Lecture Note: Sentence Structure

Introduction
Sentence structure is a fundamental aspect of English grammar that deals with how
words, phrases, and clauses are arranged to form sentences. Understanding
sentence structure is essential not only for clear communication but also for
excelling in exams like the University of Ilorin PUTME, particularly in GNS 111. This
lecture note will guide you through the different types of sentence structures, how
to identify them, and provide practice questions to help you prepare for the exam.

What is Sentence Structure All About and How Unilorin

Tests Candidates on This Topic
Sentence structure refers to the way sentences are constructed, including the
arrangement of words, the use of clauses, and the role of conjunctions. It
determines how the meaning is conveyed in a sentence. In exams, particularly in
the University of Ilorin PUTME, you may be tested on your ability to identify
different types of sentences based on their structure. This includes recognizing
simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.

The University of Ilorin often sets questions that require candidates to distinguish
between these types of sentences. Understanding these concepts is crucial because
they form the basis of many questions in GNS 111. You may be asked to identify
the sentence type from given examples, underline specific parts of a sentence and
determine their structure, or rewrite sentences to match a particular structure.
To effectively identify the different types of sentence structures, it is crucial to
understand the various types of clauses that make up these structures. Clauses are
the building blocks of sentences, and knowing how they function will help you
determine whether a sentence is simple, compound, complex, or compound-
complex. Below is an explanation of the key types of clauses you need to
understand:

Types of Clauses to Understand

1. Independent Clause
An independent clause is a group of words that contains both a subject and a
predicate (a verb) and expresses a complete thought. It can stand alone as a
sentence.

Example:

• "The dog barked."

• "She completed her homework."

Key Characteristics:

• It has a subject and a verb.

• It expresses a complete idea.
• It can stand alone as a full sentence.

Role in Sentence Structures:

• Independent clauses are the main components of simple, compound, and

compound-complex sentences.
• A simple sentence consists of just one independent clause.
• In a compound sentence, multiple independent clauses are joined by
coordinating conjunctions.
• In a compound-complex sentence, at least two independent clauses are
joined by coordinating conjunctions, and one or more dependent clauses are
included.
2. Dependent (Subordinate) Clause
A dependent clause, also known as a subordinate clause, is a group of words that
also contains a subject and a predicate but does not express a complete thought.
Therefore, it cannot stand alone as a sentence. It depends on an independent
clause to make sense.

Example:

• "Because she was tired."

• "When the sun sets."

Key Characteristics:

• It has a subject and a verb.

• It does not express a complete idea on its own.
• It usually begins with a subordinating conjunction (e.g., because, although,
when, if, since, unless).

Role in Sentence Structures:

• Dependent clauses are essential in forming complex and compound-complex

sentences.
• A complex sentence includes one independent clause and at least one
dependent clause.
• In a compound-complex sentence, dependent clauses are combined with two
or more independent clauses to add depth and complexity.

3. Relative Clause
A relative clause is a type of dependent clause that begins with a relative pronoun
(who, whom, whose, which, that) or a relative adverb (where, when, why). It
provides additional information about a noun or pronoun in the sentence.

Example:

• "The book that I borrowed was excellent."

• "She met a man who had traveled the world."
Key Characteristics:

• It begins with a relative pronoun or adverb.

• It modifies a noun or pronoun by providing more information.
• It cannot stand alone as a sentence.

Role in Sentence Structures:

• Relative clauses are often found in complex and compound-complex

sentences.
• They add detail and provide more information about the subject or object in
the sentence, contributing to the complexity of the sentence.

4. Adverbial Clause
An adverbial clause is a dependent clause that functions as an adverb. It modifies a
verb, an adjective, or another adverb in the main clause by answering questions
such as how, when, where, why, or under what conditions.

Example:

• "She sings when she is happy."

• "You can go home after you finish your work."

Key Characteristics:

• It modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb in the main clause.

• It begins with a subordinating conjunction (e.g., when, because, if, although).
• It cannot stand alone as a sentence.

