Sentence Structure
Good writers vary the structure of their sentences so that some are short and others are long, and
they include a variety of simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.
The structure of a sentence is determined by the number and type of clauses within them.
Clauses
 A CLAUSE is a group of words with a subject and a verb.
Remember that a phrase does NOT have a subject and a verb.
prepositional phrases: in the morning, with a sigh, according to the plan
appositive phrase:
John, my best friend, is moving soon.
gerund phrase:
Watching football on Sundays is a popular pastime.
participial phrase:
Peering over the cliff, Sean saw the raging river below.
infinitive phrase:
Sarah worked for hours to revise her essay.
(infinitive = to + a verb; to run, to hope, to accept)
Phrase:
Clause:
Feed the dog before dinner.
Feed the dog before you eat dinner.
Phrase:
Clause:
since Tuesday
since she moved back (She is the subject; moved is the verb.)
(You is the subject; eat is the verb.)
 An INDEPENDENT (or main) CLAUSE can stand alone as a sentence because it expresses a
complete thought.
 A SUBORDINATE (or dependent) CLAUSE cannot stand alone as a sentence because it
does not express a complete thought.
SIMPLE SENTENCES
A simple sentence has ONE INDEPENDENT CLAUSE. It doesn’t matter how many phrases it has.
Example: Following the television announcement, Matt Johnson, the $20 million lottery
winner, went into hiding to avoid his greedy relatives.
Example: Rita and Pauline will move to Austin and live in the dorm for a semester.
COMPOUND SENTENCES
A compound sentence has TWO (or more) INDEPENDENT CLAUSES. Notice the three correct ways
to join two independent clauses together.
1. independent clause , FANBOYS independent clause
examples:
Penguins cannot fly ,but they can dive into the ocean.
The essay is due tomorrow ,so I’m going to finish it tonight.
The streets flooded ,for it rained for several hours.
2. independent clause ; independent clause
example:
Football is an autumn sport ; baseball is a spring sport.
3. independent clause ; conjunctive adverb , independent clause
(see next page for the examples)
NOTE: All conjunctive adverbs have four letters or more. You must not put a comma
in front of a joining word that has four letters or more. You must put a semicolon in
front of a conjunctive adverb that joins two independent clauses.
examples:
The instructor handed out the papers ;then she left the room.
Fred was late paying his bill ;therefore, his water was cut off.
The jury deliberated for hours ;however, they had no verdict.
COMPLEX SENTENCES
A complex sentence has ONE INDEPENDENT CLAUSE and ONE (or more) SUBORDINATE CLAUSES.
There are three types of SUBORDINATE CLAUSES:
ADVERB CLAUSES always begin with subordinating conjunctions like these:
after
as long as
before
provided that
although
as soon as
even if
since
as
as though
even though
so that
as far as
as well as
if
than
as if
because
in order that
though
complex sentences
with adverb clauses:
unless
until
when(ever)
where(ever)
while
Because Sekhar told the truth, the headmaster punished him.
The corn crop will be ruined if the drought doesn’t end soon.
Before the trial could begin, the defendant escaped from jail.
She looked as though she had seen a ghost.
ADJECTIVE CLAUSES begin with one of these words (sometimes that is omitted):
who
whose
whom
which
that
when
complex sentences
with adjective
clauses:
NOUN CLAUSES
where
The man who won the lottery hid from his greedy relatives.
Mr. Jackson, whose room is on the third floor, teaches chemistry.
Three o’clock is the time when we’ll leave.
The book I finished last week was my all-time favorite.
Complex sentences with noun clauses:
What you decide to write is completely up to you.
I was surprised by what happened during the football game.
I understand that I need permission to photograph people.
COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCES
A compound-complex sentence has TWO (or more) INDEPENDENT CLAUSES and
ONE (or more) SUBORDINATE CLAUSES.
The subordinate clause is underlined in each of these compound-complex sentences:
If a color-blind woman marries a man with normal vision, all the daughters will have normal vision ,but
all the sons will be color-blind.
The time when severe weather occurs is here ,so everyone needs to be prepared.
