Grammar Mastery: A Quiz On Simple, Compound, And Complex Sentences
Reviewed by Juliette Firla
Juliette Firla, MA|
K-12 English Expert
Review Board Member
Juliette is a middle school English teacher at Sacred Heart of Greenwich, Connecticut. Juliette earned a BA in English/Language Arts Teacher Education from Elon University (2016-2020) and an MA in Teaching Writing from Johns Hopkins University (Apr 2023-Dec 2025). She holds a Classroom Teacher license from the Connecticut State Department of Education, obtained in July 2021. Juliette possesses strong skills in English language arts, writing, editing, and literature study. She has a deep passion for working with young people and contributing to the education of America's youth in the classroom.
The editorial team at ProProfs Quizzes consists of a select group of subject experts, trivia writers, and quiz masters who have authored over 10,000 quizzes taken by more than 100 million users. This team includes our in-house seasoned quiz moderators and subject matter experts. Our editorial experts, spread across the world, are rigorously trained using our comprehensive guidelines to ensure that you receive the highest quality quizzes.
How good are you at identifying sentences as simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex? Try this quiz and test your knowledge! Simple and compound sentences can be distinguished by the number of independent clauses they have. Complex and compound-complex sentences, on the other hand, are distinguished based on the amount of independent and dependent clauses they have. Take this practice quiz and see if you can determine the different types of sentences. All the best!
Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences Questions and Answers
1.
Barbara and Joanne giggled all night.
A.
Simple sentence
B.
Compound Sentence
C.
Complex Sentence
D.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Correct Answer A. Simple sentence
Explanation The given sentence, "Barbara and Joanne giggled all night," is a simple sentence because it consists of only one independent clause. It does not contain any dependent clauses or coordinating conjunctions to join multiple independent clauses. The sentence expresses a complete thought with a subject ("Barbara and Joanne") and a predicate ("giggled all night").
Rate this question:
2.
John went to school today, but James remained at home.
A.
Simple sentence
B.
Complex sentence
C.
Compound sentence
D.
Compound-Complex sentence
Correct Answer C. Compound sentence
Explanation The given sentence is a compound sentence because it consists of two independent clauses joined by the coordinating conjunction "but." Each clause can stand alone as a complete sentence, with "John went to school today" and "James remained at home" expressing separate ideas.
Rate this question:
3.
We decided to go fishing and camp out at the lake.
A.
Simple sentence
B.
Compound Sentence
C.
Complex Sentence
D.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Correct Answer B. Compound Sentence
Explanation The given sentence "We decided to go fishing and camp out at the lake." is a compound sentence. It comprises two independent clauses, "We decided to go fishing" and "camp out at the lake," connected by the coordinating conjunction "and." The conjunction "and" joins two complete thoughts, making it a compound sentence.
Rate this question:
4.
She wanted to go to the store, but it was raining heavily.
A.
Simple sentence
B.
Compound Sentence
C.
Complex Sentence
D.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Correct Answer B. Compound Sentence
Explanation A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions (e.g., "but," "and," "or"). In the given sentence, the independent clauses "She wanted to go to the store" and "it was raining heavily" are joined by the coordinating conjunction "but," making it a compound sentence.
Rate this question:
5.
Since we had only gone a mile from camp, we decided to return before dark.
A.
Simple sentence
B.
Compound Sentence
C.
Complex Sentence
D.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Correct Answer C. Complex Sentence
Explanation The given sentence contains a dependent clause and an independent clause. " The independent clause is "we decided to return before dark." The dependent clause is “Since we had only gone a mile from camp,” as it includes a subordinating conjunction, “since”. Therefore, the sentence is a complex sentence.
Rate this question:
6.
After the tornado hit, my house was completely destroyed.
A.
Simple sentence
B.
Compound Sentence
C.
Complex Sentence
D.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Correct Answer C. Complex Sentence
Explanation The given sentence is a complex sentence because it consists of two clauses, an independent clause "my house was completely destroyed" and a dependent clause "After the tornado hit." The dependent clause "After the tornado hit" provides additional information about when the action in the independent clause occurred.
Rate this question:
7.
Our vacation should be exciting, but it should also be restful.
A.
Simple sentence
B.
Compound Sentence
C.
Complex Sentence
D.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Correct Answer B. Compound Sentence
Explanation The sentence "Our vacation should be exciting, but it should also be restful" is a compound sentence consisting of two independent clauses joined by the coordinating conjunction "but." It expresses the desire for both excitement and relaxation during the vacation, emphasizing the need for a balance between the two experiences.
Rate this question:
8.
