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Simple and compound sentences
A simple sentence contains one independent clause. A compound sentence contains more than one! Put another way: a simple sentence contains a subject and a predicate, but a compound sentence contains more than one subject and more than one predicate.
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- Hey David Alexander, quick question for you. After time stamp1:11, what are some easy ways of telling the difference between a simple sentence and a compound sentence and could you maybe show an example or two?(96 votes)
- 1) Thank you for trusting me with this question (I've given you an upvote on it).
2) My easy way to tell the difference between simple and compound sentences is to see how they fall into pieces, and note whether each piece has its own subject and verb.
3) EXAMPLE A: She closed the door and went to school.
This is not a simple sentence because, when divided into it's parts (She closed the door) and (went to school) the second one has no stated subject. So this is a complex sentence.
EXAMPLE She watched television, and he cooked supper. This is a compound sentence, because each part has its own subject and its own verb.(56 votes)
- Can a compound sentence be: I and my sister got a sunburn while I was eating ice cream.(15 votes)
- Yes, that is a compound sentence. But the conventions of courtesy ask that you mention others before you mention yourself. Permit me this rewrite: "My sister and I got sunburned while I was eating ice cream."(46 votes)
- Whenever I use a compound sentence it always ends up being a run-on. How do I fix something like this?(0 votes)
- Let's say you have the run-on sentence ' Bob ran very fast, he fell.' There are 3 ways to fix it (and any other run-on sentence).
1st way:
Turn it into 2 sentences.
Bob ran very fast. He fell.
2nd way:
Use a word like, 'but', 'and', or 'although'.
Bob ran very fast, but he fell.
3rd way:
Use a semicolon
Bob ran very fast; he fell.
Any one these three options can be used with any run-on sentence, just see which one sounds the best and use it.
Hope this helps!(15 votes)
- hi i just got back on khan academy soo i might need help with some stuff can u help me someone(0 votes)
- Can the two independent clauses in a compound sentence be connected by a semi-colon? Should I drop the conjunction in this case?(4 votes)
- Yes, a sentence remains compound if you replace the comma and coordinating conjunction with a semicolon.(3 votes)
- I learned so much now I'm big brain(5 votes)
- how do one earn a black hole badge(4 votes)
- Watch lots of videos.(3 votes)
- I have a question so my question is How do you identify simple sentences?(2 votes)
- Its when you have 1 independent clause.You have 1 subject(noun) and 1 predicate(verb)
for an example:
Kai made lemonade.
It has one subject and one predicate.It has 1 independent clause.
:D(0 votes)
- me to. but after we get throw this we can have a nap or some relax time(5 votes)
- Is a compound sentence two sentences put together by a conjunction?(0 votes)
- A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses joined with a comma and coordinating conjunction, also known as the FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). In addition, you can join independent clauses with a semicolon or with a semicolon, conjunction adverb, and a comma.
Remember that an independent clause can have a compound subject and/or a compound predicate.(10 votes)
Video transcript
- [Voiceover] Hello Grammarians. Hello Paige. - [Voiceover] Hi David. - [Voiceover] I say hello to you and I say hello to the grammarians. - [Voiceover] That was an
interesting thing to say. - [Voiceover] Yeah, it's cause
there's a compound sentence. - [Voiceover] I see. - [Voiceover] So there's this
distinction made in grammar, between simple and compound sentences. And today Paige, you and I are going to cover those differences. - [Voiceover] Let's do it. - [Voiceover] So, a simple
sentence is really just what it says on the tin. A simple sentence consists of one subject and one predicate, and that's it. - [Voiceover] Right. - [Voiceover] So in the sentence, I bought my friends some candy, alright we got our one subject, I. And then we have our one predicate, bought my friends some candy. - [Voiceover] Mhmm. - [Voiceover] Now all of this together is what we call an independent clause. I don't wanna hit that too hard right now. But you know, when you have this set of subject and a predicate together, and it can be a sentence, that's called an independent clause. I'm not even gonna write that down. - [Voiceover] Yeah. - [Voiceover] But a compound
sentence is basically two or more simple
sentences joined together. So that would be two
subjects plus two predicates. Or more, two, three, a bajillion. - [Voiceover] Sure. - [Voiceover] That would be
a very long sentence to read, but you could do it, it would be a very very compound sentence. So I visited the beach and
I got a really bad sunburn. When we're looking at this,
this is really two sentences together, joined by
the comma and this and. Alright, so we have our subject, I visited the beach, I
got a really bad sunburn. And we have our two predicates, I visited the beach, got
a really bad sunburn. - [Voiceover] So the
subject in both these cases is I right, but it's sort of separate. It's like, I'm doing
two different actions. - [Voiceover] Correct. - [Voiceover] What's
important is even if it's the same subject, if it's I both times. Well I don't know how to say this, but just, if it were, I visited the beach and got a really bad sunburn. - [Voiceover] Then it
would be a simple sentence. - [Voiceover] Then it's simple. - [Voiceover] Okay so
Paige, I'm looking at this and I see I twice. What if I wanted to condense
this sentence further? - [Voiceover] Okay. - [Voiceover] What does that give us? Is this a simple sentence
or a compound sentence? Because this looks like
what you would call a compound predicate. - [Voiceover] Right, since
there's only one subject in this sentence, there's only
I and it's only said once. Right, you don't have, I visited the beach and I got a really bad sunburn. That whole thing, visited the beach and got a really bad sunburn, is you're right, it is
a compound predicate. - [Voiceover] But what
you're saying is I couldn't divide this up into two sentences, unless I put in another subject. Right, you can say, I visited the beach, and that could be a sentence on its own. But you can't say, and
got a really bad sunburn, as its own sentence. - [Voiceover] Okay, so both
of these things are simple. So even though this is
a compound predicate, it's technically one predicate. - [Voiceover] Right, it's -- - [Voiceover] And even if I'd written, Paige and I visited the beach and I got a really bad sunburn, that would still be a compound subject, but it wouldn't be two
sentences squished together, it would be one kind of long sentence. - [Voiceover] Right. You can have a compound subject
or a compound predicate, but that doesn't make
it a compound sentence. What makes it a compound sentence, is you have two parts that
can stand on their own as individual sentences, and they're sort of being put together. - [Voiceover] So let me
change what I wrote here, to just say, instead of two
subjects and two predicates. Cause I think that's confusing in light of this information, let's just
say it is two simple sentences. - [Voiceover] Right, or
two independent clauses. You know, that terminology. - [Voiceover] Or two, yeah. And if you don't, never
fear, we'll cover it, and you can learn anything. David out. - [Voiceover] Paige out.