7th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 4 of 20
Clauses & Sentences
Simple, compound, complex and more
What your child practices
Finding independent and dependent clauses, naming the four sentence types, and fixing fragments, run-ons and comma splices, the building blocks of varied, clear sentences.
New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 7L1 · simple, compound and complex sentences
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- An independent clause stands alone. A dependent clause starts with a word like if, because or when and can’t.
- Simple: one independent clause. Compound: two joined by and, but or so. Complex: independent plus dependent. Compound-complex: two independent plus a dependent.
- Fix fragments, run-ons and comma splices by adding what’s missing or joining clauses correctly.
Example: “When the bell rang, we ran outside.” What type of sentence is this? “We ran outside” is independent. “When the bell rang” is dependent. Answer: Complex
Clauses & Sentences in New York
In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 4 of 20 in 7th grade English Language Arts, after Persuasive Power and before Modifiers & Parallelism.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Which sentence is a comma splice?
- Noah wanted to swim, the pool was closed.
- Although Noah wanted to swim, the pool was closed.
- Noah wanted to swim, but the pool was closed.
- Noah wanted to swim; the pool was closed.
Noah wanted to swim, the pool was closed.
Hint: A comma splice joins two complete sentences with only a comma. Look for a comma with no joining word after it.
Question 2
What type of sentence is this?
The lights went out; everyone stayed calm.
- Compound
- Simple
- Complex
- Compound-complex
Compound
Hint: Two independent clauses joined by a comma and a conjunction (and, but, or, so) or by a semicolon make a compound sentence.
Question 3
Which word is a subordinating conjunction?
- but
- so
- if
- yet
if
Hint: Subordinating conjunctions (because, although, if, while…) begin dependent clauses. And, but, or, so and yet are coordinating conjunctions.
Question 4
Which part of this sentence is the dependent clause?
Because the trail was muddy, we wore our boots.
- we wore our boots
- our boots
- Because the trail was muddy
Because the trail was muddy
Hint: A dependent clause has a subject and a verb but can't stand alone. It usually starts with a word like because, when, if, although or that.
Question 5
What type of sentence is this?
The wind rattled the windows all night.
- Compound
- Simple
- Complex
- Compound-complex
Simple
Hint: Count the clauses. This has just one independent clause (one subject–verb unit that can stand alone).
Question 6
What type of sentence is this?
Ana packed snacks because the trip was long, and Leo brought a map.
- Complex
- Simple
- Compound-complex
- Compound
Compound-complex
Hint: Two or more independent clauses plus at least one dependent clause make a compound-complex sentence.