Pakistan International School, Jeddah

Cambridge Curriculum Section (CCS)

(Session 2024-25)
Name of student:
Grade: 7 -
(Full name)
English Date: Day:

Worksheet: Types of Sentences

Clause, Main Clause, and Subordinate Clause - Easy Explanation

What is a Clause?

A clause is a group of words that has a subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a verb (what the
subject is doing). It can sometimes be a complete sentence, but not always.

Main Clause (Independent Clause):

A main clause is a complete thought. It can stand alone as a sentence because it makes sense by itself.

 Example: "She enjoys reading."

(This is a complete idea, so it can be a sentence on its own.)

Subordinate Clause (Dependent Clause):

A subordinate clause is not a complete thought. It cannot stand alone as a sentence and needs a main clause
to make sense. It usually starts with words like because, when, if, although.

 Example: "Because she enjoys reading"

(This is not a complete sentence; it needs more information to make sense.)

Putting Them Together:

 Main clause + subordinate clause: "She enjoys reading because she has a lot of free time."

 Here, the main clause is "She enjoys reading," and the subordinate clause is "because she has a lot of
free time."

The subordinate clause explains or adds more detail to the main clause.

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Q1. Read each sentence and find the main clause in it. There can be more than one main clauses in a
sentence. The first one has been done for you.

1. The birds began the dawn chorus and Elaine heard their song.

Main clauses: The birds began the dawn chorus. Elaine heard their song.

2. The hedgehog emerged after its hibernation.

Main clause: _____________________________________________________________________________

3. Many animals are born in spring when the weather is warmer and food is more plentiful.

Main clause: _____________________________________________________________________________

4. The Irish hare is found across the island of Ireland, but nowhere else.

Main clause: _____________________________________________________________________________

5. If there is a late frost, the flowers in the garden may die.

Main clause: _____________________________________________________________________________

6. I love walking among colorful wildflowers, so spring is my favorite season.

Main clause: _____________________________________________________________________________

Types of sentences:

There are four main types of sentences in English: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex.
Each type helps us express our ideas clearly by combining different clauses (groups of words with a subject
and verb).

1. Simple Sentence

A simple sentence contains one independent clause. An independent clause has a subject and a verb, and it
expresses a complete thought.

 Example: "The cat sleeps."

(Subject: "The cat", Verb: "sleeps")

Important: A simple sentence can have more than one subject or verb, but it will still only be one
independent clause.

 Example: "The dog barks and runs."

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2. Compound Sentence

A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses joined together. These clauses can be
joined by:

 A coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So)
 A semicolon (;)
 Example (with coordinating conjunction): "The sun set, but the moon rose."
 Example (with semicolon): "She studied all night; she passed the exam."

3. Complex Sentence

A complex sentence contains one independent clause and at least one dependent (or subordinate) clause.
A dependent clause does not express a complete thought and needs an independent clause to make sense.
Dependent clauses often begin with words like although, because, if, when, since.

 Example: "Although it was raining, we went for a walk."

o Independent clause: "we went for a walk"
o Dependent clause: "Although it was raining"

4. Compound-Complex Sentence

A compound-complex sentence has two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
It's a combination of a compound and a complex sentence.

 Example: "We won the game, but because it was raining, few people came to watch."
o Independent clauses: "We won the game," "few people came to watch"
o Dependent clause: "because it was raining"

Part 1: Identifying Sentence Types

Instructions: Read each sentence carefully and identify if it is a simple, compound, complex, or compound-
complex sentence. Write your answer in the blank.

1. I went to the store, and I bought some apples. ____________

2. Although I was tired, I finished my homework. ____________
3. She runs every morning. ____________
4. I wanted to go to the park, but it was raining, so I stayed home. ____________
5. Before she left, she packed her bags and made sure she had her passport. ____________
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Part 2: Combining Sentences

Instructions: Combine the following pairs of sentences using the type of sentence indicated in parentheses.

1. (Compound):
o I like reading.
o My brother likes playing video games.

Combined: ____________________________________________

2. (Complex):
o She was late to school.
o The bus broke down.

Combined: ____________________________________________

3. (Compound-Complex):
o The teacher explained the lesson.
o Some students were confused.
o The students asked questions after class.

Combined: ____________________________________________

Part 3: Create Your Own Sentences

Instructions: Write one sentence for each type below.

1. Simple Sentence: ______________________________________________________

2. Compound Sentence: ___________________________________________________
3. Complex Sentence: ____________________________________________________
4. Compound-Complex Sentence: ___________________________________________

Part 4: Sentence Correction

Instructions: Each sentence below has a mistake in its structure. Rewrite the sentence correctly.

1. Although he was hungry he didn’t eat anything.

Corrected: ______________________________________________________

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 2. I like pizza, because it is delicious.
Corrected: ______________________________________________________
3. She sings, and plays the guitar because she loves music.
Corrected: ______________________________________________________

Part 5: Matching

Instructions: Match the sentence with its type. Write the correct letter on the blank.

A. Simple
B. Compound
C. Complex
D. Compound-Complex

1. _____ I wanted to go swimming, but I forgot my swimsuit, so I stayed at home.

2. _____ He danced all night.
3. _____ when the movie started, the lights dimmed, and the music began to play.
4. _____ She passed the test because she studied hard.

Completing Compound-Complex Sentences

Instructions:
Each sentence below has an incomplete part. Finish the sentences by adding the missing independent or
dependent clauses. Make sure your sentence has two independent clauses and one dependent clause.
Example:
 I wanted to go to the park, but ______________ because it started to rain.
 Answer: I wanted to go to the park, but we stayed inside because it started to rain.

Now complete the following:

1. I cleaned my room, and I finished my homework because ______________.
2. Although I was tired, I stayed up late, but ______________.
3. He studied for the test, yet ______________ when he realized he forgot his notes.
4. My sister likes pizza, but she won’t eat it if ______________.
5. We went to the mall, and we bought some clothes even though ______________.

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Exercise 2: Combining Sentences to Create Compound-Complex Sentences
Instructions:
Below are sets of three simple sentences. Combine them to create one compound-complex sentence.
Remember to use coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So) and subordinating
conjunctions (because, since, although, if, etc.).
Example:
 She didn’t go to the party.
 She was feeling sick.
 She wanted to see her friends.
Answer:
She didn’t go to the party because she was feeling sick, but she wanted to see her friends.

Now combine the following sentences:

1. I like playing soccer.
I hurt my ankle.
I decided to watch the game instead.
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2. He got a new bike.
It was his birthday.
He couldn’t ride it because of the rain.
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3. We went to the beach.
The weather was bad.
We still had fun building sandcastles.
4. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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5. She likes chocolate cake.
She doesn’t like vanilla ice cream.
She eats it when there’s no other choice.
6. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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7. They wanted to go camping.
The car broke down.
They had to cancel their trip.
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