Sentence structure refers to the arrangement of clauses in a sentence. The three common types are simple, compound, and complex sentences. Clauses can be freestanding or dependent. Simple sentences have one independent clause, compound sentences have two or more independent clauses, and complex sentences have one independent and one or more dependent clauses. Compound-complex sentences combine both types. Fragments are incomplete thoughts, while imperatives give commands.
Sentence structure is the order and arrangement of clauses in a sentence, which is a group of words expressing a complete thought. Three of the most common types of sentence structure are simple, compound, and complex sentences. Each of these can be identified by the number and types of clauses found within them.
Types of clauses
The term “clause” simply refers to a group of words that form an idea, somewhat synonymous with “sentence”. A “freestanding clause” is a sentence that includes a subject and a predicate and can stand on its own as a complete statement. Conversely, a “dependent clause” might have both a subject and a predicate, but what it expresses is incomplete. This distinction is important, as various types of sentence structure are created by combining these two forms.
Subject-predicate structure
Often, but not always, sentences begin with a subject. This subject is commonly a noun or noun phrase. In the clause “Matt did the dishes”, the subject is “Matt”. The predicate is usually found at the end of the sentence structure and usually consists of the verb and its modifiers. In the example above, “washed the dishes” is the predicate; “washed” is the verb or action and “the dishes” is the direct object, which identifies what the subject acts on.
Simple
A simple sentence structure consists of an independent clause. The previous example is simple and expresses a complete idea. Although a short example, the length of the sentence cannot be used to judge its type. “The man was walking down the street to see if the paper had arrived at his favorite corner shop” is simple, with only one independent clause, although it is much longer than the previous example.
Compound
Compound sentences are made up of two or more simple or independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction such as “and” or a coordinating adjective such as “however”. “I went to the store” and “The clerk waved” are both simple sentences. They can be joined together to create the compound, “I went to the store and the clerk waved.”
Complex
A complex sentence has an independent clause joined to a dependent clause. Because dependent clauses don’t express complete ideas, they often become subordinate clauses that don’t have the same strength as independent ones. For example, “Both gold and coal are valuable, though gold is worth more”, consists of the independent clause “Both gold and coal are valuable” and the dependent clause, “although gold is worth more more”. This dependent clause does not express a complete idea, and is subordinated because the conjunction “although” indicates that what follows is less important than the other clause.
Compound-Complex
The combination of the compound and complex forms creates a sentence structure known as a “compound-compound”. This occurs when a simple and a complex sentence are combined together or two complex types are connected. For example, “I went to the store and bought some milk, even though I really wanted ice cream,” is a complex compound. It begins with a simple sentence, “I went to the store,” which is connected by “and” to a complex sentence made up of the independent clause “I bought some milk” and the dependent clause “although I really wanted ice cream.”
Fragments and imperatives
When dealing with sentence structure, it is important to avoid fragments. A fragment is an incomplete thought or dependent clause by itself. “However, I went to the shop,” is a fragment, as there is clearly something missing from the idea expressed by it. It contains a subject and a predicate, but the conjunction “however” indicates a missing element.
Fragments are not to be confused with “imperatives”, which give commands. The object of an imperative statement is the intended or implied “you”. “Come here” is an example of such a command, understood as “You, come here”. Many people distinguish a fragment from an imperative by adding the word “you” before it and seeing if it makes sense.
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