The Four Types of Sentences in English

The following article defines the four types of sentence constructions in English—simple sentences,
compound sentences, complex sentences, and compound-complex sentences—and includes
examples to illustrate the sentence structures.

Simple Sentences

The first sentence structure in English is the simple sentence. Simple sentences consist of one verb
clause. A verb clause is an independent clause that is formed by a subject and a predicate. Verb
clauses are also referred to as main clauses or matrix clauses. For example, the following sentences
are simple sentences:

Subject | Predicate

The dancer | sat on the pie.

The flower and the pumpkin | have blown away.

That Max likes cucumbers | surprises his mother.

Dancing | is my favorite exercise.

Compound Sentences

The second sentence structure in English is the compound sentence. Compound sentences consist of
two or more verb clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction or a correlating and coordinating
conjunction pair. For example, the following sentences are compound sentences:

Correlating Conjunction | Verb Clause | Coordinating Conjunction | Verb Clause

Ø | Jack Sprat did not eat fat, | and | his wife would not eat lean.

Ø | The storm destroyed our squash, | so we ate eggplant instead.

Both | the shed fell down | and | the garage blew up.

Either | you need to study harder | or | you need to drop the class.

Complex Sentences

The third sentence structure in English is the complex sentence. Complex sentences consist of one
verb clause and one or more adverb clauses. An adverb clause is a dependent clause that is formed
by a subordinating conjunction followed by a clause. The adverb clauses may either precede or
follow the verb clause. For example, the following sentences are complex sentences:

Adverb Clause | Verb Clause

Because of the rain, | the museum cancelled the picnic.

Although she studied all weekend, | she still failed the test.
 Verb Clause | Adverb Clause

I will join you for lunch | after I wash my hands.

Linus will be sad | if he misses the Great Pumpkin again.

Adverb Clause | Verb Clause | Adverb Clause

Even though he enjoyed the movie, | he will not buy the DVD | because he only watches films
once.

After she left work, | the woman stopped at the store | before she went home.

Compound-Complex Sentences

The fourth sentence structure in English is the compound-complex sentence. Compound-complex

sentences consist of two or more verb clauses and one or more adverb clauses. In other words,
compound-complex sentences are combinations of one or more compound sentences and one or
more complex sentences. For example, the following sentences are compound-complex sentences:

Verb Clause | Adverb Clause | Conjunction | Verb Clause

He went to the market | because he needed more milk, | and | then he made pudding.

Adverb Clause | Verb Clause | Conjunction | Verb Clause

Unless the coffee is hot, | I will not drink it, | so | please put on a fresh pot.

Verb Clause | Adverb Clause | Conjunction | Verb Clause | Adverb Clause

I went to the bathroom | before I sat down, | but | my husband visited the facilities | after he
watched the movie.
Simple Sentence Examples
Simple Sentence

A simple sentence is one independent clause that has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete
thought. Notice that there are some important requirements for a simple sentence:

1. Must have a subject and a verb.

2. Must express a complete thought.

3. Must only have one clause.

Examples of Simple Sentence:

1. Joe went to the store.

2. Sarah and Jessie are going swimming.

3. The frog jumped and landed in the pond.

4. Can I have some juice to drink?

5. The pizza smells delicious.

6. There is a fly in the car with us.

7. Look on top of the refrigerator for the key.

8. I am out of paper for the printer.

9. Will you help me with the math homework?

10. The music is too loud for my ears.

Compound Sentence Examples

A compound sentence has at least two independent clauses that have related ideas. The
independent clauses can be joined by a coordinating conjunction (there are seven–for, and, nor, but,
or, yet, so) or a semicolon.
Compound Sentences with Coordinating Conjunctions

She did not cheat on the test, for it was not the right thing to do.
I think I will buy the red car, or I will lease the blue one.
I really want to go to work, but I am too sick to drive.
I am counting my calories, yet I really want dessert.
He ran out of money, so he had to stop playing poker.
They got there early, and they got really good seats.
There was no ice cream in the freezer, nor did they have money to go to the store.
I would have gotten the promotion, but my attendance wasn’t good enough.
Should we start class now, or should we wait for everyone to get here?
Cats are good pets, for they are clean and are not noisy.

Compound Sentences with a Semicolon

Joe made the sugar cookies; Susan decorated them.

