In this paper, we obtain many different types of exact solutions to the time-fractional Klein–Gordon equation and the time-fractional generalized Hirota-Satsuma coupled KdV system by using the modified rational function approach. Some new solutions such as the kink-periodic solution, the anti-kink-periodic solution and the concave-convex-periodic solution are constructed. Furthermore, the kink and the singular kink waves, the bell shaped soliton and the singular soliton solutions of the two equations also are found. Some numerical simulations are presented, these works can effectively reflect the propagation phenomena of time-fractional nonlinear systems, and also enable us to understand time-fractional nonlinear physical phenomena more clearly.