Learn English Grammar and Vocabulary
Simple and Compound sentences
According to their clause structure, sentences can be divided into four different kinds – simple, compound, complex and compound-complex.
The simple sentence
Read the following sentences.
- The sky is blue.
- Milk is rich in nutrients.
The sentences given above have only one subject and one predicate.
A sentence which has only one subject and one predicate is called a simple sentence.
The compound sentence
Read the following sentences:
- John went to the store and bought some books.
- You can go by bus or by train.
The sentence 1 consists of two parts ‘John went to the store’ and ‘John bought some books’ joined by the coordinating conjunction and. Each part has its own subject and predicate and therefore each is a clause. Moreover, they are clauses of equal rank or importance, independent of each other. Such clauses are called coordinate clauses.
Sentence 2 also consists of two independent clauses of equal rank, ‘you can go by bus’ and ‘you can go by train’ joined together by the coordinating conjunction or.
A sentence which consists of two or more coordinate clauses of equal rank is called a compound sentence.
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