Simple, Compound, & Complex Sentences

Independent Clauses vs. Dependent Clauses

• Independent clauses are also called main clauses. Independent clauses are the most important. Independent clauses can be all by themselves in a sentence.)

• Dependent clauses are also called subordinate clauses. Sub=below or less important. Dependent clauses cannot be all by themselves in a sentence. Dependent clauses depend on the independent or main clause.

• Practice here.

Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences

• Simple: 

  •  He likes Italian food.

  • (1 independent clause)

• Compound:

  • He likes Italian food, and she likes Indian food.

  • (more than one independent clauses)

• Complex: 

  •  Because he wants her to be happy, they are going to the Indian restaurant.

  •  (dependent + independent clauses)

Identify simple, compound and complex sentences.

• Practice here.

Practice finding comma splices and fused sentences.

• A comma splice or fused sentence is when you take two main clauses and put them together using only a comma.

Practice here.

Practice finding sentence fragments.

• A fragment is an incomplete sentence. It is a sentence that does not have a subject and a predicate. It does not have a subject + modified verb.

• Practice here.