Sentences

THE SENTENCE
SIMPLE SENTENCES
● A simple sentence consists of one independent clause.

● A clause is a group of words consisting of a subject and a finite verb.
Examples:
Mary works hard.
The kids can be playing video games all day long.
Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022.
Sometimes there are elements within a sentence that are joined by a coordinating conjunction –a linking word which connects
units which are not subordinate to one another. These include: and, or and but. However, the sentence is a Simple Sentence
because it has only one subject + finite verb.
Exercise 1: Look at the examples and decide which are the elements being coordinated:
1) Jenny and Peter are a happy couple.

2) The students and the teachers prepared a fantastic show at the end of the year.
3) Samantha was an intelligent but stubborn girl.
4) You must work or study.
5) I didn’t buy the tickets but my sister had an extra one.
6) You can go to the gym in the morning or at night.
7) The police officer walked up and down the street.
8) Brad likes sports but he doesn’t like football.
Exercise 2: draw the tree diagrams for sentence 1, 3 and 4.
COMPOUND SENTENCES: COORDINATION
Exercise 3: go back to exercise 1. Is there any sentence where you can separate the parts and make two independent clauses?
Draw the tree diagrams for those sentences.
✔ Compound sentences are sentences with two or more clauses.
✔ These clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or)
✔ If you want to separate the two clauses you have two complete, independent sentences.
Example: We arrived at the cinema late and the film had already started.
1. We arrived at the cinema late.

2. The film had already started.
During the year we studied the Simple Sentence and we have seen some instances of Compound Sentences. We have
analyzed the functions of the elements within these sentences: subject, predicate, predicator, internal arguments (Direct and
Indirect Objects, Subject and Object predicate, Prepositional Complements) and adjuncts.
We have also seen the most common realizations of these elements. For example, we mentioned that the subject is
realized by a NP, the I.O. can be realized by either an NP or a PP introduced by for or to and followed by an embedded NP.
1
However, if we analyze these NPs we might find that some are not so simple. Look at the following examples. The phrases
underlined are NPs. Can you see any difference?
John works in a bank.
The man responsible for the accident works in a bank.
The man who moved to the house next door works in a bank.
COMPLEX SENTENCES: SUBORDINATION
Sometimes the phrases are not so simple, and they might include many elements. But let’s slow down.
Exercise 4: look at the following sentences. What’s the function of the underlined expressions?
1. He told me a beautiful story.

2. He told me that he wanted a new car.
3. She believes that.
4. She believed that he was a famous singer.
5. He knows the answer.
6. He knows what he wants.
7. He knows that I failed my exams.
8. I don’t remember your address.
9. I didn’t remember that you had a brother.
10. I don’t remember where I left my car.
11. She wants a red dress.
12. She wants to buy a red dress.
13. Where I left my car is a mystery.
14. What he wants is impossible.
15. The students noticed that her book was incomplete.
16. He asked me where the bus station was.
17. We asked the man who was standing outside the cinema where we could leave our bags.
18. I have always thought that my parents had a great job.
Exercise 5: Go back to the previous sentences. Focus only on the phrases underlined. Can you recognize those phrase which
include a clause (a subject and a finite verb)?
Exercise 6: read the following definitions. Then go back to the sentences in 4. Can you identify these elements in the sentences?
Main clause: a clause that is not subordinate to any other clause.
Subordinate clause: a clause which is dependent on another clause.
Subordinating conjunction: a word that links a subordinate clause with the clause it is dependent on. Some of these are:
because, although, while, when, that, if, whether, for.
Complementisers: a word that introduces a clause that functions as a complement to a verb. There are four in English, and they
are a subclass of subordinating conjunctions: that, if, whether and for.
Relative clause: a clause introduced by which, who, that, when, where or whose which supplies additional information about the
element it accompanies.

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THE SENTENCE

● A simple sentence consists of one independent clause.

1) Jenny and Peter are a happy couple.

Exercise 2: draw the tree diagrams for sentence 1, 3 and 4.

COMPOUND SENTENCES: COORDINATION

✔ Compound sentences are sentences with two or more clauses.

✔ These clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or)

1. We arrived at the cinema late.

John works in a bank.

The man responsible for the accident works in a bank.

COMPLEX SENTENCES: SUBORDINATION

1. He told me a beautiful story.

Main clause: a clause that is not subordinate to any other clause.

Subordinate clause: a clause which is dependent on another clause.

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