Lesson video

Hi there, My name is Mr. Barnes Smith and today we're going to be doing some English together.

In today's lesson, we're going to be looking at simple and compound sentences in a bit more depth.

So without further ado, let's make a start.

Here's the agenda for today's lesson.

First, we'll explore simple sentences.

Then we'll explore compound sentences.

After that we'll write some compound sentences of our own before finally reviewing what we've learned today.

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

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

Okay.

So let's look at simple sentences in order to understand simple sentences properly we need to remind ourselves of this particular word class, verb.

A verb is a doing or a being word.

Some examples here, jump, run, sing and think.

I wonder if you can help me identify the verbs in this sentence.

In this instance, in fact, there is only one.

So the enormous bird flew through the air, which of these words is the verb? Point to it for me, maybe shout out loud, the verb is flew.

That's the doing or being word, in this instance, it's a doing word.

That's what the bird is doing.

How about here? The animals ran wildly, shout out loud for me, point to it, which is the verb? Ran, okay.

What we're going to do is going to use the understanding we've developed of what a verb is to help us understand what a clause is.

Now this is something we've looked at before.

So I wonder if you can fill this in for me, a clause is a group of words containing a what? Help me finish this off, a clause is a group of words containing a verb.

Excellent, okay.

Let's see if we can identify which of these is a clause and which is not.

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

We have a cup, plate and knife, and the cutlery fell off the table, which of these is a clause containing a verb and which is not? Point for me or shout out.

This one, okay.

So we have an obvious verb in this sentence, fell.

Now, if we understand exactly what a clause is, we can look in detail at a main clause and we can understand what a main clause is.

Here we have two potential definitions of main clause.

I want you to help me decide which one is correct.

So is a main clause, a clause that make sense by itself or is a main clause, a clause that doesn't not make sense by itself? Have a think, clause that makes sense by itself or a clause that does not make sense by itself.

It's a clause that makes sense by itself.

So, a main clause can stand alone and make sense without the need for adding any other clauses or any other information.

Here we have two options, which of these is a main clause and which is not? When they arrived, the dog jumped up and down.

So I need your help, one of these is the main clause, one of them is not.

Remember, a main clause makes sense by itself.

This one, okay.

So the dog jumped up and down.

That makes sense by itself.

It's a clause cause it contains a verb, group of words containing of verb.

The other option also contains a verb.

However, since it doesn't make sense by itself, we know it's not a main clause.

It must be another type of clause.

Help me define what a simple sentence is.

So, a simple sentence consists of one, mmh mmh.

It makes sense on its own, simple sentence consists of one, mmh mmh.

It makes sense on its own.

Top tip, this is linked to what we just looked at.

Simple sentence consists of one main clause, it makes sense on its own.

Here's an example, the man lifted the cup, here we have a clause, a group of words containing a verb.

It's a main clause cause it makes sense all by itself.

If you have one of these stand alone main clause, capital letter at the beginning, full stop at the end, it's what we refer to as a simple sentence.

Okay, I'd like you to pause the video and come up with three of your own.

I'd like your simple sentences to describe a trip you made or might make to the museum.

Three simple sentences, pause the video and have a go.

Okay.

The simple sentence consists of one main clause.

It makes sense on its own and we use this image of Batman to depict Mr Main.

Now, Mr Main is a clause who can do things all by himself.

He doesn't need the help of others, now he sometimes uses other people to help him on his missions, but he's fine going off by himself and doing things and completing missions all alone.

That's not a problem for Mr Main.

Here we have three options, the interesting building, they saw the bird in the sky, the dog barked and the man jumped.

Now one of these three is a simple sentence.

The other two for whatever reason are not, help me identify the simple sentence and then also explain why the other two are not simple sentences.

Pause the video now.

Okay, the simple sentence is, this one, group of words containing a verb.

So it's definitely a clause, it makes sense on its own.

They saw the bird in the sky it's made up of just one main clause.

No more than one, fantastic.

Two other options, the interesting building, the dog barked and the man jumped are not simple sentences.

Now let's figure out why not? The interesting building, mmh well that, I can see straight away, does not contain a verb so it's not even a clause.

Let alone a simple sentence.

This is what we refer to as a phrase, it's just a group of words down at the bottom, the dog barked and the man jumped.

Aha, so they're actually more than one main clause in the sentence.

We have the dog barked, main clause and we have the man jumped, main clause.

Well, we know that simple sentences are made up of just one main clause not two.

So therefore this is not a simple sentence.

Let's look at compound sentences.

So, a compound sentence consists of two or more of what type of clause.

There's a picture here to make it very, very clear.

Compound sentence consists of two or more main clauses.

And here they are Mr Main and Mr Main.

Now Mr Main and Mr Main are being joined by something.

We need to use a special technique to join the two together.

What we use is a, something conjunction, a something conjunction.

Now, a conjunction is a joining word, it joins words or phrases or clauses.

This particular type of conjunction joins two main clauses to make a compound sentence.

I wonder if you can remember what it's called, have a think, it's a coordinating conjunction.

My turn, your turn, coordinating conjunction.

So, coordinating conjunction combines two main clauses to make a compound sentence.

These coordinating conjunctions, we call boa words and we named them after the boa constrictor.

And here's a lovely drawing of one.

The question is, which are our three boa words? Top tip, one begins with B, one begins with O, one begins with A.

Here we have five options because, but, and so, and or.

I need your help picking the three of these that are boa words, pause the video and have a go.

Okay, our three boa words are, but, or and and and you can see them but and or are proceeded by a comma, and is not.

