To determine if a sentence is simple, compound, or complex, we look at how many complete thoughts (independent clauses) it has and what words connect them.
*
Simple: One complete thought. No connecting words like "and" or "because" joining two full sentences.
*
Compound: Two complete thoughts joined by a FANBOYS word (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So). Look for a comma before these words.
*
Complex: One complete thought and one incomplete thought (dependent clause) joined by an AAAWWUBBIS word (As, Although, After, While, When, Unless, Because, Before, If, Since).
Here is the step-by-step breakdown for each sentence:
1.
"Do you want to go to the park?"
* This is just one question/thought. It doesn't have two parts joined together.
* Type:
Simple
2.
"While Max was at recess, he fell and hurt his knee."
* The word "While" is an AAAWWUBBIS word. It starts an incomplete thought ("While Max was at recess"). The second part ("he fell...") is a complete thought.
* Type:
Complex
3.
"Do you have a dog, or do you have a cat?"
* There are two questions here: "Do you have a dog?" and "do you have a cat?". They are joined by ", or". "Or" is a FANBOYS word.
* Type:
Compound
4.
"My mom packed me an apple for lunch."
* This is one single statement. There are no joining words connecting two sentences.
* Type:
Simple
5.
"My favorite subject is reading because I love good books."
* The word "because" is an AAAWWUBBIS word. It connects a complete thought ("My favorite subject is reading") with a reason ("because I love good books").
* Type:
Complex
6.
"Maria wanted to go to school, but she was sick."
* There are two complete thoughts: "Maria wanted to go to school" and "she was sick". They are joined by ", but". "But" is a FANBOYS word.
* Type:
Compound
7.
"I hope I do well on my test!"
* This expresses one main idea. Even though there are two verbs ("hope" and "do"), it functions as one single complete thought without a conjunction joining two independent sentences.
* Type:
Simple
8.
"I feed my dog before I leave."
* The word "before" is an AAAWWUBBIS word. It links the action of feeding the dog to the time when the person leaves.
* Type:
Complex
9.
"I woke up early, and I am dressed for school."
* There are two complete thoughts: "I woke up early" and "I am dressed for school". They are joined by ", and". "And" is a FANBOYS word.
* Type:
Compound
Final Answer:
1. Simple
2. Complex
3. Compound
4. Simple
5. Complex
6. Compound
7. Simple
8. Complex
9. Compound
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of complex sentence worksheet 6th grade.
