The importance of sentence structure

What is sentence structure?

Sentence structure refers to the way the words in a sentence are organized. Understanding sentence structure is important–if you don’t know how to structure your sentences, they can come across as choppy or difficult to understand.

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As a basic rule, a sentence must include a subject and a verb. The subject of a sentence will either be a person or a thing. The verb in a sentence is the action taken. Without a subject and a verb, the sentence won’t be a complete sentence. Here’s an example of a sentence with a subject and a verb:

• My mom walked the dog.

In the above sentence, “my mom” is the subject, and “walked” is the verb. If you were to just write the words “walked the dog,” you would make a confusing and incomplete sentence.

There are four types of sentence structures in English:

• Simple
• Compound
• Complex
• Compound-complex

Let’s take a deeper look at the different types of sentence structures.

Simple sentence structures

As the name suggests, a simple sentence structure is the least complicated type of sentence. A simple sentence only contains one independent clause. An independent clause is a sentence that contains a subject and a verb and is a complete thought. Here are some examples of simple sentences:

• Jack ate the food.
• She ran home.
• The dog barked loudly.
• Nora skipped class.

Since simple sentences are typically short, it’s important that you use them thoughtfully in your writing. Using too many simple sentences can make your writing choppy.

Compound sentence structures

Compound sentences contain at least two independent clauses that are connected by a conjunction or semicolon. The following words are conjunctions:

• For
• And
• Nor
• But
• Or
• Yet
• So

Here are some examples of compound sentences:

• I drank water but Taylor drank soda.
• I like dogs; he likes cats.
• Ryan went to sleep but Andrew went to the party.
• I did my chores, so my mom gave me $5.

Complex sentence structures

Complex sentences include an independent clause as well as a dependent clause. Dependent clauses are like independent clauses in that they require a subject and a verb, but the difference between the two is that dependent clauses can’t form a sentence on their own. Dependent clauses usually start with a relative pronoun or a subordinate conjunction. Subordinating conjunctions include:

• As
• Because
• Before
• If
• Since
• Though
• Until
• When
• Whether
• While
• Whereas

Here are some examples of complex sentences:

• When I drove home, I listened to music.

“When I drove home” is the dependent clause. On its own, it wouldn’t create a coherent sentence. “I listened to music” is the independent clause.

In the following example:

• Before the movie started, I bought popcorn.

“Before the movie started” is the dependent clause. It wouldn’t make sense as its own sentence. “I bought popcorn” is the independent clause that makes the sentence intelligible.

• While I love coffee, I prefer tea instead.

Here, “while I love coffee” is the dependent clause. “I prefer tea instead” is the independent clause.

Note that the independent clause can come first in a complex sentence. For example:

• I am having a relaxing day since I took the week off.

In the sentence above, “I am having a relaxing day” is the independent clause, while “since I took the week off” is the dependent clause.

Compound-complex sentence structures

In a compound-complex sentence, you’ll find two or more independent clauses as well as one or more dependent clauses. The dependent clause can be placed anywhere in the sentence. Here are some examples of compound-complex sentences:

• I beat the game, but I would have finished it faster if it included a multiplayer feature.
• You should meet us tonight for dinner, but since you got stuck in traffic last time, you should leave your house earlier.
• As soon as I got home, I called my sister and we talked for hours.
• When I went to the restaurant, I tried to pay for our meal, but my card was declined.

Understanding sentence structure and the different parts of a sentence will greatly improve your writing. By using simple sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences, and compound-complex sentences, you can improve your skills and write with clarity and style.