Help me use the appropriate boa word for each of these sentences.

We will eat at home, mmh, we will eat at a restaurant, okay.

We will eat at home, mmh we will eat at a restaurant.

If you're unsure, use all three possibilities and then use the one which sounds correct.

Sometimes when you say these out loud, it becomes very clear, which is correct and which is not.

Pause the video and have a go.

Okay, we will eat at home comma, or we will eat at a restaurant.

One of two choices.

They visited the museum, mmh, they didn't have a good time.

They visited the museum, mmh, they didn't have a good time, help me out.

They visited the museum, but they didn't have a good time, Okay? The strange creature can glow in the dark, mmh, it can breathe under water.

The strange creature can glow in the dark, mmh, it can breath under water, pause the video and have a go.

And the strange creature can glow in the dark and it can breathe underwater.

We're adding additional information.

So here we have a sentence which is either a compound sentence or a simple sentence.

I wonder if you can figure out which it is, remember, compound sentences is made up of two main clauses joined by a coordinator conjunction.

Simple sentence is made up of just a main clause.

The flame flickered in the darkness, is that compound or simple? Shout out loud for me, or point to the one you want.

Simple, this sentence is made up of just one main clause.

The flame flickered in the darkness has the verb flickered in it? So it's definitely a clause, makes sense by itself so it's a main clause and there's only one of them so it's a simple sentence.

How about this one? They seemed brave, but their hands were trembling.

They seemed brave, but their hands were trembling.

Have a go for me, point to the one that you want or shout out loud.

Compound, they seemed brave, main clause, but, coordinating conjunction, their hands were trembling, main clause.

We have main plus main.

Let's see if we can write some compound sentences of our own.

Now when we write compound sentences we need to be a bit conscious and a bit careful of something.

We know that the three boa words are conjunctions and when they're used to join main clauses they're coordinating conjunctions.

However, sometimes these three words are also used as conjunctions in different situations.

In these other situations they're not acting as coordinating conjunctions and they don't help create compound sentences.

So we need to make sure that we can identify when a boa word is being used as a coordinating conjunction and when it's not.

We need to make sure that it's being used to join a main clause with another main clause.

If it is, then it's creating a compound sentence.

Quick reminder, a clause is a group of words containing a verb.

So that's how you check.

Is there a verb in the group of words? If so, it's a clause.

Is there a clause, either side of our conjunction? That's what we're looking for.

Here's an example, I went to the shops and I went to the park and I went to the shop and park.

In the first instance the word 'and' is separating two main clauses.

I went to the shops is being combined with I went to the park, therefore that is a compound sentence.

All right, in our other option the word, 'and' is just joining two items in a list.

So it's behaving as a conjunction, but not a coordinating conjunction.

Therefore this is not a compound sentence.

I'll let you to have a go with these two options.

The anglerfish eats fish and crustaceans.

The anglerfish can survive in ice cold waters and it can see in the dark, which of these is a compound sentence and which is not? Pause the video and have a go.

Okay, there's our compound sentence.

We have two clauses, two main clauses, either side of our coordinating conjunction and, you can see that I've underlined the verbs.

So we have the anglerfish can survive in ice cold waters, that's our first main clause.

Then we have our coordinating conjunction and we have our second main clause, it can see in the dark.

How about here? This creature thrives in the dark, but not the light this strange species roams the depths but it does not enter the shallows.

Okay, so one of these is a compound sentence, one of them is not.

I'd like your help figuring out which is which.

This one's the compound sentence.

Either side of our coordinating conjunction is a main clause.

So we have this strange species roams the depth, there's our first main clause.

It does not enter the shallows, there's our second, definitely a compound sentence.

How about here? Humans should look after the environment or the anglerfish become extinct.

Humans should not pollute or fish.

One of this is compound, one of them is not.

Now I'm trying to trick you here so you have to be very careful and read these carefully.

What's happening either side of our conjunction? Pause the video and have a go.

Our compound sentence is here, either side of our conjunction we have a main clause.

Humans should look after the environment, there's a main clause.

The anglerfish will become extinct, there's another main clause.

Therefore, in this instance, we have a compound sentence.

So, time for you to come up with some of your own.

I'm looking for compound sentences, I'm looking for one of each type, one using but, one using or, one using and.

I'd like you to do it on the topic of an animal of your choice.

Now you could talk about the anglerfish since that's familiar.

If however you'd like to choose another animal, I don't mind, you can get facts about the animal.

You can describe things it does or maybe you can think about going on a little journey or trip with the animal, that would work too, pause the video and have a go.

Okay, well done.

Let's review what we've looked at today.

Now I'm going to review what you've learned with a little tricky test.

So you have two sentences here, I need your help deciding which of these is a simple sentence and which of these is a compound sentence.

When you've decided I want you to explain to yourself, so I want you to vocalise your explanation as to why.

So why is the one you've chosen as a simple sentence, a simple sentence.

And why is the other one, a compound sentence? That's really important.

We ate our tea and we sang a song and we danced around the room.

There are two options, one is simple, one is compound.

Which is which and why ? Pause the video now.

Okay.

We ate our tea is a simple sentence made up with just one main clause.

We sang a song and we danced around the room is a compound sentence made up of two main clauses joined together by a coordinating conjunction in this instance 'and'.

Congratulations, really good lesson, and we've covered a lot.

We've looked at simple sentences, compound sentences we've written compound sentences and we've reviewed what we've learned.

Well done for your hard work.

You've completed the lesson.

Bye.