Question

identify the following sentences as simple, compound and complex:

1:he is too short to climb the wall.__________________.
2:the sky was blue and the sun shone bright._________________.
3: the old man who lived in a village Believed that the Earth was flat.____________________.
4: leaving a job midway is not a good practice.__________________.
5: last week I met a friend who give me a bag which is brown in colour.____________________.​

Answer 1

Answer:

1. simple

2. compound

3. complex

4. simple

5. complex

The identification of types of sentences can be tricky sometimes. Here's some ways to identify and convert sentences on your own.

→ If it is a simple sentence, it has only one purpose or clause. For eg, the first sentence-

He is too short to climb the wall.

Here, we are indicating only one subject 'he' and only one predicate 'is too short to climb the wall.'

It can be converted into other types of sentences too.

→ A compound sentence usually has two independent clauses involved. Two subjects, which may or may not be the same, and two predicates which do not depend on one another. An easy way to identify such sentences is that the two clauses are joined by the following conjunctions- and, nor, but, so, for, yet etc.

Let us convert the simple sentence above into this type.

He is short so he cannot climb the wall. This is a combination of two independent sentences- 'He is short' and 'He cannot climb the wall.' There are two subjects- both 'he' and two separate predicates as you will notice.

→ Complex sentences and compound sentences are sometimes mixed up. Please note that complex sentence also has two clauses, however one clause is dependent on the other.

They are often joined with relation words- 'who,' 'which' etc.

Let us convert the first sentence into this type.

Because he is short, he cannot climb the wall.

OR

The boy who is short cannot climb the wall.

One of the clauses is independent here- 'He is short.' The fact that he cannot climb the wall is dependent upon him being short, therefore, it acts as a dependent clause.