Which term best describes a sentence that stands on its own and expresses a complete thought, such as 'She sings'?

Which term best describes a sentence that stands on its own and expresses a complete thought, such as 'She sings'?

• A. Complete sentence
• B. Independent clause
• C. Compound sentence
• D. Runon sentence

Answer: (A)

Understanding what makes a sentence complete means recognizing that it expresses a full thought and can stand alone. In the example, "She sings," the subject is She and the verb is sings, and the whole statement conveys a complete idea. Because of that, it fits the definition of a complete sentence. It’s also true that this could be considered an independent clause—something that can stand by itself—but the term that best describes a sentence that stands on its own and expresses a complete thought is complete sentence. The other terms describe different structures: a run-on sentence joins multiple thoughts without proper punctuation or connectors; a compound sentence combines two independent clauses; an independent clause is a clause that could stand alone but doesn’t by itself label the sentence as a whole.

Understanding what makes a sentence complete means recognizing that it expresses a full thought and can stand alone. In the example, "She sings," the subject is She and the verb is sings, and the whole statement conveys a complete idea. Because of that, it fits the definition of a complete sentence. It’s also true that this could be considered an independent clause—something that can stand by itself—but the term that best describes a sentence that stands on its own and expresses a complete thought is complete sentence. The other terms describe different structures: a run-on sentence joins multiple thoughts without proper punctuation or connectors; a compound sentence combines two independent clauses; an independent clause is a clause that could stand alone but doesn’t by itself label the sentence as a whole.