Preparing for an English exam? Practise Complex Sentence with 15 exercises at Level B1-B2. The questions mirror real exam formats — multiple choice, true/false, and matching — so you get familiar with the question styles while reviewing key grammar concepts.
Q1 15
Question 1: She stayed indoors ___ it was raining heavily outside.
Question 1 options
Check answer
'because' is correct because it introduces a dependent clause showing reason, forming a complex sentence. 'However' is a linking adverb, not a subordinating conjunction. 'But' and 'and' are coordinating conjunctions used in compound sentences, not complex ones.
🚩 Found a problem with this question?
Q2 15
Question 2: ___ he finished his homework, he went out to play with his friends.
Question 2 options
Check answer
'After' is correct because it is a subordinating conjunction that introduces a dependent clause showing time sequence, creating a complex sentence. 'So', 'yet', and 'but' are coordinating conjunctions and cannot introduce a dependent clause.
🚩 Found a problem with this question?
Q3 15
Question 3: In a complex sentence, when the dependent clause comes before the independent clause, a comma must be used to separate the two clauses.
Question 3 options
Check answer
True because the standard rule for complex sentences states that a comma is required after the dependent clause when it precedes the independent clause. When the independent clause comes first, no comma is needed.
🚩 Found a problem with this question?
Q4 15
Question 4: Why would a writer choose to use a complex sentence instead of a simple sentence?
Question 4 options
Check answer
'To add extra information about the main idea using a dependent clause' is correct because complex sentences allow writers to show relationships between ideas such as reason, time, or condition. Simple sentences can only express one action by one subject.
🚩 Found a problem with this question?
Q5 15
Question 5: Arrange the words to make a correct sentence:
Question 5 options
Although the weather was cold,
▲ ▼
to go hiking
▲ ▼
they decided
▲ ▼
Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.
Check answer
The correct order is 'Although the weather was cold, they decided to go hiking.' because when the dependent clause introduced by 'although' comes first, it must be followed by a comma before the independent clause.
🚩 Found a problem with this question?
Q6 15
Question 6: Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Question 6 options
Check answer
'He called the doctor because he felt very sick' is correct because 'because' is a subordinating conjunction that correctly links the independent clause to the dependent clause. The other options incorrectly use 'because' without a subject-verb structure, omit the conjunction, or misplace the comma.
🚩 Found a problem with this question?
Q7 15
Question 7: Student A says: 'I want to explain why I was late for class.' Which sentence best fits what Student A wants to say?
Question 7 options
Check answer
'I was late for class because the bus broke down' is correct because 'because' introduces a dependent clause that directly explains the reason for being late, which is the communicative goal. The other options express contrast, condition, or time rather than reason.
🚩 Found a problem with this question?
Q8 15
Question 8: Which sentence is a complex sentence and NOT a compound sentence?
Question 8 options
Check answer
'She smiled when she heard the good news' is correct because it contains one independent clause and one dependent clause introduced by the subordinating conjunction 'when'. The other options use coordinating conjunctions ('and', 'but', 'so') to join two independent clauses, making them compound sentences.
🚩 Found a problem with this question?
Q9 15
Question 9: Put the words/clauses in the correct order:
Question 9 options
before
▲ ▼
she goes to sleep
▲ ▼
My sister reads every night
▲ ▼
Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.
Check answer
The correct order is 'My sister reads every night before she goes to sleep.' The independent clause comes first, followed by the dependent clause introduced by 'before'. No comma is needed when the independent clause precedes the dependent clause.
🚩 Found a problem with this question?
Q10 15
Question 10: The teacher will explain the lesson again ___.
Question 10 options
Check answer
'if the students do not understand it' is correct because 'if' is a subordinating conjunction introducing a conditional dependent clause, which naturally completes the independent clause. The other options are independent clauses that would require a coordinating conjunction, creating a compound sentence instead.
🚩 Found a problem with this question?
Q11 15
Question 11: Which statement about complex sentences is true?
Question 11 options
Check answer
'A complex sentence contains exactly one independent clause and at least one dependent clause' is correct. A complex sentence must have one — and only one — independent clause; the dependent clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.
🚩 Found a problem with this question?
Q12 15
Question 12: Rewrite as a complex sentence: 'It was cold. I wore a coat.' → I wore a coat ___.
Question 12 options
Check answer
'because it was cold' is correct because the transformation requires a subordinating conjunction to join the reason clause to the main clause, making it a complex sentence. 'And it was cold' creates a compound sentence. 'But it was cold' creates contrast, which changes the meaning. 'It was cold' alone repeats the original simple sentence.
🚩 Found a problem with this question?
Q13 15
Question 13: Match each sentence to the correct grammar label.
Question 13 options
Even though she was tired, she finished the report.
Since he missed the bus, he took a taxi to work.
When the alarm rang, everyone left the building.
She will help you if you ask her politely.
Dependent clause of time
Dependent clause of condition
Dependent clause of reason
Dependent clause of concession
Select an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Check answer
Subordinating conjunctions each introduce a different type of dependent clause: 'although/even though' = concession, 'because/since' = reason, 'when/while/after' = time, 'if/unless' = condition.
🚩 Found a problem with this question?
Q14 15
Question 14: A complex sentence can contain more than one dependent clause as long as it has only one independent clause.
Question 14 options
Check answer
True because the definition of a complex sentence requires exactly one independent clause, but it can include two or more dependent clauses. For example: 'Since I was hungry and because there was no food at home, I went to a restaurant' contains one independent clause and two dependent clauses.
🚩 Found a problem with this question?
Q15 15
Question 15: Which sentence most effectively uses a complex sentence to show contrast between two ideas?
Question 15 options
Check answer
'Although he studied hard, he did not pass the exam' is correct because 'although' introduces a concessive dependent clause, creating a contrast between effort and result within a complex sentence. The other options express time, reason, or condition rather than contrast.
🚩 Found a problem with this question?
← Back
Next →
Submit test ✓