THE SIMPLE AND THE

COMPOUND SENTENCES

Sentence Structures

The Sentence

A group of words with two main parts: A complete subject and a complete predicate

Expresses a complete thought

E.g. School announcements are made in the morning and at noon.

School announcements – complete subject

Are made in the morning and at noon– complete predicate

Four Structures of Sentences

Simple

Compound

Complex

Compound-Complex

The Simple Sentence

Consists of a single independent clause

May have compound subjects or verbs

May also contain modifying phrases and complements

Compound Subject

The producer and the scriptwriter argued about the script changes.

Compound Verb

Shakespeare wrote and produced his own plays.

Compound Predicate

The boys fished all day and caught nothing.

Compound Subject & Compound Predicate

Both the mayor and the city council attended the hearings and defended the proposals.

Exercise A: Simple or Not?

1. The boys played basketball; the girls went for a walk.

2. The house was small, but the grounds were spacious.

3. The class visited the National Museum and spent hours examining the various exhibits.

4. My brother’s friends waved and cheered for our team.

Exercise B: Sentence Construction

1. Compound subject

2. Compound verb

3. Compound predicate

4. Compound subject and predicate

Compare the ff sentences:

The committee accepted my story and published it.

The committee accepted my story and published it.

Simple w/Compoundpredicate

The committee accepted my story, and the paper published it.

The committee accepted my story, and they published it.

Compound

The Compound Sentence

Consists of two or more independent clauses put together

Joined by:

1) a comma (,) and a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, nor, or)

2) a semicolon (;)

3) a semicolon (;) and a conjunctive adverb (then, however, hence, etc.)

Examples:

1. The plan seemed feasible, but I still felt unsure.

2. The plane made a forced landing, and a crowd of police and emergency personnel gathered quickly at the scene.

3. She could not remember the number of the office, nor her friends could help her.

4. I understand his problem; I had once faced it myself.

5. The majority voted against it; therefore, the party was canceled.

Exercise C: Simple or Compound?

1. The car was nearly full, but we piled in.2. The group checked and rechecked their

answers.3. Our friend learned German and got a

job as an interpreter.4. The hotel room was luxurious, but we

couldn’t open the windows and turn off the lights.

5. Read the directions carefully; then, begin the examination.

6. Your answer in the first problem is correct, but you have made an error in the second.

7. Expecting a call from someone, she sat by the telephone all evening and drove everyone else away

8. Decaying leaves and animal matter make the richest soil.

9. The announcer repeated the news; the tragedy completely unnerved us.

10. Two small moons circle the planet Mars; they are thought to be hollow.

Exercise: Describe these pictures using both compound and simple sentences