CBSE Class 8 English Chapter 17 Sentences – Simple, Compound, Complex
1. Examine the following sentence:—
Raman won the first prize in English.
The sentence contains only one Subject, Raman, and one Finite Verb, won. Such a sentence as this, which has only one Subject and one Finite Verb, is called a Simple Sentence.
A Simple Sentence has only one Subject and one Finite Verb.
2. Examine the following sentences —
- The way was long and the night was dark.
- He went to the window and looked out, but saw nobody.
The first sentence consists of two parts —
- The way was long.
- The night was dark.
3. These two parts are joined together by the coordinating conjunction and. Each part is a Clause, because each part has a Subject and a Predicate of its own, and each part is a sentence which is a part of a larger sentence.
We further notice that each Clause makes good sense by itself, and hence can stand alone as a complete sentence.
Each Clause is, therefore, independent of the other, or the same order or rank. Such a clause is called a Co-ordinate Clause. Such a sentence as the first, which is made up of clauses of equal rank, is called a Compound Sentence.
The second sentence is also a Compound Sentence. It is made up of three clauses of equal rank, viz.:
- He went to the window.
- (He) looked out.
- (He) saw nobody.
A Compound Sentence is made up of two or more coordinate clauses
The term Double is now used for a sentence that is made up of two coordinate clauses. Multiple is used for a sentence consisting of more than two coordinate clauses.
4. Examine the following sentence —
I do not know where he lives.
This sentence consists of two parts —
- I do not know.
- Where he lives
Each part has a subject and a predictor of its own, which form part of a larger sentence. Each part is, therefore, a Clause.
We further notice that the Clause, I do not blow, makes good sense by itself and can, therefore, stand alone as a complete sentence. Such a Clause is called the Principal or Main Clause.
But the Clause, where he lives, does not make good sense by itself and cannot stand alone.
It is dependent for its full meaning upon the Principal Clause, I do not know. It is, therefore, called a Dependent or Subordinate Clause.
Such a sentence as this, which is made up of one Principal Clause and one or more Subordinate Clauses, is called a Complex Sentence.
A Complex Sentence is made up of one Principal Clause and one or more Subordinate Clauses.
Exercise 1
Say which of the following sentences are Compound, and which are Complex? Also, underline the Clause in each case
Question 1. God helps those who help themselves.
Answer:
Type: Complex
Clause: those who help themselves
Question 2. Walk quickly, or you will miss the train.
Answer:
Type: Compound
Clauses: Walk quickly, you will miss the train
Question 3. I know where he has gone.
Answer:
Type: Complex
Clause: where he has gone
Question 4. They rested when the night came.
Answer:
Type: Complex
Clause: When the night came
Question 5. I know a place where wild roses grow.
Answer:
Type: Complex
Clause: where wild roses grow
Question 6. Work hard and you will pass.
Answer:
Type: Compound
Clauses: Work hard, and you will pass
Question 7. Men may come, and men may go, but I go on forever.
Answer:
Type: Compound
Clauses: Men may come, men may go, I go on forever
Question 8. Come tomorrow and get your money.
Answer:
Type: Compound
Clauses: Come tomorrow, get your money
Question 9. We returned home when the sun set.
Answer:
Type: Complex
Clause: When the sun sets
Question 10. All that glitters is not gold.
Answer:
Type: Complex
Clause: that glitters
Question 11. I think he is absent today.
Answer:
Type: Complex
Clause: he is absent today
Question 12. I will live where you live.
Answer:
Type: Complex
Clause: where you live
Question 13. Night came on, and rain fell heavily, and we all got very wet.
Answer:
Type: Compound
Clauses: Night came on, rain fell heavily, and we all got very wet
Question 14. When I went to the bazaar this morning, I met my old friend whom I had not seen for three years.
Answer:
Type: Complex
Clauses: When I went to the bazaar this morning, whom I had not seen for
three years
Question 15. I know the man who said that the Earth is flat.
Answer:
Type: Complex
Clauses: who said that the Earth is flat, that the Earth is flat
Question 16. He goes to school, but his sister stays at home.
Answer:
Type: Compound
Clauses: He goes to school, and his sister stays at home
Question 17. I have no sympathy for a man who is not a hero in the battle of life.
Answer:
Type: Complex
Clause: who is not a hero in the battle of life
Question 18. He does not know who has stolen your book.
Answer:
Type: Complex
Clause: Who has stolen your book
Question 19. Ashok passed, but Raman failed.
Answer:
Type: Compound
Clauses: Ashok passed, Raman failed
Question 20. Nobody knows where he was murdered.
Answer:
Type: Complex
Clause: where he was murdered
Question 21. The news is so good that it cannot be true.
Answer:
Type: Complex
Clause: that it cannot be true
Question 22. The boy who was lost yesterday has been found by the police.
Answer:
Type: Complex
Clause: who was lost yesterday
Question 23. Was he asleep or awake?
Answer:
Type: Simple (interrogative with compound predicate, not compound sentence)
Question 24. He went to the window to look out but found no one there.
Answer:
Type: Compound
Clauses: He went to the window to look out, but found no one there
Question 25. When the cat is away the mouse is at play
Answer:
Type: Complex
Clause: When the cat is away