The 4 Degrees

of Sentences
Experienced
writers use a variety
of sentences
to make their
writing
interesting
and lively.
What is a
Simple A simple sentence,
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 for, and, nor,
coordinators are but, or, yet, so.
as follows: (Helpful hint:
The first letter of
each of the
coordinators
spells
FANBOYS.)
Except for
very short coordinators
sentences, 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
A complex
Sentence? sentence has an
independent
clause joined by
one or more
dependent
clauses.
A complex because,
sentence since, after,
always has a although, or
subordinator when or a
such as: 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 a sentence with at
least two
compound – independent clauses
complex and one or more
sentence? dependent clauses
(which can also be
called subordinate
clause) is referred to
as a compound-
complex 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 A Dependent
Clause has a
Dependent subject and
Clause? 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 An Independent
Independent Clause has a
subject and
Clause?
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.