Older television sets had tubes; the newest models, which take less space, are digital televisions.
A.
Simple sentence
B.
Compound Sentence
C.
Complex Sentence
D.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Correct Answer D. Compound-Complex Sentence
Explanation The sentence "Older television sets had tubes; the newest models, which take less space, are digital televisions." is a compound-complex sentence because it combines elements of both compound and complex sentences. Here's the breakdown: "Older television sets had tubes" is a simple sentence because it consists of one independent clause. "the newest models are digital televisions" is another simple sentence because it also consists of one independent clause. "which take less space" is a relative clause that provides additional information about "the newest models." This makes the second part of the sentence a complex sentence. When you combine these elements with a semicolon, you create a compound-complex sentence.
Rate this question:
9.
After finding out that he bought a used shirt, he went to the store to return it.
A.
Simple sentence
B.
Complex sentence
C.
Compound sentence
D.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Correct Answer B. Complex sentence
Explanation The sentence "After finding out that he bought a used shirt, he went to the store to return it." is a complex sentence.
It is complex because it consists of an independent clause ("he went to the store to return it") and a dependent clause ("After finding out that he bought a used shirt") connected by the subordinating conjunction "after."
Rate this question:
10.
Buying new footwear is my hobby.
A.
Simple Sentence
B.
Complex Sentence
C.
Compound-Complex Sentence
D.
Compound Sentence
Correct Answer A. Simple Sentence
Explanation The given sentence "Buying new footwear is my hobby" is a simple sentence because it consists of only one independent clause. It expresses a complete thought and does not contain any dependent clauses or conjunctions to connect multiple independent clauses.
Rate this question:
11.
Rey waited for the train all night.
A.
Simple sentence
B.
Complex sentence
C.
Compound sentence
D.
Compound-complex sentence
Correct Answer A. Simple sentence
Explanation The sentence "Rey waited for the train all night." is a simple sentence because it contains one independent clause expressing a complete thought. It has a subject ("Rey") and a predicate ("waited for the train all night"), making it a straightforward statement without additional clauses or conjunctions.
Rate this question:
12.
I looked for Joe and Mary at the airport.
A.
Simple sentence
B.
Complex sentence
C.
Compound sentence
D.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Correct Answer A. Simple sentence
Explanation A simple sentence consists of one independent clause, and it typically contains a subject and a predicate. In the given sentence, "I looked for Joe and Mary at the airport," there is one subject ("I") and one predicate ("looked for Joe and Mary at the airport"). It expresses a complete thought and doesn't contain additional independent clauses or complex structures.
Rate this question:
13.
I like tea, but Mary likes coffee.
A.
Simple sentence
B.
Complex sentence
C.
Compound sentence
D.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Correct Answer C. Compound sentence
Explanation The given statement consists of two independent clauses joined by the coordinating conjunction "but." Each clause can stand alone as a complete sentence, expressing a complete thought. Therefore, it is a compound sentence.
Rate this question:
14.
I want to be a ballerina when I grow up, and my mom is proud of me.
A.
Simple sentence
B.
Complex sentence
C.
Compound sentence
D.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Correct Answer C. Compound sentence
Explanation It's a compound sentence. It consists of two independent clauses joined by the coordinating conjunction "and":
"I want to be a ballerina when I grow up."
"My mom is proud of me."
These clauses could stand alone as separate sentences but are joined together to express related ideas.
Rate this question:
15.
The rain started as soon as they left home to attend a meeting.
A.
Simple sentence
B.
Complex sentence
C.
Compound sentence
D.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Correct Answer B. Complex sentence
Explanation The given sentence is a complex sentence because it consists of an independent clause "The rain started" and a dependent clause "as soon as they left home to attend a meeting." In the sentence, the subordinating conjunction is "as soon as." It introduces the dependent clause and shows the relationship between the two clauses. The dependent clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence and relies on the independent clause for meaning.
Rate this question:
Juliette Firla |MA|
K-12 English Expert
Juliette is a middle school English teacher at Sacred Heart of Greenwich, Connecticut. Juliette earned a BA in English/Language Arts Teacher Education from Elon University (2016-2020) and an MA in Teaching Writing from Johns Hopkins University (Apr 2023-Dec 2025). She holds a Classroom Teacher license from the Connecticut State Department of Education, obtained in July 2021. Juliette possesses strong skills in English language arts, writing, editing, and literature study. She has a deep passion for working with young people and contributing to the education of America's youth in the classroom.
Quiz Review Timeline +
Our quizzes are rigorously reviewed, monitored and continuously updated by our expert board to maintain accuracy, relevance, and timeliness.