Which term describes a sentence with only one independent clause and no dependent clauses?

Which term describes a sentence with only one independent clause and no dependent clauses?

• A. Simple sentence
• B. Compound sentence
• C. Complex sentence
• D. Compound-complex sentence

Answer: (A)

A simple sentence is a sentence with only one independent clause and no dependent clauses. An independent clause can stand alone as a complete thought and contains a subject and a predicate. For example, “The sun set.” expresses a complete idea by itself. If a sentence has two complete ideas joined together, it becomes a compound sentence. If a sentence includes a dependent clause, such as “because the storm began,” attached to an independent clause, it’s a complex sentence. If there are multiple independent clauses plus at least one dependent clause, it’s a compound-complex sentence.

A simple sentence is a sentence with only one independent clause and no dependent clauses. An independent clause can stand alone as a complete thought and contains a subject and a predicate. For example, “The sun set.” expresses a complete idea by itself. If a sentence has two complete ideas joined together, it becomes a compound sentence. If a sentence includes a dependent clause, such as “because the storm began,” attached to an independent clause, it’s a complex sentence. If there are multiple independent clauses plus at least one dependent clause, it’s a compound-complex sentence.