Which sentence is a complete sentence?

Which sentence is a complete sentence?

• A. "Because the lecture was long."
• B. "The lecture was long."
• C. "Because the lecture was long, attendees grew restless."
• D. "The lecture was long; attendees grew restless."

Answer: (B)

A sentence is complete when it expresses a full thought with a subject and a verb. The line “The lecture was long.” does this in the simplest way: it has a clear subject (the lecture) and a verb (was) that links to a predicate (long), delivering a complete idea on its own. The other options fail this simple criterion in different ways. The first option is a fragment because it starts with because and does not stand as a full thought by itself. The third option starts with a dependent clause and, while it ends with an independent clause, it’s structured as a more complex sentence rather than a plain, standalone one. The fourth option is correct grammar but combines two ideas with a semicolon, making it a compound sentence rather than a single simple sentence. So the best example of a complete, standalone sentence is the straightforward independent clause.

A sentence is complete when it expresses a full thought with a subject and a verb. The line “The lecture was long.” does this in the simplest way: it has a clear subject (the lecture) and a verb (was) that links to a predicate (long), delivering a complete idea on its own.

The other options fail this simple criterion in different ways. The first option is a fragment because it starts with because and does not stand as a full thought by itself. The third option starts with a dependent clause and, while it ends with an independent clause, it’s structured as a more complex sentence rather than a plain, standalone one. The fourth option is correct grammar but combines two ideas with a semicolon, making it a compound sentence rather than a single simple sentence.

So the best example of a complete, standalone sentence is the straightforward independent clause.