Sentence Types
Do you know all the different types of
sentences?
3 Basic Sentence Types
• Simple sentence
• Compound sentence
• Complex sentence
Simple Sentences
• Have only one subject-verb combination.
– It may have a compound subject and/or a
compound verb
• Express one complete thought.
Simple Sentence Examples
• Our daughter cooked dinner tonight.
–Our daughter cooked dinner tonight.
• The alien is tall, pale, and creepy.
–The alien is tall, pale, and creepy.
• The candle on the kitchen table smells like a
mango.
–The candle on the kitchen table smells like
a mango.
Simple Sentence Examples
• A simple sentence may have more than one
subject, or a compound subject.
• Shorts and T-shirts sway on the clothesline.
– Shorts and T-shirts sway on the clothesline.
• My dog and cat prefer to eat treats over their
kibble.
– My dog and cat prefer to eat treats over their
kibble.
Simple Sentence Examples
• A simple sentence may have more than one main
verb.
• The children splashed and squealed in the swimming
pool.
– The children splashed and squealed in the swimming
pool.
• Tia Taco ate her treats and drank her water.
– Tia Taco ate her treats and drank her water.
• The aliens abducted and experimented on Tom
Cruise.
– The aliens abducted and experimented on Tom Cruise.
Compound Sentences
• Are made up of two or more complete
thoughts
• Use a comma and a joining word to connect
to the two sentences.
• The joining words are FANBOYS: for, and, nor,
but, or, yet, so
• The most common joining words are: and, or,
but, so
Compound Sentence Examples
• Rose wants chili for dinner, but she forgot to buy the
beans.
– Rose wants chili for dinner, but she forgot to buy the
beans.
• The driver failed to signal, and he went through a
stop sign.
– The driver failed to signal, and he went through a stop
sign.
• The meal was not hot, so we sent it back to the
kitchen.
– The meal was not hot, so we sent it back to the kitchen.
A Note on Compound Sentences
• A compound sentence can also be written as
two simple sentences.
• The thought of aliens on Earth is frightening to
some people, but other people find this
exciting.
• The thought of aliens on Earth is frightening to
some people. Other people find this exciting.
Complex Sentences
• Are made up of one complete thought and a
thought that begins with a dependent word.
• The dependent words can be remembered by
AAAWWWUUBBIS: after, although, as, when,
where, while, unless, until, because, before,
if, since
Complex Sentence Examples
• A comma is placed after a dependent
statement when it starts a sentence.
• Although I had a free ticket to the game, I was
too tired to go.
• When Ms. Jackson entered the classroom, the
scholars became very quiet.
• Since my dog only eats treats, I try to buy
healthy ones full of protein.
Complex Sentence Examples
• When the dependent statement ends the
sentence, no comma is needed.
• I set my alarm at 5 a.m. because I wanted to
finish my homework.
• I asked my mom where she wanted me to put
the groceries.
• The Earth was a big mass of land called
Pangea before human civilization existed.
A Complex Sentence Can Be Written 2 Ways!
• When my nephew was born, I was very
excited!
• I was very excited when my nephew was born!
• You can change the way you write complex
sentences in essays to give your paper
sentence variety and to change the way you
start each sentence.
Understanding Sentence Types
• Can you tell the sentence types in the example
paragraph?
Check your understanding
• And, before, but, because
• V is excited about going to college, and he is
thinking carefully about where to apply.
• Before He enrolled in CHAD, V attended another
high school.
• He did not work hard, but he still made all A’s.
• Because he felt bored and unhappy, his adviser
encouraged him to find another school.
• Because V is interested in graphic design, CHAD is
a good school for him.
Practice 1
• Because, and, so, but, if
1. V has never seen Cambodia, so he relies on his
parents to tell him about it.
2. V’s mother shares memories with her children,
and she also shows them sites such as the
Cambodian temple in the picture.
3. “Because my parents want me to understand my
background, they try all kinds of stuff.”
4. “They put me in a group to learn Cambodian folk
dance, but I was really bad at that.”
5. If V has children of his own some day, he will want
them to learn about Cambodian culture.
Practice 1
• When, because, and, after, so
6. After V’s father returned to Cambodia, V enrolled in
elementary school.
7. Because Cambodia is a poor and troubled country, it
needs educated people like Mr. Ros.
8. Mr. Ros sees his family only about once a year, and they
miss him very much.
9. When his father left the United States, V lost interest in
school for a while.
10. V realized he was endangering his own future, so he
made himself start working again. OR When V realized he
was endangering his own future, he made himself start
working again.
Hint
• And means in addition
• But means however
• So means as a result
Practice 2
• And, but, so
• Place a comma and the joining word
1. Kwan is quite attractive, but she sees herself as
ugly.
2. Jared is good at math, and he writes well too.
3. I lost my watch, so I don’t know what time it is.
4. The book is four hundred pages long, and the
print is very small.
5. The night air was chilly, so I put on a sweater.
Practice 2
• Although, because, since, when
• Place a comma after a dependent statement when it
starts a sentence.
6. Since strawberries are expensive, I don’t buy them
often.
7. Although an elephant’s skin is very thick, it is also very
sensitive.
8. The city pools have been crowded because the weather
turned hot.
9. I quickly called the police when I heard a scream outside.
10. Jessica seems unfriendly although she is really just shy.
Practice 3
• Think on your toes, can you say each sentence
in a combined way?
• But, when, although, and
1. Although
2. When
3. But
4. And
Practice 3
• Think on your toes, can you say each sentence in
a combined way?
• Because, although, but, and, if, since
5. Since
6. Although
7. But
8. And
9. If
10. Since