Helpful Hints, Tips, and Tricks

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Today, we're focusing on different sentence structures. The first one we're looking at is the simple sentence. Simple sentences contain an independent clause, which is made up of a subject and verb. Here's an example:

"The dog ate food."

Simple sentences have to express a complete thought.

Next is a compound sentences. These sentences is two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction of semicolon. If you don't know what conjunctions are, they are a word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause. Some coordinating conjunctions are for, and, but, nor, or, yet, so. Also, each independent clause can be it's own sentence. Here's an example of a compound sentences:

"Reyah stared at him, and he shifted beneath her gaze."

You can take this sentence and split it into two. It would be, "Reyah stared at him. He shifted beneath her gaze."

The next sentence structure is a complex sentence. A complex sentence consists of an independent clause plus a dependent clause. A dependent clause depends on the independent clause since it cannot stand on its own. You can bring these two clauses together by using subordinating conjunctions. Some of these are after, although, as, because, before, how, if, once, since, than, that, though, till, until, when, where, whether, while. Here's an example:

"I lock the door before I leave the house."

The last form of a sentence is a compound-complex sentence. A compound-complex sentence consists of at least two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses. Here's the example:

"John didn't come because he was ill so Mary was not happy."

All of these sentences are needed in your works. You do not want to use one more than the others because then things would get boring.