Sentence Structure Notes
Sentence Types:
โ Simple
โ Compound
โ Complex
โ Compound complex
Basic Elements of Every Sentence:
โ Subject-Mary
โ Predicate-plays tennis
Simple Sentence: one subject and one predicate.
Example: We went to San Juan yesterday.
Compound Sentence: has more than one part that can stand alone (independent clauses).
The two parts that can stand alone (Independent Clauses) are connected by a comma and a
coordinating conjunction.
Example: We went to San Juan yesterday and most of us danced all night.
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So
Complex Sentence: has at least two parts: one that can stand alone (independent clause) and
another that cannot (dependent clause). The part that cannot stand alone is linked to the rest of
the sentence by a subordinate conjunction.
If the dependent clause comes first, you must connect it with the independent clause with a
comma. If the independent clause comes first, you do not need to add a comma.
Example: Since my girlfriend and I wanted to have fun, we went to San Juan yesterday.
Subordinating Conjunction Examples:
โ After
โ Although
โ As
โ Because
โ Before
