Lesson video

Hi, there.

My name is Mr. Byrne-Smith, and today we're going to be doing some English together.

In today's lesson, we are going to be exploring simple and compound sentences.

So, let's make a start.

Here's the agenda for today's lesson.

First, we going to look at simple sentences, then we'll look at compound sentences, and then we'll have a practise of writing some compounds sentences.

After that we'll have a chance to review what we've learned.

In this lesson you will need an exercise book or paper, a pencil and your brain.

If you need to go and get any of these things, pause the video now, okay.

Let's start by looking at some simple sentences.

So whenever you explore grammar, it's really important that you have a good grasp, good understanding of the various word classes.

In today's lesson we're going to be mainly dealing with verbs.

So it's really important that we understand exactly what a verb is.

Now a verb is a doing or a being word.

And I've given you four examples there, jump, run, sing and think.

I'd like your help identifying the verb in this sentence.

The strange looking car drove down the street.

Perhaps you could point to it for me or shout out loud.

The verb is drove, that's the thing the car is doing in this sentence, okay.

Let's have a go at identifying the verbs in this sentence.

Now in this sentence, there are actually three verbs.

Pause the video now and see if you can spot them.

Okay, the verbs are thought, was and stepped.

Now thought and stepped obviously doing words, was, which is a form of the verb to be is a being word.

We're going to use our understanding of verbs to help us understand a clause.

So a clause is a group of words containing a verb.

If you come across a group of words containing a verb its a clause.

Here, we have two options, one of these is a clause one of them is not.

Remember a clause is a group of words containing a verb.

So we're looking for a verb, helped me out.

The children played in the park or a group of colourful birds.

Which of these is a clause? Maybe you could point or shout out for me, okay.

This one is the clause, this contains a verb it contains the verb, played, which is the past tense of to play.

A group of colourful birds is not a clause.

It doesn't contain a verb basically you would describe as a phrase.

So now we understand exactly what a clause is.

Let's think about a main clause.

A main clause is a clause a group of words containing a verb that makes sense by itself.

So if you say it by itself if you say out loud, it makes sense.

It doesn't need the help of extra information or extra clause is in order to make sense.

Here we have two options.

One of these is a main clause it makes sense by itself.

One of them is not.

I need your help deciding between the two.

So we have, as the sun shone down and he relaxed in the garden.

Which of these is a main clause and make sense by itself? Point for me or shout out, okay.

This one is the main clause.

Our other option as the sun shone down does not make sense by itself, cannot stand alone as a main clause.

He relaxed in the garden on the other hand does and can stand alone as a main clause.

So what we're going to do is we're going to use what we've just learned to see if we can figure out what a simple sentences is.

Now a simple sentence is related very closely to what we've just learned about main clauses.

Here is a simple sentence.

The fish swam towards the shore.

Help me complete this definition using what we've just learned.

A simple sentence consists of one, it makes sense on its own.

Pause the video and have it go.

Okay, a simple sentence consists of one main clause it makes sense on its own.

So we know that main clauses can stand alone and make sense.

When they do stand alone as complete sentences, they form simple sentences.

These are referred to as simple sentences.

A simple sentence consists of one main clause and it makes sense on its own.

Here, we have a little picture of Batman.

Now we use Batman to talk about Mr. Main.

Mr. Main is our main clause.

Now Mr. Main could go out and do things by itself just like Batman can.

Batman doesn't need to help with a sidekick in order to go and do missions.

He can go out by himself or he can go out on missions with other people.

But the most important thing is that Mr. Main can do things all by himself.

I'm just going to draw your attention to one element of this definition.

One main clause.

So a simple sentence consists of only one main clause not more, okay.

Here we have three options.

What we're going to do is read them out loud and then see if we can figure out which of these is a simple sentence consisting of one main clause, okay.

Everybody cheered loudly and the crowd threw their arms in the air.

The beautiful flowers in the garden.

He ran over the bridge.

There are three options only one of these is a simple sentence, which one? Pause the video and have it ago.

Okay, the simple sentence is, he ran over the bridge, the other two are not.

