simple sentence

noun

1. a sentence having only one clause, as I saw her the day before yesterday.

simple sentence

noun

1. See complex sentence, compound sentence
   a sentence consisting of a single main clause Compare compound sentence complex sentence

simple sentence

1. A sentence containing only one independent clause and no dependent clauses : “He went home after class.” ( Compare complex sentence , compound sentence , and compound-complex sentence .)

Example Sentences

Healthcare as we know it today is governed with information sheets and short, simple sentences that simplify and flatten complexity in an attempt to achieve clarity.

From Popular-Science

One of the reasons that people like my YouTube channel, as stupid as it sounds, is that my English is not good, which forces me to speak in simple sentences using words that do not contain too many syllables.

From Nautilus

There’s a bone-deep distrust of the system embedded in that simple sentence.

From Vox

Three days after, she retweeted a tellingly simple sentence: “Family is hard.”

From The Daily Beast

In my case, the simple sentence is “I want to be safe, and I want to be heard.”

From The Daily Beast

Which simple sentence contains more wisdom than all the pessimism of the King of kings.

From Project Gutenberg

In the talk of a child every thought phrases itself as a simple sentence.

From Project Gutenberg

One simple sentence at length solved all these unpleasant doubts, and pressed the unwelcome truth home to my heart.

From Project Gutenberg

Let us begin with a simple sentence that involves various kinds of concepts—the farmer kills the duckling.

From Project Gutenberg

Even such a simple sentence as "And Julia Duane faced the most sacred duties of a woman's life alone" was barred.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Simple Sentence

What is a simple sentence?

A simple sentence is a sentence that contains a single independent clause.

In grammar, a clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate. The subject is the word that indicates what a sentence is about or who or what is performing an action. A subject can be a noun (car, Tom), a noun phrase (short book, green apples), or a noun substitute (you, they). The predicate is a word that indicates what the subject is doing. A predicate is a verb (runs, is) and the words that govern or modify it (fast, hungry).

A simple sentence contains only a single clause that stands alone and makes grammatical sense. A simple sentence has only one subject and one predicate, as in Tom is hungry.

A simple sentence can also have a compound subject (two or more subjects doing the same action), a compound predicate (two or more actions being performed), and modifiers that describe the subject or predicate (such as adjectives, adverbs, and direct objects). Because it has only one clause, though, it is still a simple sentence.

Why are simple sentences important?

The first records of the phrase simple sentence come from around 1669. It combines the word simple, meaning “uncomplicated,” and sentence, meaning “a grammatical unit of words that expresses an independent idea.” Simple sentences are the most basic sentences you can use in English.

We use simple sentences frequently in English, especially to make an idea easier to understand. Understanding what simple sentences are will help you tackle more complicated sentence structures, such as compound sentences and complex sentences.

Did you know ... ?

Simple sentences don’t have to be short. They can be long, especially if you get creative with adjectives, as in The big, ugly, scraggly dog hungrily ate the half-full can of baked beans.

What are real-life examples of simple sentence?

This image gives examples of some different kinds of simple sentences you can make.

<img loading="lazy" src="https://www.englishhints.com/images/english-sentence-structure-fb.png?ezimgfmt=ng:webp/ngcb1" alt="" width="514" height="269" />

English Hints

We use simple sentences every day.

I need a big favor! Can someone translate two simple sentences from English to Spanish for me? (I took Latin; I'm useless.)

— Anna Dorfman 🥯 (@doorsixteen) December 7, 2010

“I will try to have
a great day” –@Asunaa

The text I read before I started my morning run. Positive psychology teaches us that this seemingly simple sentence programs the subconscious mind to “have a great day.”

Intentions become experiences.

Let’s have a great day.

— Edward Cleland (@MindBodyEsports) March 14, 2021

What other words are related to simple sentence?

• independent clause
• subject
• predicate
• adjective
• adverb
• direct object
• modifier
• compound sentences
• complex sentences

Quiz yourself!

Which of the following is NOT a simple sentence?

A. Fish swim.
B. Matt and Ashley ate cake.
C. I had seven kittens, but my brother adopted one.
D. Sit!