near the end of the tournaments, but I also like to play golf with friends at our local nine-hole course.

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Simple sentences: I am going. Don't cry. Never fear. I'll return. A

A simple sentence may also have additional parts of speech: prepositions, adjectives, and adverbs. As seen in Example 4.2, these develop sentences into more meaningful ways of communicating:

A complex sentence contains an independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence and makes a complete thought and a dependent clause can not stand alone, even though it has a subject and a verb

In addition to simple sentences and complex sentences, there are also compound sentences.

As seen in Example 4.4, a compound sentence differs from a simple sentence because it contains two (or more) independent clauses joined together with a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon.

A dependent clause is a clause that is made dependent or incomplete because of the addition of a subordinating conjunction

Because a simple sentence cannot contain a dependent clause, it need only have a subject and verb to be complete:

They do not contain one or more dependent clauses, which would make them complex sentences. A complex sentence appears in Example 4.3.

Complex sentence: When this happens, I don't try to pull my thoughts back to the present.

An independent clause is a group of words with a subject and a predicate. It expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence

I enjoy sitting by the fireplace and reading.

A simple sentence is a sentence that contains only one clause that has a complete meaning (a clause that has a complete meaning is called an independent clause).

Simple sentences, such as those in Example 4.1, are the easiest type of sentences to identify. They must not contain any dependent clauses.

Simple sentences: I am going away from this noisy, crowded cafeteria. Don't cry over that exam last period. Never fear defeat while learning. I'll return to help you study after lunch period.( 4.2)

The additional modifiers change the meaning of these sentences. However, they are still simple sentences.

The only difficulty in writing a simple sentence is in conjugating the verb. Students occasionally confuse a verbal, a word that is sometimes a verb but not acting as a verb in a particular sentence, with a conjugated verb.

Without that helper, traveling becomes a modifier; it is not a conjugated verb, so this sentence is not correct.

A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses joined together with a coordinator such as for, and or but. It is distinct from a complex sentence, which is an independent clause that is joined with a dependent clause.

•Alex likes to fish, and he is going fishing on Friday. Alex likes to fish is an independent clause. "Alex" is the subject, "likes" is the action, and a complete thought is expressed.

•The beach is a lot of fun, but the mountains are even better.

•All of us went to the movie, and we agreed it was enjoyable.

He is going fishing on Friday is an independent clause."He" is the subject, "is going" is the action, and a complete thought is expressed.

•Becky wishes she could be younger, for everyone else in the program is half her age. Becky wishes she could be younger is an independent clause. "Becky" is the subject, "wishes" is the action, and a complete thought is expressed.

of two independent clauses joined by a semicolon:

•I went to the Department of Motor vehicles; I took the written test.

•Because my coffee was too cold, I heated it in the microwave.

•The man who sold my dad the car is shifty.