Let's think about why they're not.

Everybody cheered loudly and the crowd threw their arms in the air.

This sentence actually contains two main clauses.

So it is not a simple sentence.

Everybody cheered loudly.

there's our first main clause it makes sense by itself and the crowd threw their arms in the air.

That's our second main clause it makes sense by itself.

So this is not a simple sentence 'cause it contains more than one main clause.

The next option, the beautiful flowers in the garden does not contain a verb.

Therefore it is not a clause and therefore it is not a simple sentence.

He ran over the bridge on the other hand, does contain a verb.

Therefore it's a clause and it makes sense by itself.

Therefore it's a main clause and there's only one of them therefore, it's a simple sentence, okay.

Let's look at compound sentences.

Compound sentence consists of two or more main clauses.

Sometimes compound sentences are made up of more than two clauses.

Normally however, they're just made up of two main clauses.

Here you can see I've depicted a compound sentence using Mr. Main plus Mr. Main.

But what's joining them together? That's something we need to think about.

Joining our two main clauses in a compound sentence is a coordinating conjunction.

My turn, your turn coordinating conjunction.

When it comes to our coordinating conjunction we have a choice of three.

We refer to these as BOA words BOA made up of B, O and A stands for the three coordinate conjunctions, but, or and and.

I've used a snake picture here to depict BOA word because BOA is another word for a type of snake.

You can see if you look closely at our three coordinate conjunctions now, but and or, are proceeded by a comma and on the other hand is not.

But and or, are proceeded by a comma, and is not.

Let's see if we can identify which BOA word has been used in these sentences.

The class played in the playground and the teacher sat on a bench.

Which BOA word has been used here.

Shout out for me, and.

The stars were glowing brightly, but there was not enough light to see.

Which BOA word has been used here? But, okay.

Now this BOA word if you look carefully is used to suggest contrast.

So the stars were glowing brightly.

So it was very bright in that sense, however, but there wasn't enough to see so that an element of contrast.

We have the stars were glowing brightly but there wasn't enough to see.

But, is a really useful but sometimes tricky conjunction to use.

So you have to use it very carefully.

We're going to see lots of examples today.

So we'll get a feel for how to use it.

Our next coordinate conjunction, we should leave now, or we will become wetter and wetter.

Which coordinates conjunction have I used here? Shout out for me, it's or.

Now, or is it not a tricky conjunction to use.

it's really useful, but it's harder than thought and it's harder than, and.

You use or when you have some sort of cause followed by consequence, they should happen or this will happen to here.

We should leave now, or we will become wetter and wetter.

That's the most common way to use or cause and consequence.

Okay, I wonder if you can help me figure out whether this sentence is a compound sentence made up of two main clauses or a simple sentence made up of one main clause.

She saw something interesting in the distance.

I don't spot any BOA words and I can only find one verb.

So how does that help me, pause the video and have it go, okay.

This is a simple sentence.

We have one clause it's a main clause, it makes sense by itself and therefore it is a simple sentence.

How About with this one? They wanted to go to the park, but the son was setting, okay.

I've spotted something which has given me a big clue here.

I'll let you to have a go now pause the video, okay.

This is a compound sentence, of course it is.

There's the word, but there's our BOA word.

It's joining two main clauses.

Let's check that their main clause by reading them out loud by themselves.

If they make sense then they're main clauses.

They wanted to go to the park, yep.

The sun was setting, yep.

And what do we have in the middle, but which is one of our BOA words.

So definitely a compounds sentence, okay.

Now we have a challenge to write some of our own Before we do that I think it's important that we just check this tricky mistake which is often made when it comes to coordinating conjunctions.

So we know that the three BOA words are, but, or and and.

And in compound sentences, they're used to combine clauses.

However, these three words can also operate as conjunctions that combine other things as well.

Sometimes they just combine words or phrases which makes it tricky to identify when a sentence is a compound sentence or whether it's just a simple sentence that has the word and it Remember, the coordinates conjunction joins two main clauses.

So there must be a main clause either side of the coordinating conjunction.

