Which of these is a simple sentence?
A The auditorium is being remodeled, so the concert was rescheduled for July.
B The concert will feature musicians from all over the world; the conductor is from Germany.
C Local students and musicians will be invited to the performance.
D I want to attend the concert; however, I will be in Florida that day
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is C: Local students and musicians will be invited to the performance.
A simple sentence consists of just one independent clause, meaning it has a subject and a predicate and expresses a complete thought. In sentence C, “Local students and musicians” is the subject, and “will be invited to the performance” is the predicate. It is one independent clause, making it a simple sentence.
Let’s break down why the other options are not simple sentences:
A: The auditorium is being remodeled, so the concert was rescheduled for July.
This is a compound sentence, not a simple one. It has two independent clauses joined by the conjunction “so.” The first clause is “The auditorium is being remodeled,” and the second is “the concert was rescheduled for July.”
B: The concert will feature musicians from all over the world; the conductor is from Germany.
This is another compound sentence because it has two independent clauses joined by a semicolon. The two clauses are “The concert will feature musicians from all over the world” and “the conductor is from Germany.”
D: I want to attend the concert; however, I will be in Florida that day.
This is a compound sentence as well, containing two independent clauses. The first is “I want to attend the concert,” and the second is “I will be in Florida that day.” They are joined by the semicolon and the transitional word “however.”
In contrast, sentence C is a straightforward, single independent clause with a subject and predicate, meeting the definition of a simple sentence.