Types of sentences

Question

What type of sentence (simple, compound, complex, compound- complex) is this

After waiting about in the cold for two or three minutes, Christian decided that he would go back inside the school and wait for his bus before he called his mom to pick him up.

Answer 1

This is a complex sentence because it contains the subordinate clause “After waiting about in the cold for two or three minutes...”

a subordinate clause, typically introduced by a conjunction, forms part of and is dependent on a main clause

Answer 2

The sentence is complex in my opinion. I will break it down for you.

"After waiting about in the cold for two or three minutes" (one or more phrases, but definitely no clauses here) (Although the deeper structure here could be traced back to a clause: "After I/we was/were waiting . . .")

"Christian decided that he would go back inside the school and wait for his bus" (This could be looked at in more than one way. The word "that" begins a clause if we look only at "that . . . . . bus." However the "that" clause also functions as the direct object of the independent clause "Christian decided what?" "that he would go back inside the school and wait for his bus.")

"before he called his mom to pick him up" (This is definitely a dependent clause. However, here again this clause could be considered to be part of the "that" clause which is also the direct object.)

Some might see the "and" and believe that it is compound, however, "and" here only joins verbs that have the same subject, "he."

Did you agree with me? Your opinion might depend on the grammar textbook or teacher you have, particularly if you are at the university level. I can't imagine a high school teacher assigning a sentence like this.

Grammar is often more complicated than what students are led to believe from doing prescribed grammar exercises with sentences that don't raise the questions that this sentence raises. But that's what makes it so interesting, right? They don't call me a grammar nerd for nothing!