The Simpsons Teach
Sentences
Adding Variety to Sentence Structure
To make your writing more
interesting, you should try to vary
your sentences in terms of length and
structure. You can make some of
your sentences long and others short.
Read the two paragraphs on the next
page.
Two Paragraphs
Read the paragraphs below. Choose the paragraph
that is more effective.
Paragraph #1
Paragraph #2
I love living in the city. I have a
wonderful view of the entire city.
I have an apartment. I can see the
Golden Gate Bridge. I can see
many cargo ships pass under the
bridge each day. I like the
restaurants in San Francisco. I
can find wonderful food from just
about every country. I don’t like
the traffic in the city.
I love living in the city of San
Francisco. I have a
wonderful view of the entire city
from my apartment
window. In addition, I can see the
Golden Gate Bridge
under which many cargo ships
pass each day. I also like San
Francisco because I can find
wonderful restaurants with food
from just about every country;
however, I don’t like the traffic in
the city.
How do you vary sentence structure?
You will want to use a variety of sentence
structures in your writing. There are three types
of sentences we will study in this lesson:
- Simple Sentence
- Compound Sentence
- Complex Sentence
The Simple Sentence
A simple sentence has one independent clause
(one subject and a verb):
Think of an Independent Clause as
Marge Simpson!
Marge is an independent woman.
She can survive on her own.
Independent (Marge) Clause
• Just like Marge, an
independent clause
can survive on its own.
• It is a complete
sentence which
expresses a complete
thought.
• Subject + Verb
Examples of
Independent (Marge) Clauses
SUBJECT
SUBJECT
VERB
Bart does not like to go to school.
VERB
Lisa loves the saxophone.
SUBJECT + VERB
SUBJECT
VERB
Homer does not work hard at the power plant.
The Compound Sentence
A compound sentence
contains two
independent clauses
that are joined
together.
A trick to remembering
HOW to join these two
clauses together is to
use FANBOYS!
For 
F
And 
A
Nor 
N
But 
B
Or

O
Yet 
Y
So
S

Compound Sentence
,
(Marge + + FANBOYS + Marge)
For
And
Nor
But
Or
,
Yet
So
Compound Sentence
,
(Marge + + FANBOYS + Marge)
Bart hates school, so he makes fun of the
teachers.
Homer loves donuts, and he enjoys
spending time at Moe’s.
Dependent Clauses
A dependent clause cannot survive by itself. It
does not express a complete thought. It is NOT
a sentence!
Think of an Dependent Clause as
Homer Simpson!
Homer is messed up when he
is on his own. Without Marge
by his side, things go wrong.
He is DEPENDENT
on Marge and cannot
survive without her.
Examples of Dependent
(Homer) Clauses
Until the next time I
see him
When I ran to the
yellow house
Although I want to get
an A in math
The “AAAWWUBBIS” Words
“AAAWWUBBIS”
are also known as
subordinating
conjunctions.
Dependent clauses also
begin with signal
(AAAWWUBBIS) words.
We will call these
“AAAWWUBBIS” words
because they signal the
beginning of a Homer
clause.
Dependent Clause
“AAAWWUBBIS”
After
Although
As
When
While
Until
Because
Before
If
Since
Although the sun was bright
Before class started
Complex Sentences
A complex sentence is a combination of an
independent clause and a dependent clause.
Think of a Complex
Sentence as the
partnership between
Marge and
Homer Simpson!
Complex Sentences
Homer(D.C.)
,
+ Marge (I.C.)
,
Until Homer met Marge
he was a nobody.
Marge (I.C.) + Homer (D.C.)
-OR-
,
Until Lisa goes to college
Homer was a nobody until he
met Marge.
,
she will have to live with her
parents.
Lisa will have to live with
her parents until she goes to
college.
A Rule To Know!
A dependent clause
(Homer) must have
an independent
clause (Marge) by it
to be a complete
sentence.
Let’s Review the Three Types of
Sentences!
• Simple Sentences (Marge)
• Compound Sentences
(Marge, + FANBOYS
+Marge)
• Complex (Homer, +
Marge OR Marge +
Homer)
Simple Sentences (Marge)
Subject + Verb
•
•
•
•
Marge walks to the lake.
Homer sleeps too much.
Bart is cool.
Lisa will want to get a
dog.
• The last “normal” person
on earth is Ned.
Let’s make
Complex
Sentences.
The
formulas
are...
DEPENDENT
,
CLAUSE
INDEPENDENT CLAUSE
COMPLEX SENTENCE
Examples of Complex Sentence
,
AAAWWUBBIS + Homer + Marge.
• When the grass turns green, Homer
will have to mow the lawn.
• After Bart passes third grade, there
will be a huge celebration.
OR
INDEPENDENT CLAUSE
DEPENDENT
CLAUSE
Examples of Complex Sentence
Marge + Homer (NO COMMA)
Homer will have to mow the lawn
when the grass turns green.
There will be a huge celebration
when Bart passes third grade.
Let’s
practice the
different
kinds of
sentences.
Write your answers on your worksheet.
Hart Middle School is
ranked #1 in the state of
Michigan.
What kind of sentence is
this:
•Simple, Compound, or
Complex?
How can you tell?
Mrs. Leider is quite a
strange teacher, but Mrs.
Nadlonek, Mrs. Schmidt
and Mrs. Lane are even
stranger.
What kind of sentence is
this:
–Simple, Compound, or
Complex?
How can you tell?
Although I can’t swim, the
beach is a glorious vacation
spot.
• What kind of sentence is
this:
–Simple, Compound, or
Complex?
• How can you tell?