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7th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 4 of 15

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.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 7.10(D) · simple, compound and complex sentences

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. An independent clause stands alone. A dependent clause starts with a word like if, because or when and can’t.
  2. Simple: one independent clause. Compound: two joined by and, but or so. Complex: independent plus dependent. Compound-complex: two independent plus a dependent.
  3. 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 Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 4 of 15 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.

Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which sentence is a comma splice?

    • Noah wanted to swim, the pool was closed.
    • 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.

  2. Question 2

    What type of sentence is this?

    Because the trail was muddy, we wore our boots.

    • Simple
    • Complex
    • Compound-complex
    • Compound

  3. Question 3

    What type of sentence is this?

    Lena finished her project early, and she helped her friends with theirs.

    • Simple
    • Compound
    • Compound-complex
    • Complex

  4. Question 4

    What type of sentence is this?

    Priya wanted to join the choir, but she worried that she couldn't sing the high notes.

    • Simple
    • Complex
    • Compound
    • Compound-complex

  5. Question 5

    Which part of this sentence is the dependent clause?

    Since the library was closed, Jay studied at home.

    • Since the library was closed
    • at home
    • Jay studied at home

  6. Question 6

    Which part of this sentence is the independent clause?

    Leo smiled as he opened the letter.

    • as he opened the letter
    • the letter
    • Leo smiled

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