EN/ED325 Syllabus
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Grammar Text Table of Contents

For the first time in this book, I will define. But these will be descriptive definitions.

1. A simple sentence is made up of one independent clause.

2. A compound sentence is made up of more than one independent clause.

3. A complex sentence is made up of one independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses.

4. A compound-complex sentence is made up of more than one independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses.

Since we will not be talking about what makes up a subordinate clause, there is very little to teach in this chapter. Most useful would be examples.

The Simple Sentence: Hey! We don’t need examples. That’s all we’ve been doing all semester. You have seven basic sentence patterns and a bunch of samples to fit them. They make up the possibilities for unelaborated simple active-voice declarative sentences in normal sentence order.  Keep in mind, however, that all the other kinds of simple sentences are the ones that will give you trouble.  Remember that all simple sentences are not short.  Take for example:  "Over the river, through the woods, and across the pond to miss the prying eyes of irritating strangers, to grandmother's house we go (often--far, far, too often--for a woman in her condition of health and slender economy)."  If I haven't slipped up, the preceding is a simple sentence, a bad one, but grammatical.

The Compound Sentence: Hey, again! Just hook any two or more semantically related simple sentences together with a coordinating conjunction (and, or, but, yet, or a couple of other less usual choices), a conjoining adverb such as therefore, and/or the appropriate punctuation (Note that this book does not discuss punctuation. See any reputable handbook for such truck.) and you have a compound sentence. (Example: The duck is flatfooted. It quacks. = The duck is flatfooted and it quacks.) Yes. They do get much more complicated than this, but our purpose is not to confuse but to illuminate. Consider yourself illuminated.

The Complex Sentence: Ah! What a treat!!  Finally, something to confuse us!!!   Mainly because we have not yet discussed the subordinate clause. (I can hear you rumbling now: "Oh, not again! There he goes putting the cart before the horse, the phrase before the word, the whole before the part, the get before the getalong. Yup! That’s what I’m doing. You use complex sentences all the time. I don’t need to teach them to you. You just need to recognize them when you see them. We’ll analyze the subordinate clauses in the next chapter.

Here are a number of possibilities for complex sentences.  Notice that subordinate clauses are in bold italics.

1) After he ate his dinner, he burped.

2) The party got wild when John walked in.

3) Where Park students reside, you find intelligence.

4) I am so angry that I can’t speak.

5) Because he has no money, he can’t buy the car.

6) Herbert believes he is smart.

7) A pet is what it is.

8) Pay attention to what I say.

9) That I like ice-cream is obvious.

10) I gave whoever would take it my opinion.

11) We declared him whatever he wanted to be.

12) The job that I have is anything but boring.

We could just go on and on and on. But we won’t.

A compound-complex sentence is just the combination of a compound sentence and a complex sentence. Example:  The duck is flat-footed and it swims when it wants to.  No need for further discussion. They happen.

End of discussion.

Chapter 15 Homework Assignment:  Find an article in a book or magazine. From the article, type out  one example each of  simple, compound, complex, and  compound-complex sentences.  Be sure I can understand which you believe is which.   

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