ShmoopTube

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Sentence Types, a la Shmoop. It would be pretty boring if sentences only

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came in a single flavor.

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Vanilla’s fine, but who wants a world without chocolate? Or even… green tea ice cream?

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Hey, some people like it…

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There are three basic types of sentences.

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First, the simple sentence, AKA the independent clause. You can also think of it as a complete

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thought. So long as it’s got a subject and a verb, you’re set.

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The other two types use different helper words to connect clauses.

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Compound sentences have two independent clauses, connected with a helper word such as and,

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nor, or so.

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And finally, complex sentences really live up to their name… they have an independent

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clause plus one or more dependent clauses…

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…which can’t stand alone as complete thoughts… so they’re connected via a helper word such

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as although, when, or which.

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Now let’s translate this all into English.

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Here’s the simplest of simple sentences.

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A simple sentence is solid; it stands on its own.

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That’s why it’s also known as an independent clause.

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Like our friend over here…it stands on two legs: a subject and a verb.

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But a simple sentence doesn’t have to be quite so simple.

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It can have a compound subject – that is, multiple subjects…

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“Mike and Bobby are caught by the police.”

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…or a compound verb.

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Mike goes home and loses his “art supplies.” In a compound sentence…

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…you’ve got one sentence, but two independent clauses…

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…joined by a FANBOYS coordinator.

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And by FANBOYS we mean for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so.

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These FANBOYS are just dying to get between two independent clauses…

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…usually preceded by a comma.

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For example,

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“Bobby failed miserably to impress Lisa, yet he kept trying to impress Megan, too.”

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And then there’s the…complex sentences.

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That is, an independent clause joined to one or more dependent clauses.

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They’re joined by either a subordinator – such as because, after, although, or when,

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or a relative pronoun such as that, who, or which.

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For example:

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“Mike took down his shrine to Suzie which took over a month to make.”

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And one with two dependent clauses:

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“Although Suzie thought Mike was sort of cute, she preferred someone who didn’t literally

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worship her.”

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So there are three sentence types – simple, compound, and complex.

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A simple sentence is an independent clause -- with at least one subject and verb.

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A compound sentence is two independent clauses joined together by FANBOYS.

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And a complex sentence is one independent clause plus one or more dependent clauses,

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joined by a subordinator or relative pronoun.

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Just remember that there’s always got to be as least one independent clause in each

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sentence.

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Because somebody’s got to stay independent…

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