ENGLISH

SENTENCE
STRUCTURES
Speak better English
B2-C2 GRAMMAR
Course contents
Introduction
Basic sentence elements
The four sentence types
The four sentence structures
Parallel sentences
Defining relative clauses
Non defining relative clauses
Exercises
Join the
community!
Ladies, for more English practice join the free community via the
links bellow

Follow Women in English on instagram

Join the Women in English Facebook group
Subscribe to the Women in English YouTube channel
Listen to the Women in English podcast
THE IMPORTANCE
OF SENTENCE
STRUCTURE
SPEAK BETTER ENGLISH
B2- C2 GRAMMAR
 Allows you to sound more like
a native English speaker
Enables you to express tone
Why is it and emotion when speaking
Makes you sound more formal

important? and professional

Helps you avoid translating
and thinking in your native
language
 BASIC
SENTENCE
ELEMENTS
SPEAK BETTER ENGLISH
B2-C2 GRAMMAR
 Independent clause:

An independent clause can stand

alone as a sentence. It contains a

Independent subject and a verb and is a

complete idea.

clause For example

I like spaghetti.
He reads many books.
 Dependent clause:

A dependent clause is not a

complete sentence. It must be
attached to an independent

Dependent clause to become complete. This

is also known as a subordinate
clause.
Clause For example

Although I like spaghetti,…

Because he reads many
books,…
 Subject:

A person, animal, place, thing, or

concept that does an action.
Determine the subject in a

A subject sentence by asking the question

“Who or what?”

For example:

I like spaghetti.
He reads many books.
 Verb:

Expresses what the person, animal,

place, thing, or concept does.
Determine the verb in a sentence

A verb by asking the question “What was

the action or what happened?”

For example

I like spaghetti.
He reads many books.
 Object:

A person, animal, place, thing, or

concept that receives the action.
Determine the object in a

An Object sentence by asking the question

“The subject did what?” or “To
whom?/For whom?”

For example
I like spaghetti.
He reads many books.
 Prepositional Phrase:

A phrase that begins with a

preposition (i.e., in, at for, behind,

A
until, after, of, during) and modifies a
word in the sentence. A prepositional
phrase answers one of many

prepositional questions. Here are a few examples:

“Where? When? In what way?”

phrase For example

I like spaghetti for dinner.
He reads many books in the
library.
 Coordinating conjunctions are joining
words that link together parts of a
sentence.

They can be used to join together two

Coordinating
clauses in a sentence. However, the
clauses need to make sense on their own.

Conjunction The seven coordinating conjunctions are:

And
But
Or
For
Nor
Yet
So
 A subordinating conjunction is the word
or words used to join two clauses
together in a complex sentence.
They are words such as because,
although, unless, whereas.

Subordinating They do the job of showing the

relationship between the two clauses
and showing us which is the most
Conjunction important.

For example:

after, although, as, because, before, how,

if, once, since, than, that, though, till, until,
when, where, whether, while.
 Coordinating Conjunctions link
two or more words, clauses,
phrases or sentences of equal
importance.

Main Subordinating Conjunction are

the words that links a
difference dependent clause to an
independent clause.
 Correlative conjunctions are
pairs of words that work
together to connect parts of a
sentence that have equal value.

Correlating For example:

Either...or

Conjunctions
Neither... nor
,Both...and
Not only
But also,
Whether...or
 THE FOUR
SENTENCE TYPES

SPEAK BETTER ENGLISH

B2 GRAMMAR
Declarative
Sentence
 A declarative sentence states a fact
and ends with a full stop
(Remember that a statement which
contains an indirect question like this
example, is not a question.)

Declarative For example:

Sentence
She is a fantastic worker.
I wonder if it is going to rain
tomorrow
There is a lot of water on the ground
We need to buy milk on our way
home.
 The basic word order of a declarative
sentence is:

subject-verb–object–place-time.
(note this can change but it is the most
common structure to use)

Declarative For example:

Sentence
The children study English in the classroom in
the early morning.