The computers were installed as quickly as possible ;however, there were problems that took time to solve.
Sentence Structure Worksheet
Exercise #1
Label each of these as a phrase or a clause:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
praying for a long, soaking rain
a little-known language of the Athbascan family
after settling in the region
since the Navajo language is difficult to learn
when the United States became involved in World War II
Exercise #2
Each sentence below has two clauses. Label each clause as an independent clause or a
dependent (subordinate) clause. The first of the two clauses is underlined.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Unless the rain stops soon, mudslides will engulf these hillside villas.
The Greeks were conquered by Rome, but culturally the Greeks were the conquerors.
I finished reading the book that you loaned to me.
A clarinet has an almost cylindrical tube, while an oboe has a conical pipe.
The oldest instrument family consists of idiophones, and they are also the most widespread
of instruments.
Exercise #3
Label each sentence as simple or compound.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Nora and Carrie drove to school and decorated the cafeteria for the spring sports banquet.
After an hour, they took a short break; then they went back to work.
They agreed not to take any more breaks; otherwise, they would be late getting home.
To pass the time, they talked about school and told stories about their families.
Finishing their work, they complimented each other on the results.
Exercise #4
Add the correct punctuation to each of these compound sentences.
1. The Tropic of Cancer goes through Mexico so the area to the south can be extremely hot.
2. The outfielders missed easy fly balls moreover the infielders were throwing wildly.
3. Mexico’s full name is the United Mexican States it is known as Estados Unidos Mexicanos in
Spanish.
4. The U.S. controlled the Panama Canal Zone after 1914 then the Republic of Panama assumed
complete control of the canal on January 1, 2000.
5. Veins carry blood to the heart but arteries carry blood away from the heart.
Activity #1—Changing an Independent Clause into an Adjective Clause
Write the complex sentence with an adjective clause in the space below:
Activity #2—Creating a Compound-Complex Sentence by Combining Three Independent Clauses
Example:
1. The storm dragged the fuselage out to sea.
2. The storm hit after the plane crash. (Change to an adjective clause.)
3. The boys were left without any shelter on the deserted island.
Choose from these transitions: however, for, instead, so, but
Compound-complex sentence:
The storm that hit after the plane crash dragged the fuselage out to sea , so the boys
were left without any shelter on the deserted island.
A.
1. Jack is a friend of Ralph’s in the beginning.
2. Jack will become a symbol of evil. (Change to an adjective clause beginning with
who.)
3. He will become Ralph’s enemy later in the novel.
Choose from these transitions: but, otherwise, so, for, so that
B.
1. Help continues to come from all over Texas. (Change to an adverb clause beginning
with a subordinating conjunction. Choose one of these: so that, before,
even though, as soon as, if.)
2. The fertilizer explosion in West was incredibly destructive.
3. It will take many years to recover.
Choose from these transitions: nor, for, therefore, nevertheless, yet.
C.
1. The sponge is not a plant.
2. It is an animal
3. The animal is covered with flesh. (Change to an adjective clause beginning with
that.)
Choose from these transitions: moreover, instead, then, also.)
D.
1. People plant sponge fragments.
2. They are harvested two or three years later.
3. They have grown large. (Change to an adverb clause beginning with a
subordinating conjunction. Choose from these: when, even if, while, until.)
Choose from these transitions: and, nor, however, in fact.)
Exercise 5
Label the following sentences as simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex.
1. Records and tapes are rarely used today, but compact discs are still in fairly widespread use.
2. Compact discs are often called CDs.
3. Although a CD may look like a small vinyl record, it doesn’t work like one.
4. Records have a thin groove, and different sounds are recorded as bumps and dents in the groove’s sides
and floor.
5. The sound is produced when a needle moves up and down and from side to side along the groove.
6. A CD, however, is covered with microscopic pits that make up a digital code.
7. When you play a CD, a laser bounces off the CD and reads the pits, and the code is translated into sound.
8. In spite of the cost of CDs, they have many advantages.
9. They produce extraordinary sound, and because a needle never touches them, they last and last.
10. In spite of the advantages of CDs, some music lovers would still rather listen to vinyl records.