Grammar: Simple Sentences

1.   A simple sentence is a sentence that consists of just one independent clause.

     2.   A simple sentence has no dependent clauses. An independent clause (unlike a dependent clause) can stand alone as a sentence.

       3.   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)

 

      4.   A simple sentence is not always a short, basic sentence like the four examples shown above.

      5.   A simple sentence could have a compound subject (i.e., a subject with two or more simple subjects).

 

For example:

·       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").)

 

      6.   A simple sentence could also have a compound predicate (when two or more verbs share the same subject).

 

For example:

·         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.)