Examples

🧾Definition

Sentences can be classified according to the number and type of clauses they contain:

• Simple sentences have one independent clause
• Compound sentences have two or more independent clauses
• Complex sentences have at least one independent clause and at least one dependent clause

🔬Discovery

✅Form

When clauses are combined into sentences, there are conventional rules of punctuation which writers should be prepared to follow, especially in formal and assessed writing. Although there are variations, the patterns can be summarized as follows:

In younger grades, teachers usually focus on helping students start sentences with a capital letter and end them with a period, question mark, or exclamation point. In later grades and with higher English proficiency levels, students learn to use commas more accurately. The semicolon is rarely used in practice, although it is impressive if employed correctly (see Compound sentences).

<aside> ⚠️ Careful!

• There are only seven connectors which function as coordinating conjunctions and join independent clauses, known as the FANBOYS connectors (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
• Other very frequently used conjunctions are in fact subordinators and form dependent clauses in complex sentences, such as because and although. Another group of connectors are not conjunctions at all but in fact adverbs (therefore, however, also, too, etc.). These words cannot join clauses. More detail is provided in the section on connectors. </aside>

💬Functions