SENTENCE REVIEW: THE FOUR SENTENCE TYPES
EIGHT PARTS OF SPEECH:
1. noun (college, career, money, success)
2. pronoun (he, she, his, her, it, yours, mine)
3. verb (talks, writes, understands, is, was, were)
4. adverb (calmly, carefully, blissfully)
5. adjective (hot, crowded)
6. prepositions (to, for, in)
7. conjunctions (and, or)
8. interjections (Wow!)
THE FOUR SENTENCE TYPES
1. Simple Sentence
2. Compound sentence
3. Complex Sentence
4. Compound-Complex Sentence
1. THE SIMPLE SENTENCE
DEFINITION: The simple sentence is one independent clause. It must contain
a subject and verb and stand on its own as a complete thought.
Money talks. (subject plus action verb)
Jesus wept. (subject plus action verb)
Talk is cheap. (subject plus linking verb and adjective)
Writing is discovering. (subject plus linking verb and noun)
Writing ______________ . (Complete the sentence with an action verb such as
“engages” or “discovers.”)
Writing is ______________. (Complete the sentence by following the linking
verb “is” with an adjective such as “enjoyable.”)
Writing is ______________. (Complete the sentence by following the linking
verb “is” with a noun such as “thinking.”)
2. BUILDING SIMPLE SENTENCES WITH SINGLE WORDS AND
PHRASES
We build simple sentences by adding single words.
I sat in the church.
I sat calmly in the hot, crowded church. (underlined single words)
1
 We build simple sentences by adding phrases. A phrase is different from an
independent clause. A phrase is a group of words that does not contain both a
subject and a verb, and it cannot stand on its own as a complete thought. A phrase
functions as a part of speech. Phrases do not determine sentence types. Note
phrases in the following sentences:
Laughing out loud, Jake walked into class. (adjective phrase)
Jake was eager to write his first essay. (noun phrase)
Jake recalled memories from his childhood. (prepositional phrase)
To write clearly and effectively is Jake’s goal. (adverb phrase)
English 1301 has started. (verb phrase)\
 We can build simple sentences with both single words and phrases.
Injustice is a threat.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” (Martin Luther
King)
 Note the simple sentences using compound subjects and compound verbs:
Langston Hughes wrote memoirs. (single subject + single verb)
Langston Hughes and Annie Dillard wrote memoirs. (compound subject +
single verb)
Langston Hughes wrote memoirs and listened to jazz. (single subject +
compound verb)
Langston Hughes and Annie Dillard wrote memoirs and published essays.
(compound subject + compound verb)
CHECKPOINTS
Avoid the phrase fragment, a phrase missing either a subject or verb.
Phrase fragment:
Complete sentence:
A long-forgotten memory. (noun phrase)
A long forgotten memory returned to me.
You may, however, use an intentional phrase fragment for stylistic effect. Look at
paragraph #7 in Langston Hughes’ “Salvation”:
“But not really saved.” (phrase fragment)
“Nothing!” (single word fragment)
2
2. THE COMPOUND SENTENCE
DEFINITION: A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses
joined by an appropriate connecting device. The compound sentence can contain any
number of phrases. Because of its structure, a compound sentence tells the reader that the
ideas presented in each of the independent clauses are of equal value.
CONNECTING STRATEGIES
1. Coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so [fanboys])
“He ran after us, and we ran away from him.” (Annie Dillard, “The Chase”)
2. Conjunctive adverb (however, nevertheless, therefore, consequently, likewise,
moreover)
At the corner, I looked back; incredibly, he was still after us.
3. Semicolon (;)
“The air was cold; every breath tore my throat.” (Annie Dillard, “The Chase”)
4. Colon (:)
Childhood memories are important: we need to remember good times in our lives.
5. Dash (—) (Note that a dash is not a hyphen. A hyphen is a smaller mark - .)
I keep recalling my childhood memories—I love reliving those good times!
6. Commas (for three or more independent clauses)
“A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.” (John F.
Kennedy)
I noted the stages of the writing process, I read my homework assignments, and I
analyzed the assignment for writing a memoir.
7. Semicolons and commas
“I was seven; the boys were eight, nine, and ten.” (Annie Dillard, “The Chase”)
CHECKPOINTS
3
1. Avoid the comma splice, an error involving using a comma to join two
independent clauses. Note this example of a sentence containing a comma splice:
I often recall my troubled childhood, vivid images from the past haunt me.
2. Avoid the run-on sentence (also known as a fused sentence), an error involving
two independent clauses jammed (or fused) together without any connecting
device or punctuation:
Some of my childhood memories are painful they bring back some unpleasant
moments.
IDENTIFYING AND CORRECTING FRAGMENTS, RUN-ONS, AND COMMA
SPLICES
Directions: Examine each passage (which could be more than one sentence) for major
sentence errors of fragment, run-on, and comma splice. The sentence might be correct.
How would you correct the sentence errors you find?
Use
C for correct
RO for run-on
F for fragment
CS for comma splice
1. ____ Describing sentences with vivid diction, figurative language, and imagery.
2. ____ I am interested in using figurative language, I specifically like metaphors.
