1. What is a Sentence?
A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. It consists of at least one independent clause and
follows grammatical rules. Every sentence must have:
A subject (who or what the sentence is about).
A verb (what the subject is doing or being).
Sentences can be classified into four types:
Declarative (statement) – She loves reading novels.
Interrogative (question) – Do you enjoy reading?
Imperative (command) – Please read this book.
Exclamatory (strong emotion) – Wow, this book is amazing!
A sentence is the largest grammatical unit and can be simple or complex, depending on the number of clauses it
contains.
2. What is a Clause?
A clause is a group of words that has both a subject and a verb. It may express a complete thought (independent
clause) or rely on another part of the sentence to make sense (dependent clause).
Types of Clauses:
1. Independent Clause (also called a main clause)
o Expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence.
o Example: I love chocolate. (This is a full sentence.)
2. Dependent Clause (also called a subordinate clause)
o Does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence.
o It starts with a subordinating conjunction like because, since, although, if, when, while, unless,
etc.
o Example: Because I love chocolate. (This is incomplete – it needs an independent clause.)
Examples of Sentences with Clauses:
I stayed home because it was raining.
o Independent clause: I stayed home.
o Dependent clause: Because it was raining.
3. What is a Phrase?
A phrase is a group of words that does not contain both a subject and a verb. A phrase cannot stand alone as a
sentence because it does not express a complete thought.
Types of Phrases:
1. Noun Phrase – Acts as a noun.
o Example: The beautiful sunset was breathtaking.
2. Verb Phrase – Includes the main verb and its helping verbs.
o Example: She is writing a book.
3. Adjective Phrase – Describes a noun or pronoun.
o Example: The house on the corner is mine.
4. Adverb Phrase – Modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb.
o Example: He ran with great speed.
5. Prepositional Phrase – Begins with a preposition and includes an object.
o Example: Under the table, there is a toy.
A phrase adds detail to a sentence but cannot function as a full sentence on its own.
4. What are Coordinating Conjunctions?
Coordinating conjunctions are words used to join words, phrases, or independent clauses of equal importance.
The seven coordinating conjunctions can be remembered using the acronym FANBOYS:
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So
Examples in Sentences:
Joining words: I like apples and oranges.
Joining phrases: She enjoys hiking but not camping.
Joining independent clauses: I wanted to play outside, but it started raining.
Coordinating conjunctions always join equal elements (two nouns, two verbs, two independent clauses, etc.).
5. What are Subordinating Conjunctions?
Subordinating conjunctions are used to introduce dependent (subordinate) clauses and connect them to
independent clauses.
Common Subordinating Conjunctions:
Time: after, before, since, until, when, while
Cause & Effect: because, since, as
Condition: if, unless, provided that
Contrast: although, though, even though, whereas
Examples in Sentences:
Because it was raining, we stayed inside.
She studied until she understood the topic.
Although he was tired, he continued working.
A subordinating conjunction helps establish the relationship between the dependent and independent clauses.