If there's only one main clause then it's not a compound sentence it's a simple sentence.

So we need to make sure that if we're writing compound sentences we have a complete main clause either side of our coordinating conjunction.

Let's look at this in more detail with a few examples First we'll remind ourselves that clause is a group of words containing a verb, okay.

So when we're looking for a clause, we're looking for a group of words containing a verb really useful, okay.

Two options here, I went to the shops and I went to the park.

I went to the shops and park.

So I've highlighted the conjunction, conjunction being used in both of these instances is, and.

Now one of these examples uses, and to join two main clauses, one of them doesn't.

Which one uses it to join two main clauses, pause the video and have a think, okay.

And it's being used to join two clauses in this sentence.

Let's look either side of the word and we're looking for two clauses and therefore two verbs.

I went to the shops, main clause containing a verb, great.

I went to the park, main clause containing a verb fantastic.

So this is a compound sentence.

In the other example we're not identifying quite the same things.

I went to the shop, great main clause containing a verb And there is a conjunction, park.

Park is not a main clause, park is Just a noun all by itself.

In this instance, the word, and is operating as a conjunction but it's just joining two words together in a list.

Is joining shop and park so therefore it is not operating as a coordinating conjunction.

And therefore this is not a compound sentence this is just a simple sentence, okay.

Let's try again.

This is tricky, but it's important.

Polar bears are strong swimmers and they are excellent hunters.

Polar bears live in Canada and Greenland.

Pause the video and help me identify the compound sentence.

Okay, the compound sentence is this one.

I've highlighted the verbs and you can see that either side of our conjunction.

We have one main clause, polar bears are strong swimmers joined to another.

They are excellent hunters, fantastic.

Definitely a compound sentence, you know.

In the other example, Canada and Greenland have been joined by the conjunction, and, but just as items in a list, we don't have a main clause either side of our conjunction.

Therefore it's not a coordinating conjunction.

Therefore it is not a compound sentence.

How about with these two, polar bears eat animals but not plants.

Polar bears have black skin, but their fur is white.

We're looking for the compound sentence.

Pause the video now, okay.

Compound sentence is here.

Polar bears have black skin, but their fur is white.

Let's see if we can identify the two main clauses either side of the conjunction.

Polar bears have black skin, there's one.

Their fur is white, there's another.

Those two clauses make sense by themselves they're main clauses and therefore this is a compound sentence.

How about here? Polar bears hunt alone or in small groups.

Polar bears must eat a huge amount or they freeze, okay.

So we're looking for a main clause joined to another main clause by a coordinating conjunction, pause the video and have it go.

The compound sentence is here.

Here we have two main clause joined by the conjunction, or polar bears must eat a huge amount and then the other main clause, they freeze.

That's a short main clause, but it is to the main clause.

In our other examples, we have polar bears hunt alone joined to in small groups.

In small groups, is not a clause.

Why not? In small groups It's not a clause 'cause it does not contain a verb, okay.

You now have the opportunity to write three compound sentences using each of the three conjunctions.

So one, but sentence, one or sentence, one and sentence.

And I'd like you to do it using the theme of, "A Trip to the Park." Going to the park for some reason is an easy thing to describe.

And there's lots of different things that you can use when describing it.

So I think it's a good place to start.

I'd like to have a go at this I'm looking for three sentences, pause the video now, okay.

Let's review what we've learned.

We're going to do it with a quick practise just to test what we've picked up in today's lesson.

Here we have two options.

I'd like you to help me figure out whether they're simple sentences or compound sentences.

First option is they walked into the shop.

The second option is they sat around the fire, but they didn't have the energy to sing.

one of these is a simple sentence one is a compound sentence.

Pause the video and have it go, okay.

They walked into the shop is a simple sentence.

They sat around the fire, but they didn't have the energy to sing is a compound sentence, okay.

That's the end of the lesson well done you've done a fantastic job.

Today we've looked at simple sentences, compound sentences.

We've written compound sentences and we've reviewed what we've learned which is a lot.

So well done for your hard work You've completed the lesson.