Sentence Types & Commas

The clown did tricks; we cheered.

I wanted to play whack-a-mole, but we ran out of money.

Compound: 2 IND Clauses

The popcorn was fresh.

Simple: 1 IND Clause

Because we wanted a treat, we stopped at the ice cream stand, so we could get a sundae.

Compound Complex:

2 IND Clauses & 1 DEP Clause

When the child tripped, his balloon floated away.

He cried while we ran after it.

Complex: 1 IND & 1 DEP Clause

When he rolled 100 points for skee ball, the machine began ringing.

The machine began ringing when he rolled 100 points for skee ball.

For complex sentences, only use a comma if the dependent begins the sentence.

The apple pie was delicious, yet it didn't win first place.

For compound sentences, use a comma AND fanboys to correctly create the sentence.