- John ate and drank to his satisfaction.
- John ate the yam and drank the juice.
My question: Are these sentences simple or compound sentences?
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1PLEASE DO NOT USE ALL-CAPITAL TEXT: IT IS PERCEIVED AS YELLING AT SOMEONE UNKINDLY.– tchrist ♦Jul 12 at 12:48
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2Grammarians don't often talk of simple or compound sentences, since many sentences do not fit into one category or the other. However, since there is no subordination and only one clause in each sentence, I suppose they would be called 'simple sentences'. What I can tell you, though, is that they are both coordinate constructions. In 1. the coordination consists of the two VPs "ate" + "drank", and in 2. it consists of the two VPs "ate the yam" + "drank the wine".– BillJJul 12 at 12:49
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Traditionally, they're sentences with compound predicates.– Edwin AshworthJul 12 at 15:49
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1 Answer
[1] John [ate] and [drank] to his satisfaction.
[2] John [ate the yam] and [drank the juice]
Grammarians don't often talk of simple or compound (or complex) sentences, since many sentences do not fit into one category or the other.
However, since neither example contains subordination and each example consists of a single main clause, I suppose they would be called 'simple' sentences.
What I can tell you, though, is that they are both coordinate constructions. In 1. the coordination consists of the two VPs "ate" + "drank", and in 2. it consists of the two VPs "ate the yam" + "drank the juice".
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Please, I'll like to know why my question was closed. I had not gotten sufficient replies from different scholars before it was closed. Jul 12 at 19:22
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Hello @AyoolaIgwe As it says, you need to show some evidence of having done some research before asking your question.– BillJJul 13 at 8:04
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I had researched extensively on it before I asked. I also discussed the sentences with my colleagues. I provided evidence for my assertion from Grammar Monster, Quora & every site that attended to the question of if a simple sentence can have compound verbs affirmed it. I am of the opinion that where a sentence has one subject plus two or more verbs-compound verb, without an explicitly mentioned verb, (this is without prejudice to one-word imperative sentence in which the subject can be implied) itis a simple sentence. Jul 13 at 10:01
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@AyoolaIgwe OK, but you should have mentioned that in your question, otherwise no one knows. I would forget about simple/compound/complex sentences. There are far more meaningful ways to classify sentences.– BillJJul 13 at 10:19
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