| Sentence Type | Examples | Tips |
|---|
| Simple one independent clause | The dog ran.
He jumped onto his horse and immediately fell off.
The tornado and the storm were near our sister's barn. | There can be more than one subject and more than one verb.
The verbs can either be a main action verb (run, jump, swim, etc.) or an auxiliary/linking verb (be, do, have, seems, will, etc.) |
| Compound two or more independent clauses combined with a coordinating conjunction or semicolon | He rode the train, and I drove my car.
The mongoose caught the snake, but the hawk attempted to take it.
My boat had sprung a leak, yet it did not sink. | To help choose a coordinating conjunction, remember FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). |
| Complex an independent clause with a dependent clause | Although the tree fell, no one heard it.
Guillermo ate a chocolate bar after he finished dinner.
Even though Reggie seemed happy, Kenzie knew he was upset. | If a dependent clause and its subordinating conjunction come before the independent clause, you must separate them with a comma.
(This tip is an example.) |
| Compound-Complex an independent clause with a dependent clause combined with another independent clause | I made a pumpkin pie though I had no sugar, so the pie probably tastes terrible.
The sound of rustling trees is so nice, but, once I go home, I will be stressed again. | It is important to take advantage of all sentence types. None of them are “better” than the other. They all have different purposes.
Use a combination of all four to make papers stronger. |