You're not my (sentence) type: Simple, Compound, Complex

Understanding these three sentence types will transform the clarity and accuracy with which you write English. Understanding them is seriously useful for understanding how to use full stops (periods), commas, semicolons, colons and conjunctions. A grasp of these sentence types will prevent you from making a host of common errors in English.

Before we start, it is useful if you understand these two terms:

Independent Clause - an independent clause is a part of a sentence that makes sense on its own. It must contain a subject and a verb.

Dependent Clause - a dependent clause is a part of a sentence that does not make sense on its own. It is additional information.

I like fishing.

Mr. Jack went to the shop.

Although he was tired, he still went fishing.

Mr. Jack, who was reading quietly, didn't react to the noise.

Ok. Now we understand independent and dependent clauses, we can have a look at the three sentence types.

Simple Sentences

Simple sentences contain one independent clause. At the beginning there is a capital letter, and at the end is a full stop (period). They contain a subject, a verb and they express one idea.

Mr. Jack enjoys reading mystery novels.

Explanation: This is a simple sentence with one independent clause: "Mr. Jack enjoys reading mystery novels." It contains the subject "Mr. Jack" and the predicate "enjoys reading mystery novels."

More examples:

1. Mr. Jack enjoys hiking in the mountains.

2. Mr. Jack practices meditation.

3. Mr. Jack usually eats a salad for lunch.

4. Mr. Jack reads novels in the evenings.

5. Mr. Jack volunteers at the local community centre.

Compound Sentences

A compound is something made of two or more things joined together. That's exactly what a compound sentence is: a sentence made up of two or more independent clauses joined together.

We join the independent clauses together using co-ordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) or semicolons ;-). They MUST be joined together (or this is a run-on sentence) and a comma MUST NOT be used (or this is a comma splice).

Mr. Jack enjoys reading mystery novels but he prefers science fiction stories.

Explanation: This is a compound sentence with two independent clauses. The first independent clause is 'Mr. Jack enjoys reading mystery novels." The second independent clause is 'he prefers science fiction stories.' They are joined together with the co-ordinating conjunction 'but'.

More examples:

1. Mr. Jack enjoys travelling so he is saving for his next trip.

2. Mr. Jack likes eating burritos but he much prefers tacos.

3. Wolves live in the forest; they hunt for deer and pigs.

4. Mr. Jack is fascinated by wolves; wolves are mysterious, magical creatures.

5. Mr. Jack wants a pet wolf but it is too dangerous.

Complex Sentences

A complex sentence also has two or more clauses. This time, we introduce a dependent clause - extra information. These are usually created with a subordinating conjunction (although, because, if, since, while). These sentences allow for more complex information to be conveyed.

Although Mr. Jack loves chocolate, he tries to limit his daily intake.

Explanation:

This sentence has an independent clause: "Mr. Jack tries to limit his daily intake." It also contains a dependent clause: "Although Mr. Jack loves chocolate." The dependent clause cannot stand alone but adds information about Mr. Jack's feelings towards chocolate. The subordinating conjunction 'although' is used to introduce the clause. They are separated with a comma.

More examples:

1. Although Mr. Jack prefers sunny weather, he still enjoys the cozy atmosphere of a rainy day indoors.

2. Since Mr. Jack moved to the countryside, where life is quieter, he has discovered a newfound appreciation for nature.

3. While Mr. Jack was working on his garden, he realized that gardening had become his favourite pastime.

4. Because Mr. Jack had a busy day at the office, he decided to unwind by taking a long walk in the evening.

5. Even though Mr. Jack has a demanding job, he always finds time to volunteer at the local animal shelter.

Understanding these three sentences may seem like a lot of hard work, but I promise that it will be of great use!

Demonstrate your ability to identify the three sentence types by deciding where to put the full stops in the following paragraph. Answers are below.

Mr. Jack enjoys hiking in the mountains although he prefers it when it is sunny, he also loves hiking in the rain the mountains are enormous; he is thrilled just by looking at them often, he stops for lunch and stares out at the view he thinks about how lucky he is to live here.

As always, if you feel like you need more help, explanation or examples do not hesitate to get in touch. You can get hold of us on this link or can head over to our Instagram (@englishwithmr.jack) or DM us on WhatsApp. Remember: there is no such thing as a silly question and we are always here to help.

Answers

Mr. Jack enjoys hiking in the mountains. Although he prefers it when it is sunny, he also loves hiking in the rain. The mountains are enormous; he is thrilled just by looking at them. Often, he stops for lunch and stares out at the view. He thinks about how lucky he is to live here.