Writing Day
Here’s a breakdown of simple, compound, and complex sentences in a way that Syler can easily understand:
1. Simple Sentence
A simple sentence has one independent clause. That means it has a subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a verb (what the subject is doing). It expresses a complete thought.
✅ Example:
The dog barked.
I love pizza.
Syler ran to the park.
Each sentence has one subject and one verb and stands alone.
TASK: In your writing journal, write 2 Simple Sentences.
2. Compound Sentence
A compound sentence has two independent clauses (two complete sentences) joined by a coordinating conjunction (like and, but, or, so, yet, for, nor).
✅ Example:
I wanted to play outside, but it started to rain.
Syler loves reading, and he enjoys writing stories.
I was tired, so I went to bed early.
Each part of the sentence could stand alone as a complete thought.
TASK: In your writing journal, write 3 compound Sentences.
3. Complex Sentence
A complex sentence has one independent clause (a complete sentence) and one or more dependent clauses (a part of a sentence that cannot stand alone). These sentences use subordinating conjunctions like because, since, although, when, if, while, until.
✅ Example:
Because I woke up late, I missed the bus.
I stayed inside while it was raining.
Syler was excited because he won the game.
The bolded words connect the dependent clause to the independent clause.
TASK: In your writing journal, write 3 complex Sentences.
Quick Trick for Syler:
Simple: One complete thought.
Compound: Two complete thoughts joined with and, but, so, etc.
Complex: One complete thought + one extra idea that needs support.