Subject: The children

Verb: Study
Direct Object: English
Place: in the classroom
Time: in the early morning
An Imperative
Sentence
 An imperative sentence is a command
or a polite request. It ends with an
exclamation mark or a period (full
stop).

An It can express advice, and instruction,

a warning or a request
For example:

Imperative When you finish your dinner, let me

Sentence
know. (instruction)
Stop! (command)
Watch out! (warning)
Please help me. (request)
You need to study (advice)
An Interogative
Sentence
 An interrogative sentence is one that
asks a direct question and always

An ends in a question mark.

For example:

Interogative Where are you going?

What's the time?
Sentence
 There are three main types of questions:

Yes/No questions
Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main Verb + Remainder
Do you like to swim?
Is it hot today?

Types of Question word questions

Question Word + Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main

Questions
Verb + Remainder
Where are you going today?
What is happening in the park?
Why is she running so fast?

Choice questions
Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main Verb + Choice 1 +
"or" + Choice 2
Does she want pizza or ice-cream?
Shall we go to the beach or the pools?
An Exlamatory
Sentence
 An exclamatory sentence
expresses excitement or
emotion. It ends with an

An exclamation mark.

exclamatory For example:

We are leaving it two days!
I can't believe we won!
sentence
 THE FOUR
SENTENCE
STRUCTURES
SPEAK BETTER ENGLISH
B2 GRAMMAR
 Simple
Sentences
 A simple sentence is a sentence
that consists of just one
independent clause.

Simple
For example:
I cannot eat tomatoes
She is the owner of the school
Sentences I love to go to the cinema
 A simple sentence could have a
compound subject.

For example:
Simple
Me and my sister love

Sentences travelling
The teacher and her students
went to the museum
Emma and Alice work in that
office
 A simple sentence could also
have a compound predicate
(when two or more verbs share
the same subject).

Simple
For example:

I hate walking and reading

Sentences They love to go to the cinema
and then out to a restaurant
We study English and practice
speaking
 Use a comma before an "and" (or
"but," "or," etc.) that joins two
independent clauses (i.e., clauses
that could stand alone as

Punctuation
sentences).

For example:
I love walking, and I love
swimming
I love walking and swimming
Complex
Sentences
 A complex sentence consists of an
independent clause plus a dependent
clause. (A dependent clause starts with a
subordinating conjunction or a relative
pronoun, and contains a subject and verb,
but does not express a complete thought.)

Complex For example:

Stay at home until you finish your

Sentences homework
Leave while you can
Our dog barks when it hears noises
Do you know the man who is talking to
Mary?
 The word used to link an independent
clause to a dependent clause is called a
subordinating conjunction.

The most common subordinating

Subordinating conjunctions are:

conjunctions Although
Because
Before
in Complex Even
Though

Sentences
If
Since
Until
When
 For example:

We will go for a walk although it is hot out

She is going to pass the exam because
she studied so hard

Subordinating We need to go to the shops before you

go swimming

conjunctions
They ate the whole pizza even the ice
cream
Though I'm tired, I still stay up late

in Complex If we miss the flight we will never arrive

on time
I have decided to go to university since I

Sentences have the money

When he arrives, make sure you put the
oven on
Compound
Sentences
 A compound sentence is two (or more)
independent clauses joined by a conjunction
or semicolon.
Each of these clauses could form a

Compound
sentence alone.

For example:

Sentences I like surfing and Mary likes swimming

I am going to go to the beach and my
sister is going to stay home
Anyone can make a mistake, and most
people do
He organised the files by name, and then
updated the system
Compound +
Complex
Sentences
 A compound-complex sentence consists of at least two
independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.

Compound-complex sentences help us express longer more

complicated thoughts, with more parts than other sentences.
They’re good tools for explaining complicated ideas or

Compound
describing long chains of events.

Independent clause + subordinating conjunction +

Dependent clause + coordinating conjunction + independent

+Complex
clause

For example:

Sentences
John didn't come because he was ill so Mary was not
happy.
He left in a hurry after he got a phone call but he came
back five minutes later.
I stopped believing in Santa Claus when he asked for my
autograph in a department store, but I still want to believe
in him.
 Step 1- Independent clause
The first independent clause of your compound-complex sentence
should have a strong main idea because it will remain one of the
main points of your sentence no matter what you add to it.

