Sentences are divided into four structural types: simple sentences, complex sentences, compound sentences and compound-complex sentences. In this quiz we are going to look at complex sentences and compound sentences. A simple sentence consists of a single subject and a single predicate: there are no clauses, e.g. 'Paul likes swimming': 'Paul' is the subject, 'likes swimming' is the predicate and 'likes' is the predicate verb. A compound sentence consists of two simple sentences (independent clauses) joined with one of the following conjunctions: 'and, but, for, nor, yet, so', e.g. 'He loved watching horror movies, and he had a large collection of horror DVDs'. A complex sentence consists of a simple sentence joined with one or more dependent clauses, e.g. 'He was late for work because he missed the 8 o'clock bus'. A dependent clause is a clause that is not a complete thought; therefore, it cannot stand alone as a sentence, e.g. 'because he missed the 8 o'clock bus' makes you ask 'What happened?'
It would be a good idea to do the 11-plus English Clauses and Phrases quiz before you do this quiz.
1.
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Which of the following sentences is a complex sentence? |
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He was scared. He went into the forest alone. |
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He was scared. |
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He was scared, but he went into the forest alone. |
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Although he was scared, he went into the forest alone. |
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2.
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Which of the following sentences is a compound sentence? |
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John ran fast. Steve beat him. |
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John ran fast. |
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John ran fast, but Steve beat him. |
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Though John ran fast, Steve beat him. |
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3.
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Which of the following sentences is a complex sentence? |
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Jane opened her umbrella. |
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Jane opened her umbrella because it was raining. |
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It was raining, so Jane opened her umbrella. |
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It was raining. |
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4.
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Which of the following sentences is a compound sentence? |
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He practises every day because he wants to be a top chess player. |
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He wants to be a top chess player, so he practises every day. |
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He wants to be a top chess player. |
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He practises every day. |
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5.
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Which of the following sentences is a complex sentence? |
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While the wind was blowing, the kite flew high. |
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The wind was blowing, and the kite was flying high. |
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The kite was flying high. |
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The wind was blowing. The kite was flying high. |
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6.
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Which of the following sentences is a compound sentence? |
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He tried hard to lift the heavy weight, but he wasn't strong enough to lift it. |
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Although he tried hard to lift the heavy weight, he wasn't strong enough to lift it. |
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He tried hard to lift the heavy weight. |
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He wasn't strong enough to lift it. |
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7.
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Which of the following sentences is a complex sentence? |
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He continued studying. He was very tired. |
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He continued studying. |
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He continued studying, but he was very tired. |
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He continued studying though he was very tired. |
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8.
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Which of the following sentences is a compound sentence? |
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They bought lots of crockery, and they also bought some silver cutlery. |
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They bought lots of crockery and cutlery. |
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Although they bought some silver cutlery, they didn't buy any crockery. |
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They bought lots of crockery. They didn't buy any cutlery. |
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9.
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Which of the following sentences is a complex sentence? |
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The bell rang, and the children ran out of the classroom. |
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When the bell rang, the children ran out of the classroom. |
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The children ran out of the classroom. The bell rang. |
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The children ran out of the classroom. |
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10.
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Which of the following sentences is a compound sentence? |
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Though he can't read a map, his favourite subject is geography. |
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His favourite subject is geography, though he can't read a map. |
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His favourite subject is geography, yet he still can't read a map. |
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His favourite subject is geography. |
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1.
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Which of the following sentences is a complex sentence? |
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[ ] |
He was scared. He went into the forest alone. |
[ ] |
He was scared. |
[ ] |
He was scared, but he went into the forest alone. |
[x] |
Although he was scared, he went into the forest alone. |
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2.
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Which of the following sentences is a compound sentence? |
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[ ] |
John ran fast. Steve beat him. |
[ ] |
John ran fast. |
[x] |
John ran fast, but Steve beat him. |
[ ] |
Though John ran fast, Steve beat him. |
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3.
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Which of the following sentences is a complex sentence? |
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[ ] |
Jane opened her umbrella. |
[x] |
Jane opened her umbrella because it was raining. |
[ ] |
It was raining, so Jane opened her umbrella. |
[ ] |
It was raining. |
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4.
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Which of the following sentences is a compound sentence? |
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[ ] |
He practises every day because he wants to be a top chess player. |
[x] |
He wants to be a top chess player, so he practises every day. |
[ ] |
He wants to be a top chess player. |
[ ] |
He practises every day. |
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5.
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Which of the following sentences is a complex sentence? |
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[x] |
While the wind was blowing, the kite flew high. |
[ ] |
The wind was blowing, and the kite was flying high. |
[ ] |
The kite was flying high. |
[ ] |
The wind was blowing. The kite was flying high. |
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6.
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Which of the following sentences is a compound sentence? |
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[x] |
He tried hard to lift the heavy weight, but he wasn't strong enough to lift it. |
[ ] |
Although he tried hard to lift the heavy weight, he wasn't strong enough to lift it. |
[ ] |
He tried hard to lift the heavy weight. |
[ ] |
He wasn't strong enough to lift it. |
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7.
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Which of the following sentences is a complex sentence? |
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[ ] |
He continued studying. He was very tired. |
[ ] |
He continued studying. |
[ ] |
He continued studying, but he was very tired. |
[x] |
He continued studying though he was very tired. |
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8.
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Which of the following sentences is a compound sentence? |
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[x] |
They bought lots of crockery, and they also bought some silver cutlery. |
[ ] |
They bought lots of crockery and cutlery. |
[ ] |
Although they bought some silver cutlery, they didn't buy any crockery. |
[ ] |
They bought lots of crockery. They didn't buy any cutlery. |
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9.
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Which of the following sentences is a complex sentence? |
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[ ] |
The bell rang, and the children ran out of the classroom. |
[x] |
When the bell rang, the children ran out of the classroom. |
[ ] |
The children ran out of the classroom. The bell rang. |
[ ] |
The children ran out of the classroom. |
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10.
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Which of the following sentences is a compound sentence? |
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[ ] |
Though he can't read a map, his favourite subject is geography. |
[ ] |
His favourite subject is geography, though he can't read a map. |
[x] |
His favourite subject is geography, yet he still can't read a map. |
[ ] |
His favourite subject is geography. |
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