Part 1: Sentence and Clause Structure
Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences
Examples
Simple sentence: I missed the bus.
Compound sentence: I missed the bus, and I walked to school.
Complex sentences: I missed the bus because I woke up late.
Definition
Sentences can be classified according to the number and type of clauses they contain:
Simple sentences have one independent clause.
Compound sentences have two or more independent clauses.
Complex sentences have at least one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
It is important to note that these are grammatical terms. Simple sentences aren’t always easy to read, and complex sentences aren’t necessarily more difficult! For example:
Simple sentence: Consuming coffee in the afternoon or evening may disrupt circadian rhythms and levels of hormones such as melatonin. (Source)
Complex sentence: The [coffeee] varieties we have today have probably been around for a long time. (Source).
Discovery
Form
When clauses are combined into sentences, there are conventional rules of punctuation which writers should be prepared to follow, especially in formal and assessed writing. Although there are variations, the patterns can be summarized as follows. In the table, and means any coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS), because means any subordinating conjunction, and therefore means any adverb connector
|
Simple sentences |
IC. |
Arabica coffee only grows in a few places. |
|
IC. Therefore, IC. |
Arabica coffee only grows in a few places. Therefore, it is at risk from climate change. | |
|
Compound sentences |
IC, and IC. |
Arabica coffee only grows in a few places, and it is at risk from climate change. Arabic coffee only grows in a few places and is at risk from climate change.* |
|
IC; IC. |
Arabica coffee only grows in a few places; it is at risk from climate change. Arabica coffee only grows in a few places; therefore, it is at risk from climate change. |
|
|
Complex sentences |
IC because DC.
|
Arabica coffee is at risk from climate change because it only grows in a few places. |
|
Because DC, IC. |
Because Arabica coffee only grows in a few places, it is at risk from climate change. | |
* Some grammar descriptions would consider this a simple sentence because it has one subject (Arabica coffee) and two verb phrases joined by a conjunction. Functional grammar views this as logically compound since there are two different ideas joined by a conjunction. Note that the comma is recommended when there is a new subject in the second clause but not if the subject is omitted.
In younger grades, teachers usually focus on helping students start sentences with a capital letter and end them with a period, question mark, or exclamation point. In later grades and with higher English proficiency levels, students learn to use commas more accurately. The semicolon is rarely used in practice, although it is impressive if employed correctly.
Careful!
There are only seven connectors which function as coordinating conjunctions and join independent clauses, known as the FANBOYS connectors (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). Other very frequently used conjunctions are in fact subordinators and form dependent clauses in complex sentences, such as because and although. Yet other connectors are not conjunctions at all but in fact adverbs (therefore, however, also, too, etc.). These words cannot join clauses. More detail is provided in the chapter on connectors.
Exercises
