Simple, Compound, Complex & Compound-Complex

Kerala PSC Success Formula

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🚀 MASTER FORMULA

⚡ 3-SECOND IDENTIFICATION TRICK

STEP 1: Count Main Clauses

• 1 Main Clause = Simple or Complex
• 2+ Main Clauses = Compound or Compound-Complex

STEP 2: Check for Subordinate Clauses

• No Subordinate = Simple or Compound
• Has Subordinate = Complex or Compound-Complex

STEP 3: Apply Formula

Main Clauses	Subordinate Clauses	Sentence Type
1	0	SIMPLE
2+	0	COMPOUND
1	1+	COMPLEX
2+	1+	COMPOUND-COMPLEX

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1️⃣ SIMPLE SENTENCE

🎯 Definition

One main clause only (may have phrases)

🔥 Quick Recognition Tricks

• Only ONE finite verb (action with subject)
• One complete thought
• Phrases don’t count as clauses

📝 Examples

1. “John went to London.”
   • Main clause: “John went to London”
   • Phrases: None
2. “Standing quietly, he waited.”(PSC favorite)
   • Phrase: “Standing quietly” (no subject-verb)
   • Main clause: “he waited”
3. “Owing to laziness, he couldn’t accomplish his dreams.”(PSC 2022)
   • Phrase: “Owing to laziness” (no finite verb)
   • Main clause: “he couldn’t accomplish his dreams”

⚡ Speed Trick

If you see phrases (participles, prepositional phrases) + ONE main clause = SIMPLE

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2️⃣ COMPOUND SENTENCE

🎯 Definition

Two or more main clauses connected by coordinating conjunctions

🔥 Quick Recognition Tricks

• FANBOYS connectors: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So
• Each clause can stand alone
• No subordinate clauses

📝 Examples

1. “I came and he left.”
   • Main clause 1: “I came”
   • Main clause 2: “he left”
   • Connector: “and”
2. “Study hard or you will fail.”
   • Main clause 1: “Study hard”
   • Main clause 2: “you will fail”
   • Connector: “or”
3. “It was raining, but we went out.”
   • Main clause 1: “It was raining”
   • Main clause 2: “we went out”
   • Connector: “but”

⚡ Speed Trick

See FANBOYS (and, but, or, so) joining complete thoughts = COMPOUND

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3️⃣ COMPLEX SENTENCE

🎯 Definition

One main clause + one or more subordinate clauses

🔥 Quick Recognition Tricks

• Subordinating conjunctions: when, if, because, that, which, although, unless
• One independent thought + dependent thoughts
• Subordinate clause cannot stand alone

📝 Examples

1. “When I arrived, he left.”
   • Subordinate clause: “When I arrived” (incomplete)
   • Main clause: “he left” (complete)
2. “I know that he is honest.”
   • Main clause: “I know”
   • Subordinate clause: “that he is honest”
3. “The book which I bought is expensive.”
   • Main clause: “The book is expensive”
   • Subordinate clause: “which I bought”

⚡ Speed Trick

See subordinating words (when, because, that, which) = COMPLEX

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4️⃣ COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCE

🎯 Definition

Two or more main clauses + one or more subordinate clauses

🔥 Quick Recognition Tricks

• Both FANBOYS and subordinating conjunctions present
• Multiple independent thoughts + dependent thoughts
• Most complex structure

📝 Examples

1. “When it rained, I stayed home and read books.”
   • Subordinate: “When it rained”
   • Main 1: “I stayed home”
   • Main 2: “read books”
   • Connectors: “When” + “and”
2. “Although he was tired, he worked hard and finished the project.”
   • Subordinate: “Although he was tired”
   • Main 1: “he worked hard”
   • Main 2: “finished the project”
   • Connectors: “Although” + “and”

⚡ Speed Trick

See BOTH types of conjunctions (subordinating + coordinating) = COMPOUND-COMPLEX

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🔥 LIGHTNING QUICK TRICKS

🎯 THE CONJUNCTION SPOTTER (2-Second Method)

See These Words = Complex:

• When, where, because, since, if, unless, though, although, that, which, who, what, how

See These Words = Compound:

• And, but, or, so, yet, for, nor

See Both Types = Compound-Complex

🎯 THE CLAUSE COUNTER (3-Second Method)

Count Finite Verbs:

1. Find all finite verbs (verbs with subjects showing tense)
2. One verb = Simple sentence
3. Two+ verbs with FANBOYS = Compound
4. Two+ verbs with subordinating words = Complex
5. Multiple verbs with BOTH types = Compound-Complex

🎯 THE INDEPENDENCE TEST

Ask: How many complete thoughts?