The sky is clear; the stars are twinkling.
The waves were crashing on the shore; it was a lovely sight.
There were white out conditions in the town; the roads were impassable.
Check back tomorrow; I will see if the book has arrived.
He said he was not there yesterday; many people saw him there.
I am happy to take your donation; any amount will be greatly appreciated.
She only paints with bold colors; she does not like pastels.
She works two jobs to make ends meet; at least, that was her reason for not having time to join us.
Malls are great places to shop; I can find everything I need under one roof.

Compound Sentences in Quotes

Here are examples of compound sentences used by well-known people:

"Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one." - Lyndon B. Johnson
"The drought had lasted now for 10 million years, and the reign of the terrible lizards had long
since ended." - Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey
"Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them." - Ronald Reagan
"I have often wanted to drown my troubles, but I can't get my wife to go swimming." - Jimmy
Carter
Complex Sentence Examples

Complex sentences are fascinating components of the English language. When used properly, they
can add depth to our writing. Complex sentences contain an independent clause and at least one
dependent clause.

An independent clause has the ability to stand alone as a sentence. It always makes a complete
thought. A dependent clause cannot stand alone, even though it has a subject and a verb.

Complex sentences are friends and neighbors to compound sentences. There’s only one difference.
Compound sentences contain two independent clauses — that’s all there is to it. Let’s break down a
couple complex sentence examples into its parts.
Independent and Dependent Clauses

Let’s start with an independent clause, one that can stand alone:

Katie sipped on her cappuccino.

This is an independent clause because it's a complete sentence containing a subject and a verb and
fully expressing an idea.

Now let’s see a dependent clause, one that does not fully express an idea:

While Katie sipped on her cappuccino

Although this sentence contains a subject (Katie) and a verb (sipped), it's not a complete thought
— we still need more information. Therefore, it’s not a complete sentence.

When an independent and a dependent clause join together to form a complex sentence, they can
go in either order.

Here's an example where the independent clause comes first:

I was snippy with him because I was running late for work.

Here’s an example where the dependent clause comes first:

Because I was running late for work, I was snippy with him.

To connect independent and dependent clauses, you need subordinating conjunctions like “after,”
“while,” or “since.” If the dependent clause comes first, you will generally need to separate the
clauses with a comma.
Common Complex Sentence Examples

Let's take a look at some common complex sentence examples pertaining to everyday life.

Because my coffee was too cold, I heated it in the microwave.

Although he was wealthy, he was still unhappy.

She returned the computer after she noticed it was damaged.

Whenever prices goes up, customers buy less products.

The actor was happy he got a part in a movie even though the part was small.

After the tornado hit, there was very little left standing.

The museum was very interesting, as I expected.

Now that he's rich and famous, people make allowances for his idiosyncrasies.

Even though he's thoroughly trained, he still makes a lot of mistakes.

When she was younger, she believed in fairy tales.

I have to save this coupon in case I come back to the store tomorrow.

Complex Sentences from Literature

Here are some well-crafted complex sentences from literature.

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different
drummer. - Walden, Henry David Thoreau

The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman stood up in a corner and kept quiet all night, although of
course they could not sleep. - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum

Because he was so small, Stuart was often hard to find around the house. - Stuart Little, E.B. White

Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aurelian Buendia was to remember that
distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. - One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel
Garcia Marquez

As Grainier drove along in the wagon behind a wide, slow, sand-colored mare, clusters of orange
butterflies exploded off the blackish purple piles of bear sign and winked and fluttered magically like
leaves without trees. - Train Dreams, Denis Johnson
Compound Complex Sentences

To understand a compound complex sentence, let's review compound sentences and complex
sentences.

A compound sentence is made of two simple sentences joined by a conjunction.

A complex sentence is made of a simple sentence and a dependent, or subordinate, clause (has a
subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought.

So, a compound complex sentence is made up of more than one sentence joined by a conjunction,
and at least one of those sentence is complex. In other words, it is a compound sentence with a
dependent, or subordinate clause.

Examples of Compound Complex Sentences:

1. When I grow up, I want to be a ballerina, and my mom is proud of me.

2. I will get to watch television, but first, I have to clean up the dishes after we finish eating.

3. We won the game, but my uniform was muddy because it rained the entire time.

4. After our trip to the beach, school started back, and I was excited to see my friends.

5. Sarah cried when her cat got sick, but he soon got better.

6. The sun is shining through the clouds, so I think that we can go swimming.