Worksheet for identifying complex and simple sentences, including definitions and practice exercises.

To solve this worksheet, we need to look at each sentence and decide if it is simple or complex.

Here is the rule from the top of the page:
* Simple Sentence: Has one complete thought (one independent clause). It stands alone.
* Complex Sentence: Has two parts: an independent clause (complete thought) AND a dependent clause (incomplete thought). The dependent part usually starts with words like *because, after, unless, although, since,* etc.

Let's go through them one by one:

1. "I love to read."
* This is just one complete thought. There are no connecting words like "because" or "after."
* Type: Simple sentence

2. "We ran home and ate dinner."
* This has two actions ("ran" and "ate"), but they share the same subject ("We"). It is still just one main group of words working together. There is no dependent clause starting with a subordinator.
* Type: Simple sentence

3. "After the movie, we all went out for pizza."
* Look at the word "After". This is a subordinating conjunction.
* Part 1: "After the movie" (This is a phrase acting as a time marker, often treated similarly to a dependent clause structure in these exercises because it sets up the condition/time). *Correction*: Strictly speaking, "After the movie" is a prepositional phrase, not a clause (no verb). However, looking at the other examples like #4 and #6, let's look closer. Actually, usually, a complex sentence needs a dependent *clause* (subject + verb). Let's re-read the definition provided: "Dependent clauses start with subordinating conjunctions...".
* Let's look at sentence 3 again: "After the movie..." -> "movie" is a noun. There is no verb in "After the movie". So technically, this is a simple sentence with a long introductory phrase. BUT, in many elementary worksheets, if it starts with a subordinator word, they might label it complex. Let's look at sentence 5: "Let's all take a walk after dinner." Here "after" is a preposition. Sentence 3 is similar.
* *Self-Correction/Refinement*: Let's look at standard grammar rules vs. this specific worksheet's likely intent.
* Sentence 4: "Unless he shows..." -> "he shows" is a subject+verb. This is definitely a dependent clause. So #4 is Complex.
* Sentence 6: "Once I finished lunch..." -> "I finished" is subject+verb. Dependent clause. So #6 is Complex.
* Sentence 3: "After the movie..." -> No verb. It's a prepositional phrase. Therefore, the whole thing is one independent clause: "we all went out for pizza." So it should be Simple.
* *Wait*, let's check common pitfalls. Sometimes "After" is used as a conjunction in casual speech ("After we saw the movie"). But here it says "After the movie". It is a phrase. I will stick with Simple for #3 based on strict grammar, but let me double-check the context of "subordinating conjunctions". The prompt lists "after" as a sub-conjunction. If the student sees "After" at the start, they might think Complex. However, without a verb in that first part, it's not a clause. Let's look at #9 "As I arrived". That has a verb. #3 does not. I will mark #3 as Simple.

* *Alternative View*: Some lower-level resources confuse phrases with clauses. Let's look at the other clear ones first.

4. "Unless he shows, we have to close up the shop."
* Starts with "Unless" (subordinating conjunction).
* "he shows" is a subject and verb. This is a dependent clause.
* Type: Complex sentence

5. "Let’s all take a walk after dinner."
* "after dinner" is at the end. It's a prepositional phrase. The main part is "Let's all take a walk". One complete thought.
* Type: Simple sentence

6. "Once I finished lunch, I saw the surprise."
* Starts with "Once" (acts like a sub-conjunction here meaning "when").
* "I finished lunch" has a subject and verb. It's a dependent clause.
* Type: Complex sentence

7. "She had a fun birthday party."
* One subject, one verb. Complete thought.
* Type: Simple sentence

8. "Wherever they are, it is far from here."
* Starts with "Wherever" (subordinating conjunction).
* "they are" is a subject and verb. Dependent clause.
* Type: Complex sentence

9. "As I arrived, they all go out of the car."
* Starts with "As" (subordinating conjunction).
* "I arrived" is a subject and verb. Dependent clause.
* Type: Complex sentence

10. "We didn’t hear the sound."
* One subject, one verb phrase. Complete thought.
* Type: Simple sentence

11. "Although she was smart, she didn’t understand the problem."
* Starts with "Although" (subordinating conjunction).
* "she was smart" is a subject and verb. Dependent clause.
* Type: Complex sentence

*Re-evaluating #3*: "After the movie, we all went out for pizza."
In strict grammar, this is a Simple Sentence because "After the movie" is a prepositional phrase, not a clause (it lacks a verb). A complex sentence *must* have a dependent *clause*. Since there is no verb in the first part, it cannot be a clause. Therefore, #3 is Simple.

Let's double check #2: "We ran home and ate dinner."
This is a simple sentence with a compound predicate. It is NOT complex because there is no second subject for the second verb, and no subordinator. Correct.

Final Check:
1. Simple
2. Simple
3. Simple (Prepositional phrase, not a clause)
4. Complex (Unless he shows...)
5. Simple
6. Complex (Once I finished...)
7. Simple
8. Complex (Wherever they are...)
9. Complex (As I arrived...)
10. Simple
11. Complex (Although she was...)

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Final Answer:

1. simple sentence
2. simple sentence
3. simple sentence
4. complex sentence
5. simple sentence
6. complex sentence
7. simple sentence
8. complex sentence
9. complex sentence
10. simple sentence
11. complex sentence