SENTENCE TYPES

Simple Sentence

A simple sentence expresses one idea. It is built around one subject-verb (S-V) or subject-verb-object (S-V-O) combination. The sentence may be a long one because there may be other words which describe the S-V (-O). Both of the following are simple sentences:

The horse galloped.
The black horse galloped smoothly to the barn with her colt.

Compound Sentence

When a writer connects two or more ideas with a certain kind of connecting word, that is a compound sentence
(S-V, and S-V).

Deaf people use their eyes very well, so they do not need help driving.
Most people use their ears for hearing the car motor, but deaf people feel vibrations.

Many of the connecting words in compound sentences are listed below with the necessary punctuation.

, and	, so	, yet	either, or	not only, but also
, but	, or	, for	neither, nor
; moreover,	; thus,	; for example,	; then,
; consequently,	; also,	; as a result,	; besides,
; however,	; for instance,
; furthermore,	; nevertheless,

Sometimes two ideas may be joined by a semicolon (;) alone. Usually this is done only when the first idea is general, and the second illustrates the first or when the two ideas are clearly related.

It was cold today; the thermometer dropped to -14.

Complex Sentence

When a writer connects two or more ideas with a certain kind of connecting word, that makes a complex sentence. If the connecting word is between two ideas, no punctuation is used. If the connecting word begins the sentence, put a comma at the end of the first idea.

I will meet you for lunch unless you call to cancel.
Unless you call to cancel, I will meet you for lunch.

Many of the connecting words typical in complex sentences are listed below.

Time	Cause	Condition	Relation
after	because	unless	who,whose,whom
before	since	although	that
until	so that	if	which
when		as if	what, whatever
while		whether...or not
as		even though