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Lecture 3 - Sentence Structure and Types

Lecture on Sentence Structure and Types

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Sumaira Bilal
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7 views

Lecture 3 - Sentence Structure and Types

Lecture on Sentence Structure and Types

Uploaded by

Sumaira Bilal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lecture 11 – Sentence Structure and Types

Sentence - Structure and Types


Sentence
A sentence is a grammatical unit consisting of one or more words that bear minimal syntactic relation to
the words that precede or follow it. A sentence can include words grouped meaningfully to express a
statement, question, exclamation, request, command, or suggestion.

Types of Sentences
There are three types of sentences in English;
1. Simple Sentences
2. Compound Sentences
3. Complex sentence
4. Complex-compound sentence

Remember that every clause is, in a sense, a miniature sentence. Simple sentences contain only a single
clause, while a compound sentence, a complex sentence, or a compound-complex sentence contains at
least two clauses.

1. The Simple Sentence


The most basic type of sentence is the simple sentence, which contains only one clause. A simple
sentence can be as short as one word:
 Run!
Usually, however, the sentence has a subject as well as a predicate and both the subject and the
predicate may have modifiers. All of the following are simple sentences, because each contains only one
clause:
1. Melt!
2. Ice melts.
3. The ice melts quickly.
4. The ice on the river melts quickly under the warm March sun.
5. Lying exposed without its blanket of snow, the ice on the river melts quickly under the warm
March sun.

As you can see, a simple sentence can be quite long -- it is a mistake to think that you can tell a simple
sentence from a compound sentence or a complex sentence simply by its length.
The most natural sentence structure is the simple sentence: it is the first kind which children learn to
speak, and it remains by far the most common sentence in the spoken language of people of all ages. In
written work, simple sentences can be very effective for grabbing a reader's attention or for summing up
an argument, but you have to use them with care: too many simple sentences can make your writing
seem childish.
When you do use simple sentences, you should add transitional phrases to connect them to the
surrounding sentences.

Simple sentences are further classified into the following types:


1 Lecture notes – Sumaira Saeed, HUM 100
Lecture 11 – Sentence Structure and Types
1. Declarative Sentences are used to form statements.
Examples: "Mary is here.", "My name is Mary."
2. Interrogative Sentences are used to ask questions.
Examples: "Where is Mary?", "What is your name?"
3. Imperative Sentences are used for commands.
Examples: "Come here.", "Tell me your name."
4. Conditional Sentences are used to indicate dependencies between events or conditions.
Example: "If you cut all the trees, there will be no forest."

2. The Compound Sentence


A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses (or simple sentences) joined
by coordinating conjunctions like "and," "but," and "or":
Simple
 Canada is a rich country.
Simple
 Still, it has many poor people.
Compound
 Canada is a rich country, but still it has many poor people.

3. Complex Sentence
A complex sentence is a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. A
complex sentence is often used to make clear which ideas are most important, and which ideas are
subordinate.

 “I ate the meal that you cooked." In this example, "I ate the meal" is an independent clause, while
"that you cooked" is a relative clause. The independent clause could stand alone as a simple
sentence without the relative clause.
 "I enjoyed the apple pie that you bought for me." Here, "I enjoyed the apple pie" is an
independent clause and "that you bought for me" is a relative clause.
 "I ate breakfast before I went to work." This has "I ate breakfast" as an independent clause, and
"before I went to work" as a dependent clause.

4. Complex-compound sentence
A complex-compound sentence or compound-complex sentence is a sentence with at least two
independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses (also known as subordinate clauses).
The dog lived in the garden, yet the cat, who knew he was superior, lived inside the house.

Independent clauses:
 The dog lived in the garden.
 The cat lived inside the house.

Dependent clause:
 Who knew he was superior
 Who knew she was superior

2 Lecture notes – Sumaira Saeed, HUM 100


Lecture 11 – Sentence Structure and Types
Activity
1. Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan, but Lahore is the capital of Punjab.
1. Simple Sentence
2. Compound Sentence
3. Complex Sentence
4. Compound-Complex Sentence

2. Democracy is a noble goal; it is important, however, to protect the minority from the tyranny of
the majority.
1. Simple Sentence
2. Compound Sentence
3. Complex Sentence
4. Compound-Complex Sentence

3. I do not own a Mercedes.


1. Simple Sentence
2. Compound Sentence
3. Complex Sentence
4. Compound-Complex Sentence

4. Call your father as soon as you arrive in Lahore.


1. Simple Sentence
2. Compound Sentence
3. Complex Sentence
4. Compound-Complex Sentence

5. I ate the Biryani and left the restaurant.


1. Simple Sentence
2. Compound Sentence
3. Complex Sentence
4. Compound-Complex Sentence

6. Unless my friend postpones his visit from Karachi, I will not have time to study for my exam.
1. Simple Sentence
2. Compound Sentence
3. Complex Sentence
4. Compound-Complex Sentence

7. Susanne wanted to be here, but she cannot come because her car is in the shop.
1. Simple Sentence
2. Compound Sentence
3. Complex Sentence
4. Compound-Complex Sentence

8. The football game was cancelled because it was raining.


1. Simple Sentence
2. Compound Sentence

3 Lecture notes – Sumaira Saeed, HUM 100


Lecture 11 – Sentence Structure and Types
3. Complex Sentence
4. Compound-Complex Sentence

9. The football game was cancelled because of the rain.


1. Simple Sentence
2. Compound Sentence
3. Complex Sentence
4. Compound-Complex Sentence

10. When the train arrives and if Ms. Amber is on it, she will be served with a subpoena.
1. Simple Sentence
2. Compound Sentence
3. Complex Sentence
4. Compound-Complex Sentence

4 Lecture notes – Sumaira Saeed, HUM 100

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