SENTENCE TYPES
DEFINITIONS
The simple sentence – One independent clause
The compound sentence - Two (or more) independent clauses joined by a
coordinating conjunction
The complex sentence – One independent clause + one or more dependent
clausesclauses
The complex-compound sentence – Two (or more) independent + one (or
more) dependent clauses
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Sentence types in English
Read each sentence and determine its type.
Q1. This is a simple sentence.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q2. I like playing basketball, and my brother likes playing tennis.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q3. I'll help you if you help me.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q4. Her name is Sachiko and she comes from Japan.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q5. My mother cooked dinner while I was doing my homework.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q7. Do you want to go swimming tomorrow, or would you prefer to play
tennis?
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q8. I've brought my umbrella with me in case it rains.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q9. I don't know why he did that.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q10. My family came to Germany when I was in grade 5, but I never learned to
speak German very well.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q11. I'm so pleased that you can come to my party.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q12. He told me that he is returning to London next summer.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q13. I have not seen my grandmother since I came to Germany.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q14. We were doing a mathematics test when the fire alarm rang yesterday.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q15. She runs every day, so she is very fit.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q16. Because she runs every day, she is very fit.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q17. The new girl in our ESL class has a brother in grade 7 and a sister in grade
9.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q18. You should read every day if you want to improve your English more
quickly.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q19. Although it was cold and the rain was getting heavier, we decided to go
fishing as planned.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q20. You should start working a little harder or you are going to fail your test.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q21. I didn't know what time it was so I was very late to class.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q22. Most European countries now use the Euro, but the United Kingdom still
uses the pound (£).
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q23. To build a doll's house you need wood, a hammer, a saw, and lots of nails.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q24. She failed her driving test because she didn't look in her mirror often
enough.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Q25. He got up, walked over to the window, and jumped out.
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
