Overview
Varying the types of sentences used within paragraphs can lead to effective writing. Some types of sentences include the simple sentence, the compound sentence, the complex sentence, and the compound-complex sentence.
The Simple Sentence
The simple sentence contains one independent clause. It can be as brief as a subject and verb, such as “Birds fly.” Even if modifiers are added to the subject and the verb, such as “Many different migratory birds fly long distances in the winter”, it remains a simple sentence. The sentence can have more than one subject, such as “Birds and insects fly” or more than one verb, such as “Birds walk and fly, “ but it is still a simple sentence, because it constructed with only one independent clause.
The Compound Sentence
The compound sentence contains more than one independent clause, such as “Birds fly, and fish swim.” As long as there are no dependent clauses in either part of the sentence, it can be modified many different ways. For example, “Migratory birds fly long distances in the winter, and some fish swim long distances to spawn.” It is very important to make sure that both parts of the compound sentence are joined by either a coordinate conjunction such as and, but, or, so, or a semicolon, in order to avoid run-on sentences.
The Complex Sentence
The complex sentence contains only one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. For example, “Although many types of birds nest in a small territorial area, migratory birds fly long distances in the winter.” The dependent clause is not a separate sentence, so it cannot stand alone. One common writing error is to separate the dependent clause from the rest of the sentence, ending it with a period. In order to correct this error, either recast it as an independent clause by removing the subordinating conjunction although, or connect it with the independent clause.
The Compound-Complex Sentence
The compound-complex sentence contains more than one independent clause, as well as dependent clauses that modify them. For example, “Migratory birds fly long distances in the winter rather than remain under adverse conditions; but some fish swim long distances in order to spawn.” Some words that signify dependent clauses are subordinating conjunctions such as before, after, rather than, if, than, unless, until, whether, when, and while.
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