Simple Sentence | Definition & Examples
A simple sentence is a single independent clause with a subject and predicate. Simple sentences convey a complete thought, but they do not contain any dependent clauses (also known as subordinate clauses).
Mice love snacks.
He left.
What is a simple sentence?
A simple sentence is composed of a single subject (i.e., a person or thing that performs an action) and a predicate (i.e., a verb and other words that describe the action).
The subject is usually a noun or pronoun, while the predicate is composed of the verb (also known as the predicate verb or main verb) and any other information related to the verb.
Yael and Brenda met for coffee.
Boxing is his favorite sport.
Simple sentences are the most basic type of sentence in English. However, they can be built on in a number of different ways depending on the predicate verb.
The most basic simple sentences generally follow SVO (subject–verb–object) order. The key for a simple sentence is that there is just one subject and one predicate. However, some complete sentences, such as imperative sentences may also just consist of a verb because the subject is implied (e.g., “Go!”).
In addition to the verb, the predicate can also include direct objects, indirect objects, adverbs, and so on. These give extra information about the action performed by the subject.
Marguerite told a lie.
Marguerite told me a lie.
She went home.
She went home late.
Simple subjects vs compound subjects
A simple sentence can either have a simple subject or a compound subject.
A simple subject refers to a subject that is just one noun, pronoun, or noun phrase.
Blue poison dart frogs are dangerous.
They saw a film.
In contrast, a compound subject consists of two or more nouns, pronouns, or noun phrases.
The guitar, ukulele, and sitar are all string instruments.
She and her sisters never fought as kids.
For both simple and compound subjects, the subject is the performer of the action if the predicate includes an action verb or is what the verb describes if the predicate includes a stative verb or linking verb.
Simple predicate vs compound predicate
Simple sentences can have either a simple predicate or a compound predicate.
In a simple sentence with a simple predicate, there is only one predicate verb indicating the action or state of the subject.
Please clean up after yourself.
Nikolas is a physicist.
Conversely, a compound predicate has two or more predicate verbs that share the same subject.
Desi and Dev aren’t friends anymore and haven’t spoken for a long time.
Uncle Ray spent his life cooking but never became very good at it.
Compound predicates are joined together using coordinating conjunctions like “and,” “but,” and “yet.”
If the verbs in the compound predicate are in a list, a comma should be used between them. However, if there are only two verbs in the compound predicate that are connected using a coordinating conjunction, no comma should be used because the verbs share the same subject.
- She coughed sneezed and sniffled all night.
- She coughed, sneezed, and sniffled all night.
- Paul and Tenzin went out, and ate dinner.
- Paul and Tenzin went out and ate dinner.
- I feel sick, but have to go to work.
- I feel sick, but have to go to work.
Simple sentence vs compound sentence
A simple sentence consists of a single independent clause, whereas a compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses linked together either using a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon.
Each independent clause in a compound sentence has its own subject. For this reason, a comma separates the clauses, and the subject is stated in each clause.
I love hiking, and I go every Sunday.
Wanda and Cinzia are studying Swahili; they will take the proficiency test next year.
Simple sentences have a single subject (simple or compound). As such, they do not use commas to separate the subject and predicate verbs, unless multiple predicate verbs are listed in succession (“Wanda and Cinzia are working, studying, and planning a trip”).
Frequently asked questions about simple sentences
- Can a compound subject be used in a simple sentence?
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Yes, a compound subject can be used in a simple sentence – a sentence that has only one subject-verb pair (e.g., “Terrence and I like to hike).
Compound subjects can be used in all sentence types (i.e., simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex).