""The girl sat on the chair"

Step 2- Independent clause

Now we need another independent clause that is related to the first
independent clause. Often this means that the two independent
clauses will have the same subject, or share another word in
common, but not necessarily; the second clause should either

Writing
continue describing the action or add information of about equal
importance with the first independent clause:

"The girl sat down on the cake"

Step 3: Dependent clause

Our dependent clause will spice up the two independent clauses
that we’ve already written. It could tell us more about the situation
or explain an action, but it can’t be a complete sentence on its own.
Here’s a dependent clause:

"Just as I was reaching for the cake"

"The girl sat on the chair, and sat down on the cake just as I was
reaching for it"
 When your dependent clause is at the front
and acts like an adverb – typically stating a
time (e.g., When it's ready), a place (e.g.,
Where they live), or a condition (e.g., If you
were in my shoes) – then it is usual to use a
comma after the dependent clause to show
where the independent clause starts.

Punctuation
When such a clause appears at the back of
your sentence, it usually you don't need to
use a comma

For example:
I became a sales assistant when I moved
to America
When I moved to America, I became a
sales assistant
 PARALLEL
SENTENCES
SPEAK BETTER ENGLISH
B2-C2 GRAMMAR
 They are the repetition of a chosen grammatical
form within a sentence. By making each
compared item or idea in your sentence follow
the same grammatical pattern, you create a
parallel construction.

For example:

What are Not Parallel:

Ellen likes hiking, the rodeo, and to take
afternoon naps.

they Parallel:
Ellen likes hiking, attending the rodeo, and
taking afternoon naps. OR
Ellen likes to hike, attend the rodeo, and take
afternoon naps.
 1) With coordinating conjunctions:

When you connect two or more clauses or phrases with a

coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, or so), use
parallel structure.

Not Parallel:
My best friend took me dancing and to a show.
Parallel:

When to
My best friend took me to a dance and a show.

2) With correlating conjunctions

use them
When you connect two clauses or phrases with a correlative
conjunction (not only...but also, either...or, neither...nor, if...then,
etc.), use parallel structure.

Not Parallel:
My dog not only likes to play fetch, but also chase cars.
Parallel:
My dog not only likes to play fetch, but he also likes to
chase cars.
OR
My dog likes not only to play fetch, but also to chase cars.
 3) With phrases of clauses of comparison

When you connect two clauses or phrases with a word of

comparison, such as than or as, use parallel structure.

Not Parallel:
I would rather pay for my education than financial aid.
Parallel:
I would rather pay for my education than receive financial

When to
aid.

4) With lists

When you are comparing items in a list, use parallel structure.

use them Not Parallel:

John Taylor Gatto criticizes public schools because they are
compulsory, funded by the government, and destroy students'
humanity.

Parallel:
John Taylor Gatto criticizes public schools because they are
compulsory, government- funded, and normalizing.
OR
John Taylor Gatto criticizes public schools because they
require students to attend, receive money from the
government, and destroy students' humanity.
NON- DEFINING
RELATIVE
CLAUSES
SPEAK BETTER ENGLISH
B2-C2 GRAMMAR
 Non-defining relative clauses give us extra information
about someone or something.

It isn't essential for understanding who or what we are

talking about.

We always use a relative pronoun or adverb to start a non-

What are
defining relative clause:
Who
Which
Whose

they
When
Where (but not that)

We also use commas to separate the clause from the rest

of the sentence.

For example:
My mother, who's 60 goes swimming every day.
The school, which was built in 1883, has just been
opened to the public.
The award was given to Sara, whose short story impressed the judges.
 We use who to talk about people
Which to talk about things
Whose to refer to the person the thing
belongs to
We use where to talk about location
We use when to talk about time

Who, which For example:

Yesterday I met my new boss, who was very
nice.

and whose The house, which is very big, is also very

cold!
My next-door neighbour, whose children go
to school with ours, has just bought a new
car.
My house, where I lived most of my life, has
been sold
Last year, when I was in London, I worked as
Aft
a teacher
 DEFINING
RELATIVE
CLAUSES
SPEAK BETTER ENGLISH
B2-C2 GRAMMAR
 Defining relative clauses give us
essential information – information
that tells us who or what we are
talking about.

