The English language is messy, and many times analyzing for grammatical elements is not always as obvious as the simple examples that we use on the content pages. So to assist your ability to analyze all the different texts you may encounter as you read, we want to offer a few more sample analyses of more difficult texts.

For these more complicated examples, we review some or all of the key features discussed in Section 7. Please review these examples closely, trying to understand the analysis or the choices made. As always, if you have any questions, please ask your instructor or start a conversation in your work group.

Complicated Example #1

Brutus is just as smart as Caesar. People totally like Brutus just as much as they like Caesar. And when did it become okay for one person to be the boss of everybody, huh? Because that's not what Rome is about. We should totally just stab Caesar!

Sentence #1

Brutus is just as smart as Caesar.

1 Independent Clause = Simple

Sentence #2

People totally like Brutus just as much as they like Caesar.

1 Independent Clause and 1 Dependent Clause = Complex

Sentence #3

And when did it become okay for one person to be the boss of everybody, huh?

Questions work differently because the MVP is transformed to create the question:

It did become okay for one person to be the boss of everybody [at some time].

1 Independent Clause = Simple

Sentence #4

Because that's not what Rome is about. 

Tricky One.

BECAUSE is a subordinator. WHAT is an interrogative. Looks like two dependent clauses. Maybe poor punctuation?

But we'll treat the subordinator as a stylistic choice, which makes the first clause an independent and the second an nominal interrogative clause serving as the subject complement.

1 Independent Clause and 1 Dependent Clause = Complex

Sentence #5

We should totally just stab Caesar!

1 Independent Clause = Simple

Complicated Example #2

There are those in this world blessed souls, whose sorrows all spring up into joys for others; whose earthly hopes, laid in the grave with many tears, are the seed from which spring healing flowers and balmfor the desolate and the distressed.

Despite the semicolon: 1 Independent Clause and 2 Dependent Clauses = Complex

Some different punctuation. Seems like a comma should precede "blessed souls," and the semicolon is not separating independent clauses. Could be the time that it was written. The paired commas surrounding the past participle phrase is the only recognizable set of marks.

Complicated Example #3

They hugged, looked at each other, said all the things [that] people said who had not seen each other in many years, both lapsing into their Nigerian voices and their Nigerian selves, louder, more heightened, adding to their sentences.

1 (or 3) Independent Clause(s) and 2 Dependent Clauses = Complex or (Compound-Complex)

This analysis depends on how you define the first three Main Verb Phrases. Could be seen as one clause with a compound MVP or as three, separate independent clauses (probably the best analysis).

Commas separating a list of verbs, and to separate a list of modifiers (three different forms - interesting).

Complicated Example #4

The virtue of the fruit, root, and especially of the seed is soporiferous; and [this] will make men mad if they be taken in too great quantities.

2 Independent Clauses and 1 Dependent Clause = Compound-Complex (mostly because of the semicolon)

Also tricky with odd punctuation.

Commas separating compound object of the preposition OF. Semicolon seems to indicate another independent clause, which is followed by a subordinate clause (no punctuation required).

After reading through these sample analyses, please go to the practice exercises page to further develop your analytical skills.