Question

I am confused on how to identify a sentence as a complex sentence or a simple sentence. The sentence is "The first recorded trip to the Yellowstone geysers was made in 1807 by John Colter." I think it is simple...but am not sure if there is a subordinate clause in there or not

Answer 1

The first thing to do is to identify the clauses, both independent and dependent. Remember that a clause has a subject and a verb.

The first recorded <u>trip</u> to the Yellowstone geysers <b>was made</b> in 1807 by John Colter.

In this sentence, there is one subject and one verb; therefore, it's a simple sentence.

one independent clause = simple
two independent clauses joined correctly = compound
one independent and one dependent clause = complex
two independent clauses joined correctly plus one dependent clause = compound-complex

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/clauses.htm

Answer 2

thank you for the link!

Answer 3

thank you....that makes sense now

Answer 4

You're very welcome.

This is an excellent website:
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
It's easy to navigate by clicking on Index and finding what you need in the alphabetical listings.