Role in Sentence Structures:

• Adverbial clauses are common in complex and compound-complex

sentences.
• They provide context, such as time, reason, condition, or manner, that relates
to the main action in the sentence.
5. Noun Clause
A noun clause is a dependent clause that functions as a noun within a sentence. It
can serve as the subject, object, or complement of a sentence.

Example:

• "What she said was surprising."

• "I don't know if he will come."

Key Characteristics:

• It functions as a noun (subject, object, or complement).

• It begins with words like what, that, whether, who, whom, why.
• It cannot stand alone as a sentence.

Role in Sentence Structures:

• Noun clauses can appear in complex and compound-complex sentences.

• They often introduce additional information or clarify the main point of the
sentence.

Understanding these types of clauses is crucial for correctly identifying and

constructing different types of sentence structures. Knowing how to recognize and
use independent clauses, dependent clauses, relative clauses, adverbial clauses,
and noun clauses will help you master the topic of sentence structure and perform
well in exams like the University of Ilorin PUTME.
Types of Sentence Structures and Explanation of Each

Sentence structures can be categorized into four main types: Simple, Compound,
Complex, and Compound-Complex sentences. Each type has its characteristics and
plays a unique role in communication.

1. Simple Sentence
A simple sentence consists of just one independent clause, which means it contains
a subject and a predicate and expresses a complete thought. Simple sentences are
the most basic form of sentences and do not contain any dependent or subordinate
clauses.

Example:

• "The dog barked."

• "She reads every day."

How to Identify:

• Look for a sentence that has one subject and one predicate.
• It should not have any conjunctions connecting multiple clauses.
• The sentence should express a complete idea.

2. Compound Sentence
A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses. These clauses
are usually connected by coordinating conjunctions like and, but, or, nor, for, so, and
yet. Each clause in a compound sentence could stand alone as a simple sentence.

Example:

• "I wanted to go for a walk, but it started raining."

• "She likes to read, and he likes to write."

How to Identify:

• Check for two or more independent clauses.

• Look for coordinating conjunctions that link these clauses.
 • Each clause should be able to stand alone as a complete sentence.

3. Complex Sentence
A complex sentence consists of one independent clause and at least one dependent
(or subordinate) clause. A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a complete
sentence and is usually introduced by subordinating conjunctions like because, since,
if, although, when, etc.

Example:

• "She was late because her car broke down."

• "Although it was raining, we went for a walk."

How to Identify:

• Find the main clause that can stand alone.

• Look for at least one dependent clause introduced by a subordinating
conjunction.
• The dependent clause should not make sense on its own without the main
clause.

4. Compound-Complex Sentence
A compound-complex sentence is a combination of compound and complex
sentences. It has at least two independent clauses and one or more dependent
clauses. This type of sentence is more sophisticated and often used in formal
writing.

Example:

• "The dog barked when it saw the cat, and the cat ran away."
• "I stayed home because it was raining, but my brother went out."

How to Identify:

• Look for two or more independent clauses connected by coordinating

conjunctions.
• Identify at least one dependent clause introduced by a subordinating
conjunction.
 • Ensure that the sentence combines the features of both compound and
complex sentences.

Practice Questions
To solidify your understanding of sentence structure, try answering the following
practice questions. Each question requires you to identify the type of sentence
based on its structure.

1. Identify the type of sentence:

"The students studied hard, but they found the exam difficult."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Compound sentence. It has two independent clauses: "The students
studied hard" and "they found the exam difficult," connected by the coordinating
conjunction "but."

2. Identify the type of sentence:

"If you finish your homework, we can go to the park."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Complex sentence. It has one independent clause, "we can go to the park,"
and one dependent clause, "If you finish your homework," introduced by the
subordinating conjunction "if."
3. Identify the type of sentence:

"The sun was setting, and the birds were singing as we walked through the park."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Compound-Complex sentence. It has two independent clauses: "The sun
was setting" and "the birds were singing," connected by the coordinating
conjunction "and." It also has a dependent clause, "as we walked through the park,"
introduced by the subordinating conjunction "as."

4. Identify the type of sentence:

"She opened the door."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Simple sentence. It contains one independent clause with a subject "She"
and a predicate "opened the door."

