It is important to be familiar with the different types of sentence structures in English so that you add variety to your writing. Fortunately, there are only four sentence types in the English language; every possible sentence you write belongs to one of these four categories. Here are the first two kinds of sentences:
Type One: Simple Sentences
The simple sentence is the most basic sentence structure in the English language. It is one complete, independent clause. It must contain a subject, it needs a main verb, and it must formulate a complete thought.
- Andrew works at a bank downtown.
- On Fridays, Andrew works from home.
Simple sentences can have compound subjects:
- Andrew and his coworkers work really well together.
Simple sentences can have more than one verb:
- On Fridays, Andrew finishes work early and picks up his daughter from school.
Type Two: Compound Sentences
Compound sentences consist of two complete, independent clauses connected with some form of punctuation (comma or semicolon) and/or a linking word (conjunction or adverb). In other words, a compound sentence is two simple sentences linked to form one complete sentence. There are three ways to form a compound sentence:
Option 1
Two independent clauses joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction (and / but / or / so / for / yet / nor)
| independent clause | , and , but , so , or , for , nor , yet |
independent clause |
- I’ve had a very long day, so I’m going to bed.
- Andrew works in a bank downtown, and his wife works from home.
- Moving to a new city can be a stressful experience, but it can also be very exciting.
Option 2
Two independent clauses joined by a semicolon (;). In this structure, the two clauses are joined without a linking word, which means the relationship between the two clauses must be clear. The second clause will most often express a cause/effect relationship or will help to clarify the first clause.
| independent clause | ; | independent clause |
- I did most of the work on the presentation; I deserve a higher mark than my partner.
- Last year's flood was very costly; the city spent millions to repair the damaged streets and homes.
When using only a semicolon, be sure that the relation between the two clauses is clear. Contrasting two ideas with only a semicolon can sometimes be confusing.
Unclear
- She loves going dancing at the clubs with her friends; she always feels terrible the next day.
In such cases, it would be clearer to use option 1 or option 3
Option 3
Two independent clauses joined by a semicolon and a conjunctive adverb. The adverb is most often followed by a comma, though there are some exceptions.
| independent clause | ; as a result, ; besides, ; consequently, ; furthermore, ; however, ; in addition, ; in fact, ; instead, ; likewise, ; meanwhile, ; moreover, ; nevertheless, ; next, ; now, ; on the other hand, ; otherwise, ; similarly, ; still, ; then, ; therefore, |
independent clause |
- Jasmin is glad that she got the job; however, she was hoping to get a higher salary.
- Jun Seo doesn’t have a lot of work experience; therefore, he is spending his summer interning at a real estate company.
So when writing compound sentences, you have options and should try to vary your sentences:
- Andrew wants to spend more time with his children, so he works from home whenever he can.
- Andrew wants to spend more time with his children; he works from home whenever he can.
- Andrew wants to spend more time with his children; therefore, he works from home whenever he can.