Transformation of Simple, Complex, Compound Sentences - Rules and Examples

Transformation of simple, complex and compound sentences can be a little tricky, and without learning how to do it, you are prone to make mistakes. So, to guide you, this article will help you with the rules regarding the transformation of one type of sentence into another. Go through them carefully and also check out the examples given to have a complete understanding of how it is done.

Table of Contents

• Transformation of Simple Sentences to Compound Sentences
• Transformation of Simple Sentences to Complex Sentences
• Transformation of Compound Sentences to Complex Sentences
• Change of Conjunctions in Sentence Transformation
• Frequently Asked Questions on Transformation of Simple, Complex, Compound Sentences

Transformation of Simple Sentences to Compound Sentences

As you already know, simple sentences are statements that have a subject and predicate. A simple sentence is basically just one independent clause. Compound sentences, on the contrary, can be said to be two simple sentences (two main clauses) joined together by a coordinating conjunction or a conjunctive adverb.

To learn how to transform simple sentences into compound sentences, go through the following points and examples.

• The first point you have to bear in mind while converting a simple sentence into a compound sentence or vice versa is to do it without bringing any change in the overall meaning of the sentence.
• Simple sentences can consist of a phrase (most probably a participle phrase) and a clause. When converting such a sentence, you can transform the participle phrase into a clause followed by a conjunction and the main clause. This will allow you to have two main clauses connected by a coordinating conjunction or a conjunctive adverb. The only thing you will have to take into account when making such a transformation is to conjugate the verb according to the verb in the main clause.
  • Example 1:
    • Raising his glass, he proposed a toast.
    • He raised his glass and proposed a toast.

In the above example, the participle phrase ‘raising his glass’ in the simple sentence is converted into a clause by adding the subject ‘he’ – ‘he raised his glass’, followed by the coordinating conjunction ‘and’, which in turn, is followed by the remaining part (the main clause) of the existing simple sentence.

• • Example 2:
    • Despite being handicapped, Varun is active.
    • Varun is handicapped, but he is active.
  • Example 3:
    • Being sick, my mom decided to take the day off.
    • My mom was sick, so she decided to take the day off.

• When converting simple sentences with infinitive phrases into compound sentences, you will have to transform the infinitive phrase into a clause and combine it with the main clause in the sentence with a coordinating conjunction.
  • Example 1:
    • Joana has to work all night to complete the pending documents.
    • Joana has to complete the pending documents, so she has to work all night.
  • Example 2:
    • He should drink eight glasses of water to stay hydrated.
    • He should drink eight glasses of water, or he would be dehydrated. (or)
    • He should drink eight glasses of water, or he would not stay hydrated.

• The conversion rules for simple sentences with adverbial phrases also are the same as those with infinitive phrases. You will just have to convert the adverbial phrase into a clause and then combine the rest of the sentence with a suitable coordinating conjunction.
  • Example 1:
    • The President congratulated Ramkumar for his valuable contribution to the field of medicine.
    • Ramkumar made a valuable contribution to the field of medicine, so the President congratulated him.
  • Example 2:
    • The little boy jumped in excitement on seeing his favourite cartoon characters.
    • The little boy saw his favourite cartoon characters, so he jumped in excitement.

Transformation of Simple Sentences to Complex Sentences

Complex sentences are those sentences with a dependent clause and an independent clause combined using a subordinating conjunction. To transform simple sentences into complex sentences, here is what you need to do.

• Just like converting simple sentences to compound sentences, converting into complex sentences also requires you to convert the phrase into a clause by adding a subject and conjugating the verb according to the tense of the main clause.
• The only difference here is that the phrase has to be converted into a dependent clause accompanied by a subordinating conjunction.
• One mistake you are likely to make when making the transformation is changing the existing independent clause in the given simple sentence into a dependent clause. So, always see to it that you carefully convert the phrase (not the existing clause) in the simple sentence into a dependent clause.

Check out the following examples to learn how to transform a simple sentence into a complex sentence.

• • Example 1:

Despite being rich, Claire is not happy.

Although Clare is rich, she is not happy.

• • Example 2:

Besides being a doctor, she is an artist too.

Not only is she a doctor but also an artist.

• • Example 3:

George is too weak to walk any further.

George is so weak that he cannot walk any further.

• • Example 4:

Due to his illness, Vinod did not go to work.

Vinod did not go to work because he was ill.

Transformation of Compound Sentences and Complex Sentences

The next type of sentence transformation you will be learning is the conversion of compound sentences into complex sentences and vice versa. Now, this will be easier to comprehend and practise than converting a simple sentence into either a compound sentence or a complex sentence. This is mainly because you have the two clauses that are required to form a compound/complex sentence. The only thing you will be required to do is to change the conjunctions accordingly so that you transform the sentence without changing its meaning.

When working on the transformation between compound and complex sentences, there are a few points you have to bear in mind. They include the following:

• When transforming a complex sentence into a compound sentence, you will have to locate the dependent clause and convert it into an independent clause. This can be done by replacing the subordinating conjunction with an appropriate coordinating conjunction and altering the sentence structure accordingly to retain the meaning of the sentence.
  • Example 1:

Though it was raining, we went out. (Complex)

It was raining, but we went out. (Compound)

• • Example 2:

If you want to reach the station in time, you should leave now. (Complex)

You should leave now, or you will not reach the station in time. (Compound)

• • Example 3:

Not only did we finish our work early but also went for a walk in the park. (Complex)

We finished our work early and went for a walk in the park as well. (Compound)

• On the other hand, when transforming a compound sentence into a complex sentence, you will have to change one independent clause into a dependent clause and retain the other independent clause. Now, knowing which of the independent clauses has to be made dependent is something that requires careful consideration and execution. Changing the conjunctions is the one thing you will have to do as the rest of the sentence would mostly remain the same. Here are a few examples that will help you learn how to do it.
  • Example 1:

We were not sure of the outcome, but we went forward with it. (Compound)

Though we were not sure of the outcome, we went forward with it. (Complex)

• • Example 2:

Rachel was not happy with her current job and so she quit. (Compound)

As Rachel was not happy with her current job, she quit. (Complex)

• • Example 3:

Keren has to work hard or she will not make it. (Compound)

If Keren wants to make it, she has to work hard. (Complex)

• • Example 4:

It is very cold and so I turned off the fan. (Compound)

It is so cold that I had to turn off the fan. (Complex)

Change of Conjunctions in Sentence Transformation

To make learning easier and quicker, here is a table to show you the conjunctions that have to be used to transform each type of sentence to another.