Every language has its own twists and turns and this holds true for English language also. We learn alphabets and make words and use words to make sentences. The sentences can be short and long, sometimes so long that you re-read it to understand it completely. You might think why these sentences are so long when they can be written in simple manner. Some sentences give a lot of information in it so they appear long. Things are easy to understand when you categorize them. There are three main categories to understand a sentence in English language.
Simple sentences
Compound sentences
Complex sentences
Simple sentences:
Simple sentences are the sentences that contain a subject and a verb. They are made of a single independent clause and can stand on their own. Hence, in a simple sentence, the thoughts expressed are complete.
Examples:
· Jill climbed the mountain.
· She drank milk in the morning.
· Ian came first in the race.
· Mom cooks food.
· Rooney scored a long-range goal.
But, the this does not mean the simple sentences do not exceed more than 5-10 words. Even the sentence with many words can be a simple sentence.
Example:
“Leaning first this way and then that, the large tan dog with a wide black collar barked loudly at the full moon last night from under the lilac bush in the shadow of the north side of the house”.
Compound sentences:
These sentences consist of two or more than two independent or simple sentences. They can stand on their own too. The clauses are joined by coordinating conjunctions after the comma.
For example,“The striker shoots the ball, and the goal is scored”.
The clause can also be joined by a semicolon.
For example, “The striker shoots the ball; the goal is scored”.
The compound sentence is also joined by a comma, but only when the simple sentences are continued as subjects in a series.
Example, “The striker shoots, the goal is scored, and the crowd goes absolutely wild”.
Complex sentence:
These sentences have an independent clause and a dependent clause which are joined by a subordinating conjunction. Since a dependent clause cannot produce a meaning, there should be an independent clause to help the incomplete sentence to form a sentence with fulfilled thought, i.e., a complete sentence. So, basically it’s a combination of an independent clause and a dependent clause.
A complex sentence has a subordinate or a relative pronoun in it.
Examples:
· As her parents were home, she immediately woke up and started studying.
· Although the boy topped 12th board exams, he was rejected by the finest university in the city.
· Since Mike came back from the trip, everything seems to be normal.
Let’s experiment your knowledge about the types of sentences through a simple test. Determine which sentences are these;
1) She went for trekking.
2) They came a long way back from Istanbul to Paris, but could not see their favorite team play in their home ground.
3) Lisa and Aryan did not eat their breakfast and felt fatigued.
4) After having a bunch load of pizzas, Sharan was asleep very fast.
5) The shoplifter had stolen clothes, so he ran once he saw the police.
Answers:
1) Simple
2) Compound
3) Simple
4) Complex
5) Compound
The above exercise and explanations will help you understand the types of sentences which will improve your English and communication skills. By joining a spoken English course you can further enhance your knowledge and become a pro.
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-By Shailja Varma
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