Worksheet

2.1b Types of sentence

Task 1 For each of the following sentences, decide whether the sentence is:
• simple
• compound
• complex.
Explain your answer.

Sentence Sentence type Why is it this What does the

type? sentence convey?
The river Nile was incredibly wide,
and we saw crocodiles basking in
the midday sun.

They seemed to be smiling!

Even though we were travelling light,

we were dripping with sweat.

My PC is making a very strange

noise and I’m a bit alarmed at the
smoke coming from the back.

I simply had to leave.

Despite all the setbacks we had

earlier in the construction, the
finished product was perfect.

The rain was pouring and the wind

was howling, but we still soldiered on
through the forest to the campsite.

The girl with the flaxen hair was

quietly, softly, murmuring to herself.

Task 2 For each of the sentences above, highlight the following features:
• subjects (green)
•
Key technical skills
Chapter 2

verbs (pink)
• subclauses (orange)
• connectives (blue).

Task 3 What overall meaning does each sentence convey? For example:
The first compound sentence conveys a scene of peace and calm by having
two balanced clauses providing extra detail for the reader.

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