0% found this document useful (0 votes)
129 views19 pages

Single and Multi-Clause Sentences

The subordinate clauses in this example are formed as follows: - "that has been building its strength" - relative pronoun clause modifying "wave" - "when it reaches the shallows" - subordinating conjunction clause with "when" - "terrifying the shore-dwellers" - present participle clause - "before it crashes down on the land" - subordinating conjunction clause with "before" So in summary, we have a mix of relative pronoun clauses, present participle clauses, and subordinating conjunction clauses.

Uploaded by

jonathanhale1
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
129 views19 pages

Single and Multi-Clause Sentences

The subordinate clauses in this example are formed as follows: - "that has been building its strength" - relative pronoun clause modifying "wave" - "when it reaches the shallows" - subordinating conjunction clause with "when" - "terrifying the shore-dwellers" - present participle clause - "before it crashes down on the land" - subordinating conjunction clause with "before" So in summary, we have a mix of relative pronoun clauses, present participle clauses, and subordinating conjunction clauses.

Uploaded by

jonathanhale1
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 19

TEACHING SENTENCE TYPES

SINGLE AND MULTI-CLAUSE


SENTENCES

1
NC Glossary guidance
 A sentence may consist of a single clause or it may contain

several clauses held together by subordination or co-ordination.


Classifying sentences as ‘simple’, ‘complex’ or ‘compound’ can be
confusing, because a ‘simple’ sentence may be complicated, and
a ‘complex’ one may be straightforward. The terms ‘single-clause
sentence’ and ‘multi-clause sentence’ may be more helpful.

2
Single-clause (simple) sentences
The detective hurried along the street.
The detective hurried along the rain-
swept streets, his hands deep in his
pockets.
With his hands deep in his pockets one
cold November night, the detective
from New York hurried anxiously along
the half-deserted, rain-swept streets, a
troubled frown on his face.

Most students define a simple sentence as a short sentence. Using the


examples, how could you explain that a simple sentence can be any
length? How could the term ‘single-clause sentence’ help you do this?
Find the single clause sentences. How many are also short
sentences? What effect do you think the writer wants to create
through the number, length and placing of these single-clause
sentences?

I was just pushing the lower half of the ladder back up when I heard it. There
was someone at the front door. I held my breath. It was OK. They couldn’t
get in. I slid my hand into my pocket to make sure the key was still there. It
wasn’t. I’d left it in the front door. I could hear it turning in the lock now. I
raced back up the ladder and hauled it after me. When I reached down to pull
the hatch back up, I could hear someone coming up the stairs. I quickly
pulled the hatch back into place and scrabbled over to the water tank,
holding my breath.

(From Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce)


4
Single-clause sentences
 Many students think that putting in ‘short snappy sentences’ will
instantly improve their writing! Help them to tie choices of
sentence structure to a purpose and effect, bearing in mind the
type of text being written. For example, a single-clause sentence
(which can be any length) can be effective for:
 focusing attention on a single idea or argument:

Endangered animals like the tiger or the panda need the protection
of zoos.
 drawing attention to an expressive choice of verb:

A few rocks tumbled with him.


 Creating a quick pace in a narrative or emphasising key ideas:

Hogarth began to run. He ran and ran. Home. Home. The Iron Man
had come back. 5
Co-ordination
Between words:
heads or tails; bread and butter; forgive and forget
neither use nor ornament; not only but also

Between phrases:
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men; the good, the bad and the
ugly; gone, but not forgotten; this way or that way

Between clauses:
Keep calm and carry on.
Say what you mean, but don’t say it mean.
To be, or not to be, that is the question.
6
This is Pip’s first meeting with Miss Havisham in Great
Expectations. List all the examples of co-ordination you can see.

She was dressed in rich materials – satins, and lace, and silks –
all of white. Her shoes were white. And she had a long white veil
dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair,
but her hair was white. Some bright jewels sparkled on her neck
and on her hands, and some other jewels lay sparkling on the
table. Dresses, less splendid than the dress she wore, and half-
packed trunks, were scattered about. She had not quite finished
dressing, for she had but one shoe on – the other was on the
table near her hand – her veil was but half arranged, her watch
and chain were not put on, and some lace for her bosom lay with
those trinkets, and with her handkerchief, and gloves, and some
flowers, and a prayer-book, all confusedly heaped about the
looking-glass.
7
This is Pip’s first meeting with Miss Havisham in Great
Expectations. What impression is created through Dickens’ heavy
use of co-ordination?
She was dressed in rich materials – satins, and lace, and silks –
all of white. Her shoes were white. And she had a long white veil
dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair,
but her hair was white. Some bright jewels sparkled on her neck
and on her hands, and some other jewels lay sparkling on the
table. Dresses, less splendid than the dress she wore, and half-
packed trunks, were scattered about. She had not quite finished
dressing, for she had but one shoe on – the other was on the
table near her hand – her veil was but half arranged, her watch
and chain were not put on, and some lace for her bosom lay with
those trinkets, and with her handkerchief, and gloves, and some
flowers, and a prayer-book, all confusedly heaped about the
looking-glass.
8
Co-ordinated clauses (compound sentence)
Stone led us down the garden, tugged the door open and shone his
little torch into the gloom.
Co-ordinated clauses using ‘and’ can be useful for showing a
sequence of actions, chaining ideas and for adding information of
equal importance and weight.
Co-ordinated clauses using ‘but’ can be useful for balancing ideas
and providing contrast:
Some animals build nests, but others make dens or dig burrows.
‘Or’ signals alternatives:
For protection, animals make dens or dig burrows.

