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I have this sentence:

  • A typical characteristic of EDM is that the cavity cut by the tool electrode is larger than the tool itself.

I want to determine whether it is a simple or complex sentence. A complex sentence must contain at least two clauses: one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. The mentioned sentence includes a nominal clause "that the cavity cut by the tool electrode is larger than the tool itself", which acts as a dependent clause. The question then is whether the remaining "A typical characteristic of EDM is" can be considered an independent clause. Is it a complete thought to be classified as an independent clause?

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    No: a typical characteristic of EDM is is not a clause, not a constituent at all, but part of a larger construction. You could, I suppose, call the sentence 'complex' because it has a main clause (the whole sentence) and a subordinate (dependent) clause marked as subordinate by the subordinator "that".
    – BillJ
    Commented Mar 15 at 8:58
  • If even BillJ uses hedging ("You could, I suppose, call the sentence 'complex' ") then it is a very good idea to ask whether such classification is really helpful or needs setting aside in this case.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Mar 15 at 9:49

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A typical characteristic of EDM is [that the cavity cut by the tool electrode is larger than the tool itself].

No: "a typical characteristic of EDM is" is not a clause, not a constituent at all, but part of a larger construction.

Traditional grammar would probably classify it as a 'complex sentence' because it has a matrix (main) clause, i.e. the sentence as a whole, and a subordinate (dependent) clause, bracketed.

Nowadays, we don't normally talk of sentences being simple, complex or compound, since many don't fit easily into those categories.

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  • I edited the whitespace so I could reverse my downvote. The usual model of a complex sentence has an independent and dependent clause that are related to one another, the latter being a relative clause. This does not exclude from the definition of "complex" a sentence where the dependent clause is a component of the independent clause, as is the case here.
    – phoog
    Commented Mar 15 at 10:27
  • The usual definition of a complex clause is that it uses a subordinating conjunction not a relative clause or other construct.
    – Stuart F
    Commented Mar 15 at 14:25

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