Sentence: The basic unit of grammar that links words together to make a clear, complete idea. Each sentence should begin with a capital letter and end with punctuation (usually a period). A sentence should also have a subject, a verb, and an object. In addition, a sentence should have the correct number of clauses.
Sentences are either simple, compound, or complex. A simple sentence contains a single independent clause (a subject and a verb). A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses linked by coordinating conjunctions. A complex sentence combines one independent clause with any number of dependent clauses. A dependent clause cannot stand alone; it can only improve an independent clause by adding important details.
A common mistake students make is linking two main clauses with only a comma (comma splice) or running them together without any punctuation at all (fused sentence). Alternatively, they may use subordinating conjunctions to connect a dependent clause to an independent clause.