Which sentence is a simple sentence?

Which sentence is a simple sentence?

• A. I went to the store.
• B. I went to the store and bought milk.
• C. Because I was tired, I slept.
• D. I went to the store, and I bought milk.

Answer: (A)

A simple sentence expresses one complete thought with a single independent clause: it has one subject and one predicate, and no other clause that could stand alone. The sentence I went to the store fits perfectly because there is one subject (I) and one predicate (went to the store), delivering a single idea and ending with a period. The other options introduce extra structure that makes the thought more than one main idea. A dependent clause at the front, as in Because I was tired, I slept, adds a background part to the sentence and creates a complex structure. A sentence that links two independent actions with a conjunction and a comma, such as I went to the store, and I bought milk, shows two complete thoughts joined together, which is a compound structure. Even when two verbs share the same subject, the presence of a second main idea or a dependent part makes the sentence more than a single independent clause.

A simple sentence expresses one complete thought with a single independent clause: it has one subject and one predicate, and no other clause that could stand alone. The sentence I went to the store fits perfectly because there is one subject (I) and one predicate (went to the store), delivering a single idea and ending with a period.

The other options introduce extra structure that makes the thought more than one main idea. A dependent clause at the front, as in Because I was tired, I slept, adds a background part to the sentence and creates a complex structure. A sentence that links two independent actions with a conjunction and a comma, such as I went to the store, and I bought milk, shows two complete thoughts joined together, which is a compound structure. Even when two verbs share the same subject, the presence of a second main idea or a dependent part makes the sentence more than a single independent clause.