3. ____ My first essay is primarily narration, however, I also plan to use description.
4. ____ My thesis needs more focus I also need to be more specific with diction.
5. ____ Not only does my essay have plenty of conflict and a powerful conclusion.
6. ____ By studying sentence structure.
7. ____ The drafting stage is hard for me I sometimes have difficulty just starting.
8. ____ I am a terrible speller, I continue to rely on my computer’s spell check.
9. ____ Editing my sentences to avoid fragments.
10. ____ Dialog lets the reader hear the speaking voices of characters.
3. BUILDING COMPLEX SENTENCES
4
DEFINITION: A complex sentence is a sentence with one independent clause and at
least one dependent clause (and any number of phrases since phrases do not affect
sentence type).
We create dependent clauses by adding on subordinators to the beginning of the
independent clauses.
There are two kinds of subordinators:
(1) subordinating conjunctions and
(2) relative pronouns.
(3.1) Complex Sentence with Dependent Clause Beginning with a Subordinating
Conjunction
NOTE: A dependent clause is also known as a subordinate clause.
A subordinating conjunction (word or phrase) expresses a relationship between the
clauses. Examples of subordinating conjunctions:
Time: before, after, when, until, while, as soon as, as long as
Place: where, wherever
Purpose: so that, in order that, so
Cause: because, since
Condition: if, unless, provided that, except, whether
Contrast: although, though, even though, despite, in spite of
Independent clause: Annie Dillard threw a snowball.
Dependent clause with subordinating conjunction: After Annie Dillard threw a
snowball. (dependent clause fragment with the word after as the subordinator)
Complex sentence: After Annie Dillard threw a snowball at a man, he chased her.
Complex sentence: A man chased Annie Dillard after she threw a snowball at him.
Emphasis
5
Emphasize your main idea by placing it in the independent clause. The minor or
subordinate information will go in the dependent clause.
After Annie Dillard threw a snowball at a man, he chased her. (periodic sentence)
A man chased Annie Dillard after she threw a snowball at him. (loose or cumulative
sentence)
(3.2) Complex Sentence with Dependent Clause Beginning with a Relative Pronoun
that Functions as the Connecting Word
Examples of relative pronouns are who, whoever, whom, whomever, whose, which, and
that. When you begin a dependent clause with a relative pronoun, you are creating an
adjective clause.
Independent clause: I gave to the library.
Dependent clause with relative pronoun: That I gave to the library. (dependent clause
fragment)
Complex sentence: Annie Dillard’s book is the one that I gave to the library.
(2.1) Complex Sentence with Dependent Clause Beginning with a Relative Pronoun
that Functions as the Connecting Word and the Subject of the Dependent Clause
In a dependent clause with a relative pronoun, the relative pronoun can function as the
connecting (relating) word or as both the connecting word and the subject of the
dependent clause.
Dependent clause: That are in our textbook. (dependent clause fragment)
Independent clause: Memoirs should be read.
Complex sentence: Memoirs that are in our textbook should be read.
Restrictive Dependent Clauses: In the above sentence, the dependent clause that are in
our textbook is a restrictive dependent clause because the clause restricts (narrows,
pinpoints) the specific memoirs that should be read. In other words this dependent clause
is essential to the meaning of the sentence. Because this dependent clause is restrictive,
no commas are required.
Non-Restrictive Dependent Clauses
6
Independent clause: Langston Hughes wrote the memoir “Salvation.”
Dependent clause: Who was a poet. (dependent clause fragment)
Complex sentence: Langston Hughes, who was a poet, wrote the essay “Salvation.”
In the above sentence, the dependent clause who was a poet is non-restrictive because it
does not restrict the meaning of the independent clause. A non-restrictive dependent
clause presents information that is non-essential to the meaning of the independent
clause. Because this dependent clause is non-restrictive, commas are required.
A dependent clause, like a phrase, cannot stand on its own as a complete thought. If you
write a dependent clause as a sentence, it is a sentence fragment. (We’ve seen three
kinds of fragments: word fragments, phrase fragments and dependent clause fragments).
NOTE: The word “which” refers to animals and things. The word “who” refers to
people.
The student who wrote a memoir is in English 1301.
NOTE: The word “that” is used in restrictive (essential) dependent clauses.
We all need jobs that pay well.
NOTE: The word “which” is used in non-restrictive (non-essential) dependent clauses.
My memoir, which I brought with me, is ready for a peer critique. (Note that this
dependent clause is set off in commas.)
Which one of the following two sentences is correctly punctuated?
Drugs, that are dangerous, should not be used.
Drugs that are dangerous should not be used.
4. BUILDING COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCES
DEFINITION: The compound-complex sentence contains at least two independent
clauses and at least one dependent clause.
Independent Clause: Those good students received a daily quiz grade of 100.
Dependent Clause: who brought three copies of their rough draft to class
Independent Clause: Those naughty students did not get full credit.
Dependent Clause: who did not finish their drafts
7
Compound-Complex Sentence: Those students who brought three copies of their
rough draft to class received a daily quiz grade of 100; however, those students
who did not finish their drafts did not get full credit.
8