• One complete thought = Simple or Complex
• Multiple complete thoughts = Compound or Compound-Complex

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📊 QUICK COMPARISON TABLE

Type	Main Clauses	Subordinate	Connectors	Example
Simple	1	0	None/Phrases	“He went home.”
Compound	2+	0	FANBOYS	“He went and I stayed.”
Complex	1	1+	Subordinating	“When he went, I stayed.”
Compound-Complex	2+	1+	Both types	“When he went, I stayed and she left.”

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⚡ PSC EXAM PATTERNS

🎯 Common Question Types:

Type 1: Direct Identification

“‘Owing to laziness, he couldn’t accomplish his dreams.’ This sentence is:”

• Answer: Simple (phrase + one main clause)

Type 2: Structure Analysis

“‘I like basketball, and my brother likes tennis.’ Identify the sentence:”

• Answer: Compound (two main clauses with ‘and’)

Type 3: Complex Recognition

“‘Oven has a piano which plays well.’ This is a:”

• Answer: Complex (main + subordinate with ‘which’)

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🔥 SPEED SOLVING STRATEGY

⚡ 5-Second Method:

STEP 1 (1 second): Spot conjunctions

• FANBOYS = Compound likely
• Subordinating = Complex likely

STEP 2 (2 seconds): Count complete thoughts

• One = Simple/Complex
• Multiple = Compound/Compound-Complex

STEP 3 (2 seconds): Apply formula and confirm

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🎯 COMMON TRAPS & SOLUTIONS

❌ Trap 1: Phrases vs Clauses

“Standing quietly, he waited.”

• Wrong: Complex (thinking “standing quietly” is a clause)
• Right: Simple (“standing quietly” is just a phrase)

❌ Trap 2: Long Simple Sentences

“The big red car in the parking lot behind the building was stolen.”

• Wrong: Complex (confused by length)
• Right: Simple (only one finite verb “was stolen”)

❌ Trap 3: Multiple Conjunctions

“He came and went, but I stayed because I was tired.”

• Analysis: 3 main clauses + 1 subordinate = Compound-Complex

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🏆 MEMORY TRICKS

🎯 “FANBOYS” for Compound

For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So

🎯 “WWBTWHICH” for Complex

When, Where, Because, That, Which, How, If, Contrast words

🎯 Structure Memory:

• Simple: ONE main road
• Compound: TWO+ main roads connected
• Complex: ONE main road with side streets
• Compound-Complex: MULTIPLE main roads with side streets

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📝 QUICK PRACTICE

Identify these in 5 seconds each:

1. “Birds fly in the sky.”
   • Answer: Simple (one main clause)
2. “I studied hard, but I failed the exam.”
   • Answer: Compound (two main with ‘but’)
3. “When it rains, I stay indoors.”
   • Answer: Complex (subordinate + main)
4. “Although he was late, he came to the party and enjoyed it.”
   • Answer: Compound-Complex (subordinate + two main)
5. “Running fast, the boy reached school on time.”
   • Answer: Simple (phrase + one main clause)

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🎓 SUCCESS FORMULA

⚡ For 95%+ Accuracy:

1. Memorize FANBOYS (compound indicators)
2. Memorize subordinating conjunctions (complex indicators)
3. Practice clause counting (3 seconds max)
4. Don’t confuse phrases with clauses
5. Use elimination method when confused

🔥 Time Targets:

• Recognition: 3-5 seconds per question
• Analysis: 10-15 seconds for complex cases
• PSC Exam Goal: 95%+ accuracy with speed

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🌟 Master these tricks and sentence structure questions become the easiest marks in Kerala PSC English Grammar sections!