1. Sentence Types and Patterns
Grammar Boot Camp
Sentence Types and Patterns
Adapted from

2. Overview
Patterns of independent and dependent clauses create 4 types of sentences
Four Sentence Types:
Simple Sentence (1 IC)
Compound Sentence (2 ICs)
Complex Sentence (1 IC, 1 DC)
Compound/Complex Sentence (2 ICs, 1 DC)

3. Simple Sentence Pattern: IC. Examples: 1. My dog is named Charlie.
2. I had a cat named Blacky.
3. Charlie is a very bad dog.
4. Charlie is very mischievous.

4. Compound Sentences (2 ICs)

5. Compound Sentence : a Pattern: IC , for IC.
and
nor
but Coordinating Conjunctions or
yet so
Example: Charlie barks at nothing, and my mom goes crazy.
FANBOYS!

6. Compound Sentence: A More examples…
My mom didn’t want Charlie, but my sister convinced her.
My sister is in Chicago, so my mom is left to take care of him by herself.
My mom claims she can’t wait to get rid of him, but she secretly loves him.

7. Compound Sentence : B Pattern: IC; IC.
Example: I went to the store; I bought some milk.

8. Compound Sentence : c Pattern: IC ; therefore , IC.
however
moreover Conjunctive Adverbs
furthermore
Example: I would love to have a cat; however, I know I don’t have time to take care of it.

9. Complex Sentences (DC + IC)

10. Common Subordinating Conjunctions
Before
After
When
Although
While
Because If
That
Since B A W I T S

11. Complex Sentence : a Pattern: DC, IC.
Example: When my cat Blacky died,
I was very upset.

12. Complex Sentence : b Pattern: IC DC.
Example: I like cats better than dogs because they are more independent.

13. Compound-Complex Sentences

14. Compound/Complex Sentence : a
Pattern: IC , for IC DC.
and
nor
but Coordinating Conjunctions or
yet so
Example: I try to clean the house every day, but it is hard when I have so much to do.

15. Compound/Complex Sentence : b
Pattern: IC DC , for IC.
and
nor
but Coordinating Conjunctions or
yet so
Example: I would clean the house if I got paid for it, but I definitely don’t get paid.

16. Compound/Complex Sentence : c
Pattern: DC, IC , for IC.
and
nor
but Coordinating Conjunctions or
yet so
Example: Since my husband goes to school full time, he doesn’t have time to clean, but he still does more than I do.

17. Now It’s Your Turn:
Identify the sentence type (simple, compound, complex, compound/complex) for each item below:
I was scared when my cat ran away.
Charlie can be very difficult, but I still love him because he is so cute.
Charlie got away from his leash one day, but he didn’t even try to run away.
I am happy that my mom has to take care of him.

18. Answer key:
Complex
Compound-Complex
Compound

19. How well do you understand?

20. Congratulations!
You are now a master of the four grammatical sentence types!

21. Q: What is an Independent Clause?
A: An independent clause is a group of related words containing a subject, a verb, and a complete thought. For more information on independent clauses, sign up for Building Muscle: Phrases and Clauses of Grammar Boot Camp.
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22. Q: What is a Dependent Clause?
A: A dependent clause is a group of related words containing a subject and a verb; it does not, however, contain a complete thought. Thus, it cannot stand alone. For more information on dependent clauses, sign up for Building Muscle: Phrases and Clauses of Grammar Boot Camp.
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23. Q: What is a Coordinating Conjunction?
A: A coordinating conjunction joins independent clauses as well as other sentence elements of equal weight or function. The following is a list of coordinating conjunctions, commonly referred to as the “FANBOYS”:
for
and
nor
but FANBOYS (taken from the first letter of each word) or
yet so
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24. Q: What is a Conjunctive Adverb?
A: A conjunctive adverb indicates a relation between independent clauses. The following is a list of common conjunctive adverbs:
accordingly consequently indeed
also finally instead
anyway furthermore likewise
as a result hence meanwhile
besides however moreover
certainly incidentally nevertheless
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