Review of Compound and Complex Sentences Worksheet for 3rd - 5th ... - Free Printable

Let’s go through each sentence one by one and figure out what kind of sentence it is — simple, compound, or complex.

Remember:
- A simple sentence has just one subject and one verb (one complete thought).
- A compound sentence joins two simple sentences with words like “and,” “but,” or “or.”
- A complex sentence has one main idea and at least one extra part that starts with words like “when,” “because,” “if,” etc.

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1. *The sculptures of Alexander Calder are fascinating to me.*

→ One subject: “The sculptures”
→ One verb: “are”
→ Just one complete thought.
✔ This is a simple sentence.

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2. *I saw Calder's most famous pieces, and often works are kept in private homes.*

→ First part: “I saw Calder's most famous pieces” → subject + verb = complete thought
→ Second part: “often works are kept in private homes” → also subject + verb = complete thought
→ Joined by “and”
✔ This is a compound sentence.

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3. *Calder's mobiles move so much, and some of them make noise.*

→ First part: “Calder's mobiles move so much” → complete thought
→ Second part: “some of them make noise” → complete thought
→ Joined by “and”
✔ This is a compound sentence.

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4. *When I visited his art work, they are often inspired.*

Wait — this sentence feels off. Let’s look closely.

Actually, the second part says “they are often inspired.” But who is “they”? It doesn’t clearly refer back to anything. Also, “When I visited his art work” is not a full sentence — it’s a dependent clause (it can’t stand alone).

But here’s the problem: The second part (“they are often inspired”) doesn’t logically connect to the first part. Maybe there’s a typo? Perhaps it should be “I was often inspired”?

Assuming we’re going by what’s written:

→ “When I visited his art work” = dependent clause (starts with “when”)
→ “they are often inspired” = independent clause (can stand alone)
→ So even if it’s awkward, structurally it’s one main clause + one dependent clause
✔ This is a complex sentence.

*(Note: In real life, you’d want to fix the meaning — maybe “When I visited his artwork, I was often inspired.” But for grammar classification, we go by structure.)*

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5. *Children like his sculptures because they are colorful.*

→ Main part: “Children like his sculptures” → complete thought
→ Extra part: “because they are colorful” → starts with “because” → dependent clause
✔ This is a complex sentence.

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6. *Calder's work was always popular, and it remains popular for a long time.*

→ First part: “Calder's work was always popular” → complete thought
→ Second part: “it remains popular for a long time” → complete thought
→ Joined by “and”
✔ This is a compound sentence.

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7. *If you ever get to see his sculptures, take photographs of them from different angles.*

→ First part: “If you ever get to see his sculptures” → starts with “if” → dependent clause
→ Second part: “take photographs...” → imperative (command), which counts as an independent clause
→ One dependent + one independent
✔ This is a complex sentence.

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Final Answer:
1. Simple
2. Compound
3. Compound
4. Complex
5. Complex
6. Compound
7. Complex