Sentence Types

Stop!

This is a minor sentence because it only has one word.

Bob held up a sign.

This is a simple sentence because it only has one clause (idea).

Bob held up a sign and it said ‘stop’.

This is a compound sentence because it is two simple sentences joined by ‘and’ or ‘but’.

Despite having his hands full, Bob held up a sign that said ‘stop’.

This is a complex sentence. Complex sentences have a main clause.

Sentencesforimpact

We use them to emphasise other sentence types:

Trouble. As Bob ran out of the shop, he could see the young hooligans crossing the road. They were coming towards him. He screamed, but the teenagers still did not stop. Quickly, Bob turned. Looking over his shoulder, he could still see the hoodies heading his way. Bang: the gun went off.

Look at how the paragraph contains a range of sentence types. See if you can identify the different sentence types in the paragraph. You want to ensure you vary your sentences throughout the paragraph.

Trouble (Minor). As Bob ran out of the shop, he could see the young hooligans crossing the road (Complex). They were coming towards him (Simple). He screamed, but the teenagers still did not stop (Compound). Quickly, Bob turned (Complex). Looking over his shoulder, he could still see the hoodies heading his way Complex). Bang: the gun went off (Complex).