What is a Simple Sentence With Examples?

Simple sentences are the foundation of clear and effective communication. Simple sentences are easy to understand and can convey information quickly and efficiently.

What is a Simple Sentence With Examples? A simple sentence is a sentence that consists of a single independent clause which has a subject and predicate. A simple sentence also expresses a complete thought and stands alone as a sentence.

Simple Sentences – Table of Content

Simple Sentences
Simple Sentences With Compound Subject
Simple Sentences With Compound Predicates
Simple Sentence With Modifiers
Summary of Simple Sentences
Other Types of Sentences

What is a Simple Sentence?

Short Definition: A simple sentence consists of a subject and predicate (also known as an independent clause) and the simple sentence expresses a complete thought (that is, it can stand alone as a sentence).

Long Definition: A simple sentence is a sentence that contains only one independent clause, with a subject and a predicate. An independent clause is a group of words that can stand alone as a complete thought. It has a subject, which is the person, place, thing, or idea that the sentence is about, and a predicate, which is the verb or verb phrase that describes what the subject is doing or being.

1. Simple Sentences

Simple sentences can be short or long; however, they always have the same basic structure. Simple sentences have one subject and one predicate.

NOTE: The predicate is a grammatical term that describes what the subject does. The predicate includes all the words in the sentence except the subject and the words that modify the subject.

NOTE: The simple predicate consists of the main verb and auxiliary verbs. The complete predicate includes all the words that describe the action.

In the following examples, the subject will be underlined and the predicate will be highlighted in red.

Thomas prayed. (simple predicate)
The sun shines during the day. (complete predicate)
She laughed. (simple predicate)
They visited the park on the weekend. (complete predicate)
She sings. (simple predicate)

2. Simple Sentences With Compound Subjects

Simple sentences can also have compound subjects. A compound subject is when two or more subjects are joined by a conjunction such as “and” or “or”. Nevertheless, the sentence is still a simple sentence.

Here are some examples of simple sentences with compound subjects.

David and Jenny play tennis every Sunday.
Apples and oranges are both types of fruit.
Peter and James laughed.
Peter and James laughed at my funny jokes.
Rebekah, Rachel and Jennifer are studying for their exams.

3. Simple Sentences With Compound Verbs

Simple sentences can also have compound verbs. A compound verb is when two or more verbs or verb phrases are joined together by a conjunction.

Here are some examples of simple sentences with compound verbs, which are highlighted in yellow.

She danced and sang all night long.
They laughed and cried during the movie.
David wrote and edited his book.
Peter and James watched and cheered for their favorite team.
Jonathan saved and invested his money wisely.

4. Simple Sentences With Modifiers

Simple sentences can also include modifiers such as adjectives, adverbs and prepositional phrases.

Modifiers provided additional information about the subject and predicate while the sentence remains a simple sentence.

Here are some examples of modifiers, adjectives, adverbs and prepositional phrases.

The tall man jumped the high fence.
Jennifer spoke wisely at the meeting.
David and Rachel went to the shop with their friends on Saturday afternoon.
She walked across the street to the park.
The black dog barked at the noisy neighbors.

5. Summary of Simple Sentences

Using simple sentences can help make your writing clear and easy to understand.

They are especially useful when you need to convey information quickly or when you are writing for an audience that may not be familiar with the topic.

However, using only simple sentences can make your writing repetitive and boring. It’s important to vary your sentence structure by using other types of sentences as well.

6. Other Types of Sentence Structures

There are 4 types of sentence structures that will help you convey information quickly and efficiently to your audience. Understanding these sentence structures will improve your writing skills and your ability to communication clearly to your audience.

A. Simple Sentences

A simple sentence has only one independent clause which expresses a complete thought.

Here are some examples!

My sister is beautiful.
Rachel is my friend.
James bought a new car.
Edward passed his exam.
My computer crashed.

B. Compound Sentences

A compound sentence has two independent clauses joined together by a conjunction or a semi-colon.

Here are some examples!

David went to the shop with his friends, and they had a great time together.
I’m going to the coffee shop; I need my caffeine fix.
He is a smart guy, so he always gets the best grades.
Wendy makes a lot of money, and she invests it wisely.
I love my friends, but I also love my solitude.

C. Complex Sentences

A complex sentence has an independent clause (stands alone) and at least one dependent clause (cannot stand alone).

A dependent clause cannot stand alone and requires more information to complete the sentence.

Here are some examples! The dependent clause has been shaded for identification.

When I was camping, I fractured my ankle.
The man who was shouting caught my attention.
The country where I was born holds a special place in my heart.
When the minister spoke, the congregation listened intently.
Because it looked nice, she couldn’t resist eating it.

D. Compound-Complex Sentences

A compound-complex sentence has at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.

Here are some examples! Again the dependent clause has been shaded for identification.

When I fractured my ankle, I had to go to hospital, and it was placed in a cast for several week.
He stopped running when he was exhausted, and he took a break until refreshed.
Since I had surgery on my ankle, I have found it difficult to walk, and I now use a walking stick to help me get around.
While I was driving to work, I heard a strange noise in the engine, so I called a mechanic to take a look.
After we finished dinner, we decided to go to the beach, but the water was too cold for a swim.

In conclusion, Simple sentences are an essential tool for clear communication. They are easy to understand and can convey information quickly and efficiently. By understanding how to use simple sentences effectively, you can improve your writing skills and communicate more clearly.

Furthermore, you will improve your writing and communication skills by implementing the different sentence structures in the material you wish to present to your audience.