He did not steal from the store, for it was not the right thing to do. The sentence is an example of which sentence type?

He did not steal from the store, for it was not the right thing to do. The sentence is an example of which sentence type?

• A. Complex
• B. Compound-complex
• C. Simple
• D. Compound

Answer: (B)

The thing being tested is how many independent and dependent clauses a sentence has, which determines the sentence type. Here, you can identify two clauses: “He did not steal from the store” and “it was not the right thing to do.” The first clause can stand alone as a complete thought. The second clause adds a reason for the first and is connected to it with the conjunction for, which signals a cause-and-effect relationship rather than a simple, stand-alone idea. Because there are two clauses and the second one is tied to the first in a way that adds reasoning, this structure fits the compound-complex category: more than one independent idea are present, and there is an accompanying dependent relationship linked by the conjunction. This isn’t a simple sentence (only one independent clause), and it isn’t a plain complex sentence (that would have one independent clause plus at least one dependent clause). It also isn’t just a straightforward compound sentence (two independent clauses with no added dependent nuance), because the connection here carries that reasoning sense.

The thing being tested is how many independent and dependent clauses a sentence has, which determines the sentence type.

Here, you can identify two clauses: “He did not steal from the store” and “it was not the right thing to do.” The first clause can stand alone as a complete thought. The second clause adds a reason for the first and is connected to it with the conjunction for, which signals a cause-and-effect relationship rather than a simple, stand-alone idea. Because there are two clauses and the second one is tied to the first in a way that adds reasoning, this structure fits the compound-complex category: more than one independent idea are present, and there is an accompanying dependent relationship linked by the conjunction.

This isn’t a simple sentence (only one independent clause), and it isn’t a plain complex sentence (that would have one independent clause plus at least one dependent clause). It also isn’t just a straightforward compound sentence (two independent clauses with no added dependent nuance), because the connection here carries that reasoning sense.