A simple sentence contains one independent clause and no dependent clauses. That clause can include a compound subject, a compound predicate, or phrases that add detail.
Simple sentence examples
- The bell rang. One subject and one verb form the clause.
- Mina and Omar opened the store. The two names form a compound subject and share the verb opened.
- Mina opened the store and turned on the lights. The two verb groups share the subject Mina and form a compound predicate.
- After lunch, the museum guide at the front desk handed the visitors a map. The phrases after lunch and at the front desk add detail to one clause.
When one clause becomes two
In Mina opened the store, and Omar turned on the lights, each clause can stand alone. The second subject, Omar, has its own predicate, so the result is a compound sentence. In Mina opened the store after Omar arrived, after Omar arrived is a dependent clause, making the result a complex sentence.
Compare the four patterns in sentence structure.
