COMPLEX SENTENCES MADE SIMPLE

In my last post, Simple Sentences Aren't So Simple, I talked about combining simple sentences to create compound sentences using FANBOYS, the words: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, (and) so. This week, I'm taking a look at complex sentences and how the concept can be made simple by using picture book illustrations as well as a diagram from my book on narrative intervention - Story Frames for Teaching Literacy. 

The diagram above is from Chapter 8, "Toward a Deeper Understanding: Questioning and Comprehension Skills." Icons have been paired with Wh Questions: Who, What (is happening), What (things), Where, Which One, When, How, and Why to help students visualize these abstract concepts. The icons help with both comprehension and sentence writing. 

From Happy Songkran Day  - Used with permission by the author/illustrator

This month, I've been discussing Dow Phumiruk's picture book, Happy Songkran Day! The Thai New Year Celebration, to explore how students of all ages can use the story to celebrate the Thai New Year from April 13-15. Last week, I talked about how this illustration could be used to explore simple sentences. This week, I'm using the same illustration to talk about complex sentences. For a plot summary, see my post on A Story Frames Analysis of Happy Songkran Day.

After reading the story with your students, ask the questions below. Introducing complex ideas in an oral language discussion levels the playing field for students with reading and writing challenges like dyslexia. It's then easier for students to write about something they have discussed in class because they are working on the ideas for writing, separate from the mechanics of writing. 

Who is the subject of this picture? Tida
What did she do? washed 
How did she wash? carefully, with her mother
What is she washing? the sash
Which sash? her sister's special sash
Where is it happening? in the bucket, in the backyard, on the grass
When? on Songkran Day
Why? because Tida spilled peanut sauce on the sash.

Explain to students that, for a sentence to be complete, all that is needed is the WHO and WHAT they are doing.

Most Basic Simple Sentence: Tida washed.

Each additional question adds more information to that basic idea. Each time new information is added, demonstrate how the sentence expands.

Expanded Sentences:

• Tida washed the sash.

• Tida washed her sister's special sash.

• Tida carefully washed her sister's special sash in the bucket with her mother.

• Tida carefully washed her sister's special sash in the bucket with her mother on Songkran day.

The addition of the WHY question is what turns this sentence into a complex one. After students have discussed the Wh-Questions and their answers, ask someone to volunteer to put all the information together into one long sentence. Ask the other students to listen to make sure every WH question has been answered.

Complex Sentence: Tida carefully washed her sister's special sash in the bucket with her mother on Songkran day because she had spilled peanut sauce on it.

See the diagrams below from my last post for a better understanding of the difference between compound and complex sentences. They're from The Raven Remix Activity Book and illustrate the difference between using coordinating conjunctions to create compound sentences and subordinating conjunctions to create complex ones. Sign up HERE to get these two PDF graphics for FREE in my March 27, 2026 Newsletter. 

Note: The Raven Remix Activity Book: 50+ Activities and Games for Decoding, Reading Comprehension, Writing, and Speech includes 15 different activities to work on sentence structure.  

For Older Students

Asking "when" questions can also lead to the creation of a complex sentence by adding a dependent clause: before they went to the dance. It is a dependent clause because it contains both a subject (they) and a predicate (went). 

Note that before the dance would be a phrase because it doesn't include a subject and predicate.

Why it Matters

The further the subject (Lida) is from the predicate (washed), the harder it is for students to identify WHO is doing WHAT in the sentence. This confusion often leads to misinterpreting what is happening and poor comprehension. When students use illustrations to ground themselves in what is happening in a scene, they are better able to practice sentence elaboration, which supports both writing and comprehension. 

RELATED POSTS 
Celebrating Diversity and Thai Culture with Happy Songran Day
A Story Frames Analysis of Happy Songkran Day
Simple Sentences Aren't So Simple