5. Identify the type of sentence:

"I will call you when I arrive at the station."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Complex sentence. It has one independent clause, "I will call you," and one
dependent clause, "when I arrive at the station," introduced by the subordinating
conjunction "when."

6. Identify the type of sentence:

"Although it was raining, they went for a walk."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Complex sentence. It has one independent clause, "they went for a walk,"
and one dependent clause, "Although it was raining," introduced by the
subordinating conjunction "although."

7. Identify the type of sentence:

"He missed the bus because he overslept, so he walked to school."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Compound-Complex sentence. It has two independent clauses: "He missed
the bus" and "he walked to school," connected by the coordinating conjunction "so."
It also has one dependent clause, "because he overslept," introduced by the
subordinating conjunction "because."
8. Identify the type of sentence:

"We can have pizza or burgers for dinner."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Compound sentence. It has two independent clauses: "We can have pizza"
and "We can have burgers for dinner," connected by the coordinating conjunction
"or."

9. Identify the type of sentence:

"She loves to read, and she often visits the library on weekends."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Compound sentence. It has two independent clauses: "She loves to read"
and "she often visits the library on weekends," connected by the coordinating
conjunction "and."

10. Identify the type of sentence:

"Before the sun set, they arrived at the campsite."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Complex sentence. It has one independent clause, "they arrived at the
campsite," and one dependent clause, "Before the sun set," introduced by the
subordinating conjunction "before."

11. Identify the type of sentence:

"I forgot my keys, but I remembered to bring my phone."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Compound sentence. It has two independent clauses: "I forgot my keys"
and "I remembered to bring my phone," connected by the coordinating conjunction
"but."

12. Identify the type of sentence:

"Because she was tired, she went to bed early."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Complex sentence. It has one independent clause, "she went to bed early,"
and one dependent clause, "Because she was tired," introduced by the
subordinating conjunction "because."
13. Identify the type of sentence:

"They studied all night, so they were well-prepared for the test."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Compound sentence. It has two independent clauses: "They studied all
night" and "they were well-prepared for the test," connected by the coordinating
conjunction "so."

14. Identify the type of sentence:

"After she finished her work, she watched a movie."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Complex sentence. It has one independent clause, "she watched a movie,"
and one dependent clause, "After she finished her work," introduced by the
subordinating conjunction "after."

15. Identify the type of sentence:

"He plays basketball, and he also runs track when he has time."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex
Answer:
This is a Compound-Complex sentence. It has two independent clauses: "He plays
basketball" and "he also runs track," connected by the coordinating conjunction
"and." It also has one dependent clause, "when he has time," introduced by the
subordinating conjunction "when."

16. Identify the type of sentence:

"The car broke down on the way, so we had to call a tow truck."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Compound sentence. It has two independent clauses: "The car broke down
on the way" and "we had to call a tow truck," connected by the coordinating
conjunction "so."

17. Identify the type of sentence:

"Although he tried his best, he could not complete the task."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Complex sentence. It has one independent clause, "he could not complete
the task," and one dependent clause, "Although he tried his best," introduced by the
subordinating conjunction "although."
18. Identify the type of sentence:

"I enjoy reading, but I also like watching movies."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Compound sentence. It has two independent clauses: "I enjoy reading" and
"I also like watching movies," connected by the coordinating conjunction "but."

19. Identify the type of sentence:

"While they were hiking, they saw a bear, and they quickly ran back to the cabin."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex

Answer:
This is a Compound-Complex sentence. It has two independent clauses: "they saw a
bear" and "they quickly ran back to the cabin," connected by the coordinating
conjunction "and." It also has one dependent clause, "While they were hiking,"
introduced by the subordinating conjunction "while."

20. Identify the type of sentence:

"The cat slept on the couch."

a) Simple
b) Compound
c) Complex
d) Compound-Complex
Answer:
This is a Simple sentence. It contains one independent clause with a subject "The
cat" and a predicate "slept on the couch."

These questions will help you practice identifying different sentence structures and
prepare for exams where such questions may appear.

CREDITS:
This lesson note was compiled by Sckoolboy for the University of Ilorin 2024/2025
P-UTME Preparation

Contact Sckoolboy at +2348122952290

Best of luck in your examination.