Question

Complex - compound to simple
1. It flies from flower to flower and
collects honey (simple)
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Answer 1

Simple Sentence: A simple sentence is a sentence having a subject and only one finite verb. There may be one or more non-finite verbs. For example:

To understand a simple sentence, it is essential to understand what finite verb and non-finite are. Without proper understanding of these two types of verbs, learning simple, complex and compound sentences is impossible.

Now a question generally arises: what is a finite or non-finite verb?

A finite verb is a verb that provides a complete sense in a sentence or completes the meaning of a sentence. On the contrary, a non-finite verb is just opposite of finite verb. The part containing a non-finite verb is not a sentence rather a phrase, a group of words without having any finite verbs. For example:

(a) Going to college, we earn knowledge. The sentence (a) is divided into two parts: ‘Going to college’ and ‘we earn knowledge’. Also, there are two verbs: ‘going’ and ‘earn’. Which verb is providing complete sense? Surely, the verb ‘earn’ containing in the second part is a finite verb while the verb ‘going’ is a non-finite verb. Let’s see another example: (b) We are studying attentively to make a good result.

The easy process to change complex or compound sentences into simple:

1. Make a finite verb into non-finite verb (by adding ‘ing’ or ‘to’) and remove one subject if the subjects of the both clauses are the same.

Example:

a.            If we read books, we can enrich our minds. (Simple)

Ans:       By reading books, we can enrich our mind.

b.            He entered the kingdom of a prince and captured a large village. (Simple)

Ans: Entering the kingdom of a prince, he captured a large village.