Simple Sentence
What Is a Simple Sentence?
A simple sentence is a sentence that consists of just one independent clause. For example:- I know the answer.
- My dog and my cat sleep together on the sofa.
- I know the answer because Jack explained it to me.
- When the sun is shining through the window, my dog and my cat sleep together on the sofa. (Unlike an independent clause, a dependent clause (shaded in these examples) cannot stand alone as a sentence.)
Table of Contents
- Examples of Simple Sentences
- Video Lesson
- The Four Types of Sentence Structure
- Why Simple Sentences Are Important
- Test Time!
Examples of Simple Sentences
Below are examples of simple sentences.- I cannot drink warm milk.
- A day without sunshine is like night.
- Only the mediocre are always at their best. (Novelist Jean Giraudoux)
- Reality continues to ruin my life. (Cartoonist Bill Watterson)
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More about Simple Sentences
- Jack likes walking. (This is a simple sentence with one simple subject ("Jack").)
- Jack and Jill like walking. (This is a simple sentence with a compound subject made up of two simple subjects ("Jack" and "Jill").)
- Jack likes fishing. (This is a simple sentence with a normal predicate, i.e., there's just one main verb ("likes").)
- Jack likes fishing but hates hunting. (This is a simple sentence with a compound predicate. The subject "Jack" is the subject of two verbs ("likes" and "hates").)
- Jack likes walking and fishing but hates running and hunting. (This is still a simple sentence with a compound predicate. The subject "Jack" is still the subject of two verbs ("likes" and "hates"), but you can see how a simple sentence could start to get quite busy.)
- Jack and Jill like walking and fishing but hate running and hunting. (This is still a simple sentence. There are no dependent clauses.)
- Wolves and European brown bears developed a fear of humans too late and became extinct in the British wilds and the forests and mountains of Europe in medieval times.
The Four Types of Sentence Structure
The simple sentence is one of four sentence structures, all of which are shown below. In these examples, the independent clauses are shaded.(1) A Simple Sentence
A simple sentence has just one independent clause. For example:- You're only as good as your last haircut. (Author Fran Lebowitz)
(2) A Complex Sentence
A complex sentence has an independent clause and at least one dependent clause. For example:- When you write a comic strip, the person on the left always speaks first. (Comedian George Carlin)
(3) A Compound Sentence
A compound sentence has at least two independent clauses. For example:- I used to jog, but the ice cubes kept falling out of my glass. (Singer David Lee Roth)
(4) A Compound-Complex Sentence
A compound-complex sentence has at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. For example:- I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph. (Actress Shirley Temple)
Be clear on when to use a comma before "and."
Being able to identify a simple sentence helps with comma placement. Writers are often unsure when to use a comma before words like "and," "or," and "but" (called conjunctions).Let's look at some examples:
- Jack likes chicken and loves Nando's.
- Jack likes chicken but hates turkey. (These are both examples of simple sentences with compound predicates. In each example, there is one subject governing two verbs. Note that there is no comma before the "and" or the "but.")
- Jack likes chicken, and he loves Nando's.
- Jack likes chicken, but he hates turkey. (These look similar, but they are not simple sentences with compound predicates. There are two subjects ("Jack" and "he"), each governing its own verb. These are examples of compound sentences not simple sentences with compound predicates. Each sentence features two independent clauses, not one. Note that there is now a comma before the "and" and the "but.")
- Jack likes chicken and loves Nando's. (In this example of a simple sentence, "loves Nando's" is not an independent clause. That's why there's no comma before "and.")
- Jack likes chicken, and he loves Nando's. (In this example of a compound sentence, "he loves Nando's" is an independent clause. That's why there is a comma before "and.")
- When a simple sentence has compound predicate, don't separate the subject from its second verb with a comma.
- My dog likes toast, but does not eat bread.
- My dog likes toast but does not eat bread.
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Test Time!
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