Types of sentences

An independent clause is basically a complete sentence; it can stand on its own and make sense. An independent clause consists of a subject (e.g. “the dog”) and a verb (e.g. “barked”) creating a complete thought.

• The dog barked.

A dependent clause cannot stand alone even if it contains a subject and a verb. Dependent clauses do not express complete thoughts so they are considered incomplete sentences or fragments. You can often identify a dependent clause by a “dependent marker word”— a word or phrase which implies there is more to the sentence (e.g. “when”).

• When the dog barked.

The example of an independent clause above, “The dog barked,” is a simple sentence. Simple sentences can also be longer than this; as long as a sentence consists of only an independent clause, it is a simple sentence. Simple sentences can also contain a compound subject or a compound verb.  Because these sentences still contain only one independent clause (as opposed to two or more independent clauses and/or an independent clause and a dependent clause), they are still considered simple sentences.

• The dog barked.
• The quick, red fox jumped over the lazy, brown dog.
• The dog and the fox jumped over the cat.
• The fox jumped over the dog and dashed across the field.

A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses (or simple sentences) combined into one sentence.

• The fox jumped over the dog, and the dog ran under the fence.
• The dog loves treats; the fox loves flowers.
• The dog growled, the cat cried, and the fox dashed away.

Complex sentences combine independent (or “main”) and dependent (or “subordinate”) clauses: “When the dog barked, my sister cried.” In this example, “my sister cried” is the independent or main clause, and “when the dog barked” is dependent or subordinate. We know this because of the dependent word marker “when.” When one clause is subordinate to another, it means the subordinate clause holds less importance in the sentence than the main clause.

• When the dog barked, my sister started crying.
• The fox, even though it was injured, jumped over the dog.
• Rather than running around the dog, the fox jumped over the dog.
• The fox jumped over the dog whereas the cat ran around him.

Compound-complex sentences combine a compound sentence and a complex sentence. These sentences contain two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.

• When a tree branch fell, the dog yelped, and the fox ran away.