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Sentence Construction

The document explains the structure of sentences in English, detailing the basic components such as subjects, verbs, objects, and complements. It categorizes sentences by function (declarative, negative, interrogative, exclamatory, imperative) and by structure (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex). Each type is illustrated with examples to clarify their usage.

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Methinee Aksorn
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8 views20 pages

Sentence Construction

The document explains the structure of sentences in English, detailing the basic components such as subjects, verbs, objects, and complements. It categorizes sentences by function (declarative, negative, interrogative, exclamatory, imperative) and by structure (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex). Each type is illustrated with examples to clarify their usage.

Uploaded by

Methinee Aksorn
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SENTENCE

CONSTRUCTION
in English
What’s sentence?
A sentence is a group of
words that express a
complete thought. In English,
a simple sentence is made
up of a subject + a verb +
possibly an object.
Basic
Parts
of
Sentences
Subject
The subject indicates the person or thing that performs
the action. It goes at the beginning of the sentence
before the predicate (verb), and it can be expressed by
a pronoun, noun, or phrase.
I want to play.
Patrick needs to practice more.
We will have pizza for dinner.
Someone left their coat here.
The sun is shining.
Our school team won the match.
Verb
The predicate goes right after the subject, and it is
expressed by a verb and conveys information about
what the subject is doing. A predicate is a key part of
constructing sentences in English because it shows
when the action occurred, is happening, or will happen.
I love macaroni and cheese.
Merin has a pet.
Anusha can draw.
My phone is not working.
It was too dark.
Object
An object is expressed by a noun, pronoun, or phrase
and stands after the verb (predicate) and indicates
the person or thing to which the action is directed.
There are two types of objects in English: direct and
indirect objects.
A direct object is what or to whom the action of
the verb is directed - in other words, a word that
receives the action.
An indirect object indicates someone or
something to whom the direct object is related.
Object

Direct Object Indirect Object

Harry bought a new car. Vandhana gave Keerthana a cake.


My mom made a cake. My mom bought me a new dress.
I met my friend. I gave him a chocolate.
She knows all the songs. They gave us coffee with breakfast.
He lent his friend a pen.
We watched a movie.
Complement
The words required to complete the meaning of
a sentence can be referred to as the complement of
the sentence. A complement can be an adjective,
a name, a position or a profession. Complements are
further divided into two types based on which
component it speaks about.
The two types of complement are,
Subject Complement
Object Complement
Complement
Subject Complement Object Complement
The complement which The complement which
expresses the quality or expresses the quality or
identity or condition of the identity or condition of an
subject object
They made her angry.
She is a doctor.
The students elected Sreya
I am Sindhu.
the class leader.
Nandhu is clever. They named their daughter,
The students are very Thara.
excited. Nobody found the movie
My brother is a teacher. interesting.
Types of
Sentence
by functions
Declarative Sentences
We use declarative sentences every day, as they
allow us to make statements, provide
explanations, and share information.

I practice yoga every morning.


She is writing a letter to her grandma.
We will go to the university tomorrow.
There is a white house around the corner.
Negative Sentences
The word order in negative sentences is also
direct. In order to show negation, you need to
add the particle "not." Also, there is always an
auxiliary verb in a negative sentence, and the
particle "not" is always connected to it.

I am not a yoga trainer.


She did not call her parents last night.
There is no class for tomorrow.
Interrogative Sentences
An interrogative sentence is one that is used to
question something and it ends with a question
mark.

Are you writing a letter?


Can you please tell me your e-mail address?
Where is the nearest ATM?
How are you doing?
You practice yoga every morning, right?
Exclamatory Sentences
These sentences end with an exclamation mark,
express emotions, and are usually used in
greetings, rallying cries, or warnings.
Good Morning!
Attention! Do not enter!
It's a beautiful day!
How thoughtful of you!
What a beautiful day!
May the Force be with you!
Imperative Sentences
Imperative sentences express a command to do
something, make a request, provide instructions or
advice. They can be affirmative or negative, but
they do not contain a subject as the reader
understands that the action is directed to them.
Talk louder, please.
Listen to me carefully.
Let's go for a walk!
Mind your own business.
Don't go there on your own.
Don't forget to call your mother tomorrow.
Types of
Sentence
by structure
Simple Sentences
Simple sentences are pretty simple: just a single independent
clause, no more, no less. This includes subject and verbs, but
can also include objects.
I didn’t go to the game.
She was correct.
The writer was out of ideas.
The movie was over two hours long.
The earth goes round the sun.
Mary did not go to the party.
Compound Sentences
A compound sentence is two (or more) independent clauses
joined by a conjunction (or, and, but, yet, for, nor, so) , a comma
or semicolon. Each of these clauses could form a sentence alone.
I like coffee and Mary likes tea.
Mary went to work but John went to the party.
Our car broke down; we came last.
She was sick, so she didn’t go to school.
Greg kept his distance; he knew he was a dangerous man.
I was exhausted, but I worked all night.
Mom was still at work, and Dad was out to dinner.
Complex Sentences
Complex sentences consist of an independent clause and a
dependent clause. A dependent clause is an incomplete thought
and thus needs to be attached to an independent clause. It’s aka
a subordinate clause.
We missed our plane because we were late.
Our dog barks when she hears a noise.
I went to dinner because I was hungry.
She turned her down because she was in love with
-

someone else.
Do you know the man who is talking to Mary?
Compound-Complex Sentences
It combines the ideas behind both compound and complex
sentences: consists of at least two independent clauses and one
or more dependent clauses.
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.
Because he was injured, the team played with a short bench
and their rivals beat them soundly.
Although he organized his sources by theme, he decided to
arrange them chronologically, and he carefully followed the
MEAL plan for organization.

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