Day 3 Activity: Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences
IELTS with Mujahid | Beginner level | Works on phone, tablet and laptop
Why this matters. Sentences come in three main types, and knowing them helps you write and speak with more variety. A simple sentence has one main idea, such as “I study English”. A compound sentence joins two equal ideas, such as “I study English, and my brother plays cricket”. A complex sentence joins a main idea with a supporting idea, such as “Although I was tired, I finished my homework”. In the conjunctions lesson you learned FANBOYS and subordinating conjunctions, and now you see how they build these sentence types. In IELTS Writing, one of the marking areas is grammatical range, which means using a mix of simple, compound and complex sentences. In Speaking, longer and more connected sentences help you sound fluent. Every sentence needs a subject and a verb, which you practised in earlier lessons on nouns, pronouns and verbs. Learn the three patterns below and you will be able to upgrade short, basic sentences into stronger ones immediately.
Self-learning step: Open Google and search “simple compound complex sentences examples”. Read one page for five minutes, then come back and try the activities.
| Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | One independent clause | I study English every day. |
| Compound | Independent clause + FANBOYS + independent clause | I study English, and my brother plays cricket. |
| Complex | Independent clause + dependent clause | I study English because I want a high band score. |
Ali and Sara study and practise daily. (still one clause)
She was tired, but she kept working.
Although it was late, we kept studying.
Although it was late, I studied, and my brother slept.
Activity 1: Which type of sentence?
Tap Simple, Compound or Complex.
Activity 2: Join the ideas
Choose the best joining word to make the sentence type shown.
Activity 3: How many clauses?
Count the subject and verb pairs.
Activity 4: Spot the correct sentence
Two sentences, one is correct. These are real learner mistakes.
Activity 5: Joining word detective
Tap the joining word in each sentence. Then press Check to see what type of sentence it makes.
Activity 6: Sentence variety in IELTS
Choose the best sentence for Writing Task 2 and Speaking.
Activity 7: Write it yourself
Use the lines below. Write in your own words, then tick the checklist.
Excellent work. Sentence variety is one of the quickest ways to raise your writing score. Keep practicing at www.goatguruenglish.com
IELTS with Mujahid | www.goatguruenglish.com