Sentence
Types
Sentences, clauses and
phrases
Clause vs. Phrase

A clause is a group of related words
containing a subject and a predicate.



A predicate contains a verb.
A phrase is a group of words that lacks a
subject or a predicate and that acts as a
single parts of speech.
Example:


“The dog howled.” (clause)
“In the doghouse behind the mansion” (phrase)
Types of Clauses



There are independent and dependent
clauses
Independent clauses can stand by
themselves as sentences
Dependent clauses need to be paired with
independent clauses; they function as
adjectives, adverbs, or nouns.


“Even though I made dinner, my husband still
refuse to do the dishes.”
Dependent clause is italicized, independent
clause is underlined.
Types of Sentences
 Simple
sentence
 Compound sentence
 Complex sentence
 Compound-Complex sentence
Simple Sentence
A
simple sentence is a sentence with one
independent clause
 Note that the definition says nothing
about sentence length, easiness, or how
many phrases.
Examples of Simple Sentences

“Simple sentences are my favorite.”

“Being an English teacher with a penchant for
syntactical complexity, I love simple
sentences.”

“Being an English teacher with a penchant for
syntactical complexity, I love reading simple
sentences before during and after school.”
Compound Sentence
A
compound sentence contains two or
more independent clauses.
 Example:
“I love adjectives, but my
students prefer adverbs.”
Examples of Compound
Sentences
 “I
love adjectives; my students love
adverbs, and we all love the weekends.
 Sometimes,
longer linking words can be
used. “I can name the capitals of all fifty
states; consequently, my friends are
impressed.
Complex Sentence
A
complex sentence contains one
independent clause and one or more
dependent clauses.
 “Because life is complex, we need
complex sentences.”

The dependent clause is italicized, the
independent clause is underlined.
Examples of Complex
Sentences
 “Because
people know I am a senior at
Fenwick, they make allowances for the
length of my skirt and the way that I wear
my hair.”

The independent clause is underlined. There
are four dependent clauses. Can you
identify them?
Compound-Complex
Sentences
A
compound-complex sentence contains
two or more independent clauses and
one or more dependent clauses.
 “Because I am an English teacher, some
people expect me to speak perfectly and
other people expect me to write
perfectly.”

The dependent clause is underlined, the
independent clauses are in italics.
Example of CompoundComplex Sentences
 “Some
students tell me my grading is too
tough, and others tell me my assignments
are boring.”

The independent clauses are italicized; the
dependent clauses occur within the
independent clauses.
Assignment
 Write
a pyramid paragraph using all four
types of sentences.
 Begin with a topic sentence and develop
the topic with reasons, examples, etc.
 Vary sentences in length and style
 Avoid a choppy, awkward paragraph