Simple sentences A simple sentence has a subject and a verb. e.g. The food is cooking The subject is the food and the verb is cooking. My uncle lives in Palmerston North The subject is ____________ and the verb is _____ Now try these… identify the subject and the verb… 1The new teacher lost his keys. 2My next door neighbours play terrible music. 3The man asked us for directions. 4My sister is learning the piano. 5Alan went to the gym.

The following sentences are simple sentences. They are jumbled up. Work out the right word order and write the sentences out correctly. Then identify the subject and the verb in each sentence. 1book. the torn Pages were from 2Mary We two ago. weeks saw 3grow Weeds garden. my in vegetable 4tall on hill The trees cut were the down. 5didn’t excuse My teacher. the fool 6holiday. need all We another Most simple sentences can also be changed into a question. e.g. The girl opened the window. - Did the girl open the window? The lion pounced. – Did the lion pounce? The boat sank. – Did the boat sink?

Compound Sentences Compound sentences are made up of two or more simple sentences joined by a conjunction. (or separated by a semi colon) She entered the room. (one verb) She did not sit down. (one verb) These are both simple sentences and can be joined with a conjunction e.g. She entered the room but she did not sit down. (2 verbs) It is important that both parts (clauses) of the compound sentence make sense on their own. e.g. They came home exhausted because they had been on a long run. The cat slept on the couch while the dog barked.

Make compound sentences out of these pairs of simple sentences. 1The girls work hard. The boys are lazy. 2Shall I phone him? Will you send him a text? 3The audience burst into applause. The hall echoed with the clapping. 4Carnivorous animals are predators. Herbivorous animals feed on plants. 5Elizabeth went out shopping. Michael helped with the dishes. You can have more than 2 sentences that go to make up a compound sentence. e.g. Elizabeth went out shopping. Michael helped with the dishes. Hannah sat watching television. Elizabeth went out shopping and Michael helped with the dishes, but Hannah sat watching television.

Try putting these simple sentences into 8 compound sentences. 1The rain is falling. The clouds are grey. It is not cold. 2The dog barked. The cat ran out of the open door. Mum yelled. 3Janet is going to the park. Aroha is meeting her there. They will be back around 4pm. 4The lion crouched. The hunter dropped to one knee. He raised his gun. 5John walked along the street. He turned around the corner. He saw his house. 6Mere is a good hockey player. She was chosen for the team. Hopefully her skills will help them win. 7The play ended. The actors bowed to the audience. The curtain came down. 8She came home very late. She was very tired. She went straight to bed.

Complex Sentences Complex sentences have a main clause with one (or more than one) subordinate clause, with a verb in each. e.g. After the girl had written the address on the envelope, she posted the letter. The MAIN clause is the one which can exist on it’s own. She posted the letter. The SUBORDINATE clause has a verb but cant exist on it’s own. After the girl had written the address on the envelope. Identify the verbs and the main clause in these sentences The audience burst into applause, calling for an encore. The little boy refused to go to bed when his mother told him. The fox that killed the chickens has been caught.

Sentences overview… A simple sentence has only one verb and a subject. A compound sentence is made up of 2 or more simple sentences with verbs in each, joined by a conjunction. A complex sentence has a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses, with a verb in each. Only the main clause can exist on its own. Label these as simple, compound or complex: 1Someone will win lotto this weekend. 2We meet every weekend because we want to keep in touch. 3The cat came inside and ate it’s food. 4She gave me a biscuit.