What type of sentence has two independent clauses and no dependent clauses?

• A. compound sentence
• B. simple sentence
• C. complex sentence
• D. compound-complex sentence

Answer: (A)

Two independent clauses joined together with no dependent clause form a compound sentence. Each part can stand alone as a sentence, and they’re linked to show a related idea, often with a coordinating conjunction like and, but, or, or with a semicolon. For example, “The storm passed, and the streetlights came on.” Here both clauses could stand alone, but they’re combined into one sentence.

This fits the description because there are two complete thoughts, each capable of standing alone, and there isn’t a clause that cannot stand by itself. A simple sentence would have only one independent clause, like “The storm passed.” A complex sentence would include a dependent clause, such as “When the storm passed, the streetlights came on.” A compound-complex sentence would have two or more independent clauses plus at least one dependent clause, such as “The storm passed, and the streetlights came on when the clouds cleared.”