What are We usually use a relative pronoun or

adverb to start a defining relative

they
clause: who, which, that, when, where
or whose.

The teacher who worked in the

school has a cat
These plates that are broken need
to be returned
 We can use who or that to talk about
people. That is more common and a

Who & that

bit more informal.

She's the woman who cuts my

hair.
He's the man that I met at the
conference.
 We can use which or that to talk
about things. that is more common
and a bit more informal.

Which & There was a one-year guarantee

which came with the TV.

that
The laptop that I bought last week
has started making a strange
noise!
 We can also use where, when and
whose.

For example:
Other Winter is the season when i'm the

pronouns
saddest
That's the house where I grew up
in
He's a painter whose paintings
have changed the world
 Sometimes we can leave out the pronoun
in defining relative clauses. However this
is usually done when the pronoun is
followed by a subject not a verb.

No For example:

The assistant [that] we met was really

pronouns
kind.
(we = subject, can omit that)

The assistant that helped us was

really kind.
(helped = verb, can't omit that)
EXERCISES
SPEAK BETTER ENGLISH
B2-C2 GRAMMAR
 1) I called her many times
AND/BUT/THOUGH she didn't answer the
phone.

2) He is intelligent OR/ BUT/ AND honest

Exercise 1 3) He is old AND /OR / BUT he is active

Choose the correct 4) He not only lost his reputation ALSO/

coordinating conjunction to BUT/ BUT ALSO brought a bad name to
make compound sentences his family

5) You may NEITHER/ EITHER/ NOR spend

the night here or go home
 1. I called her many times but she didn’t
answer the phone.

2. He is intelligent and honest.

Exercise 1 3. He is old but he is active.

4. He not only lost his reputation but also

Answers
brought a bad name to his family.

5. You may either spend the night here or

go home.
 1. After the game, we all went out for pizza.

2. Although we were late, we were still let

into the show.

Exercise 2 3. Unless he shows up, I will have to go on

without him.
Identify the dependent and
independent clause in these 4. Even though they did the work, they will
sentences still have to do it again.

5. We went to the fair, since we had the

time.
 1. After the game, (dependent) we all
went out for pizza.(independent)

2. Although we were late (dependent),

we were still let into the show.

Exercise 2 (independent)

3. Unless he shows up (dependent), I will

Answers
have to go on without him.
(independent)

4. Even though they did the work

(dependent), they will still have to do it
again. (independent)

5. We went to the fair (independent),

since we had the time. (dependent)
 1) The dog WHO /WHICH /WHOSE barking
you can hear is our neighbour's dog.

2)This is the purse WHAT/ THAT/ WHOSE

I am looking for.

Exercise 3 3) My mother, THAT/ WHO/ WHICH worked

as a nurse, is retired now.
Choose the correct relative
4) We booked a really comfortable hotel
pronoun
room, THAT/ WHAT/ WHICH was a very good
idea.

5)I don't know the phone number WHAT/

WHICH/ WHO is used in case of
emergencies.
 1. Whose
2. That

Exercise 2
3. Who
4. Which
Answers 5. Which
 1) Miss Anderson ................ reputation is so good
comes to help us.

2) What have you done with the pen ................ I

left on the table?

Exercise 3
3) I delivered the parcel to Charles ................
gave it to Ann.

Fill in the space with that, 4) His wife ................. is an architect designed
their new house.
which, whose or who and use
commas were needed 5) Can you hear the noise ................ comes from
the cellar?
 1) Miss Anderson, whose
reputation... , comes

2) pen which/that I left

Exercise 3 3)... to Charles, who gave...

Answers
4) His wife, who is... , designed

5)noise which | that comes

You're Done!
Thanks for participating in this course,
make sure you do the exercises and
enjoy speaking English!