3 Degrees Of Sentences

The 4 Degrees of Sentences

Experienced use a variety writers

of sentences to make their writing interesting and lively.

What is a Simple Sentence?

A simple sentence, also called an independent clause, contains a subject and a verb, and it expresses a complete thought.

Examples: A. Some students like to study in the mornings. B. Juan and Arturo play football every afternoon.

What is a Compound Sentence?

A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinator.

The coordinators are as follows:

for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. (Helpful hint: The first letter of each of the coordinators spells FANBOYS.)

Except for very short sentences,

coordinators are always preceded by a comma.

Examples: A. I tried to speak Spanish, and my friend tried to speak English. B. Alejandro played football, so Maria went shopping. C. Alejandro played football, for Maria went shopping.

What is a Complex Sentence?

A complex sentence has an independent clause joined by one or more dependent clauses.

A complex sentence always has a subordinator such as:

because, since, after, although, or when or a relative pronoun such as that, who, or which.

Examples:

A. When he handed in his homework, he forgot to give the teacher the last page. B. The teacher returned the homework after she noticed the error. C. The students are studying because they have a test tomorrow. D. After they finished studying, Juan and Maria went to the movies. E. Juan and Maria went to the movies after they finished studying.

What is a compound – complex sentence?

a sentence with at least two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses (which can also be called subordinate clause) is referred to as a compoundcomplex sentence.

Example: 1. The cat lived in the backyard, but the dog who knew he was superior, lived inside the house and he acted spoiled. 2. Though the boat had been tested on the water, the Excelsior did not fare well on the ocean, but it did develop a huge following in Minnesota which has a huge number of calm lakes and as a result boats can float well.

What is a Dependent Clause?

A Dependent Clause has a subject and predicate but it only makes sense when attached to a main clause. They are also called : Subordinate Clauses.

Example: • After the fireworks went off… • Since the women all came together… • Before the toys fell apart…

What is an Independent Clause?

An Independent Clause has a subject and predicate and can stand alone as a sentence. They are also called main clauses.

Example: • The men went dancing with the women. • The desks were arranged in a square. • Peyton, Dylan and Savannah visited me this morning.