Grammar: 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)

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