Simple or Complex sentence?

[devonpham1998]

'Pauline and Bruno have a big argument every summer over where they should spend their summer vacation.' is a simple sentence or a complex sentence? Why?
'where they should spend their summer vacation' is normally an object or it is a dependent clause?
D

 

[TheParser]

'Pauline and Bruno have a big argument every summer over where they should spend their summer vacation.' is a simple sentence or a complex sentence? Why?
'where they should spend their summer vacation' is normally an object or it is a dependent clause?
D

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Devonpham,


I shall base my answer on two books (which I shall credit at the

end of this post).

(1) A complex sentence

contains one and only one main clause and at least

one subordinate clause.

(2) I believe that your sentence has one main clause:

Pauline and Bruno have a big argument every summer.

(3) I believe that "Where they should spend their summer

vacation" is not a subordinate clause in this sentence.

(a) I believe that it is a noun clause being used as the

object of the preposition "over."

(4) Tom: Pauline and Bruno are always arguing.

Mona: Over/about what?

Tom: Over where they should go.

(5) Compare: Pauline always goes where/wherever Bruno wants

to go.

(a) That, I believe, is a complex sentence:

Only one main clause: Pauline always goes.

At least one subordinate clause: where Bruno wants to go.

*****

Credits:

Pence & Emery, A Grammar of Present-Day English (New York: Macmillan, 1963), p. 18.

House & Harman, Descriptive English Grammar (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1950), pp. 376, 393.


***** NOT A TEACHER *****

 

[devonpham1998]

Dear,

Though, I've read your reply and truly I could understand almost what you mentioned about. I wondered if there was something I missed then I realized there were 2 different states in your reply. Please explain them for me! Thanks!
(Well, I am not really sure if my reply's grammar is right. If you see anything's wrong, correct it for me by the way!)

Devon Pham

(3) I believe that "Where they should spend their summer

vacation" is not a subordinate clause in this sentence.



(a) That, I believe, is a complex sentence:

Only one main clause: Pauline always goes.

At least one subordinate clause: where Bruno wants to go.

 

[TheParser]

'Pauline and Bruno have a big argument every summer over where they should spend their summer vacation.' is a simple sentence or a complex sentence? Why?
'where they should spend their summer vacation' is normally an object or it is a dependent clause?
D

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Devonpham,


(1) I apologize for not giving you a clear answer. I shall try again.

(2) "Pauline and Bruno have a big argument every summer over where

they should spend their summer vacation" is a so-called "simple

sentence." In your sentence, "where they should spend their summer

vacation" is NOT called a dependent (subordinate) clause; it's the object of the

preposition "over." In other words, "They have an argument over

something." That "something" is "Where they should spend their summer

vacation." Grammar books call it a noun clause being used as the object

of a preposition. Why do they call it a noun clause? As you know, the

object of a preposition is always a noun or some words being used as a

noun.


***** NOT A TEACHER *****

 

[devonpham1998]

Excuse me, I have a small question. What is the difference between 'subordinate clause' and 'dependent clause'?

And to summarize, 'Pauline and Bruno have a big argument every summer over where they should spend their summer vacation.' is a simple or complex sentence?

Anyway, your replies were very helpful to me. They cleared a big part of my confusion. Thanks!

Dev

 

[TheParser]

Excuse me, I have a small question. What is the difference between 'subordinate clause' and 'dependent clause'?

And to summarize, 'Pauline and Bruno have a big argument every summer over where they should spend their summer vacation.' is a simple or complex sentence?

Anyway, your replies were very helpful to me. They cleared a big part of my confusion. Thanks!

Dev

***** NOT A TEACHER *****



Dev,


(1) Yes, your sentence is definitely a simple sentence

(because it does not have at least one subordinate clause).

(2) I believe that "dependent" and "subordinate" refer to the

same thing.

For example: "I read newspapers because I want to know about

what is happening."

"Because I want to know about what is happening" explains why I

read newspapers. So we can say that "Because I want to know about

what is happening" is "dependent" (depends) on the main clause

(sentence) "I read newspapers." I think that many books prefer the

term "subordinate." Again, "Because I want to know about what is

happening" is subordinate (lower) to the main clause. In other words, the

main clause is the "boss," and "Because I want to know what is

happening" is the "employee" (who, of course, is lower than the boss).


***** NOT A TEACHER *****