With that in mind, why do you think Orwell chose to use ‘and’ as a
co-ordinating conjunction in the opening sentence to Nineteen
Eighty Four?
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. 9
How many different ways can you join the main clauses to the subordinate
clauses? Which sentences sound the scariest? Using the examples you
generate, how would you explain the concept of subordination?

slowly decaying the house seemed


empty
its windows boarded up

covered with ivy

smiling

holding a flickering candle a woman stood in the


doorway
beckoning me to follow her
©Mornixuur.nl
The two finite (main) clauses are highlighted. Count how many
subordinate clauses are used in this description of the bear fight.

Like a wave that has been building its strength over a thousand
miles of ocean, and which makes little stir in the deep water, but
which when it reaches the shallows rears itself up high into the
sky, terrifying the shore-dwellers, before crashing down on the
land with irresistible power – so Iorek Byrnison rose up against
Iofur, exploding upwards from his firm footing on the dry rock
and slashing with a ferocious left hand at the exposed jaw of
Iofur Raknison. It was a horrifying blow.
(Northern Lights, Philip Pullman)

11
What do you think is the writer’s purpose in using
subordination so heavily?
Like a wave that has been building its strength over a thousand
miles of ocean, and which makes little stir in the deep water, but
which when it reaches the shallows rears itself up high into the
sky, terrifying the shore-dwellers, before crashing down on the
land with irresistible power – so Iorek Byrnison rose up against
Iofur, exploding upwards from his firm footing on the dry rock
and slashing with a ferocious left hand at the exposed jaw of
Iofur Raknison. It was a horrifying blow.
(Northern Lights, Philip Pullman)

12
Subordinate clauses (complex sentence)
Subordinate clauses can be effective:
 for adding layers of detail:

Finally, the footprints led back up to the top of the cliff, where the
little boy had seen the Iron Man appear the night before, when
he was fishing.
 for stressing the relationship between ideas:

Although zoos are unnatural, they do protect endangered


species.
 for foregrounding information:

Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano


Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his
father took him to discover ice.
13
Forming subordinate clauses
Students can be unsure about the different ways of forming a
subordinate clause. These are:
 with a non-finite verb
o a present participle ending in –ing: Struggling against the wind, the little
boat almost hit the rocks.
o a past participle, with an –ed or irregular ending: The little boat broke
into pieces, dashed against the rocks.
o an infinitive: We changed course to avoid the rocks.)
 with a relative pronoun, as part of a noun phrase: The little
boat, which struggled against the wind, almost hit the rocks.
 with a subordinating conjunction: Although the little boat was
struggling against the wind, it avoided the rocks.

14
Practice! Explain how these subordinate
clauses are formed:
a wave that has been building its strength
when it reaches the shallows
terrifying the shore-dwellers
before it crashes down on the land
exploding upwards

15
Sentence types and writing development
 The tendency to over-use co-ordination is more typical of lower
and middle ability writers. This may reflect speech patterns which
are naturally more heavily co-ordinated; or it may reflect a focus
upon conveying narrative action without considering the
relationships between ideas that can be expressed through
subordination.
 Using subordination allows the relationship between clauses to be
more explicit: it can represent a move from chaining ideas
together (with and or but) to showing explanatory or causal links.
 Using subordination results in varying the structure of the
sentence, which can add to its impact on the reader.
 Using subordination often invites the use of more sophisticated
internal sentence punctuation.
16
The effects of overusing co-ordination
Once upon a time there was a little girl and her name was Red
Riding Hood and she lived on the edge of a forest with her
mother and father. One day Red Riding Hood’s mother called
her into the cottage kitchen and Red Riding Hood could smell
cakes baking and her mother told her to take the cakes to her
grandmother in the forest. Her grandmother was very old and
she was not very well and she lived all alone in a cottage deep
in the forest. Red Riding Hood’s mother finished baking the
cakes and dusted them with icing sugar. So Red Riding Hood
filled her basket with cakes and covered them with a red napkin
and she set out on her journey.

17
The effects of using subordination
Once upon a time there was a little girl, called Red Riding
Hood, who lived on the edge of a forest with her mother and
father. One day Red Riding Hood’s mother called her into the
cottage kitchen, filled with the smell of baking cakes, and told
her to take the cakes to her grandmother. Because she was
now old and unwell, and lived all alone in a cottage deep in the
forest, Red Riding Hood’s grandmother would be glad of the
cakes and the company. Soon, the cakes had been baked and
dusted with icing sugar. Then Red Riding Hood filled her
basket with them, covered them with a red napkin, and set out
on her journey.

18
Sentence combining
 Combining single-clause sentences in different ways can be a helpful activity for
showing the range of possible choices and discussing the impact on meaning
and effect, tied to a specific purpose and context.
For example:
 How many different ways can you combine these single-clause sentences in
order to emphasise the drama of the situation?
The little boat tried to reach the harbour. It struggled against the wind. The crew
cried out in fear. The boat was dashed against the rocks.
Which do you prefer?
 Trying to reach the harbour, struggling against the wind, the crew cried out in
fear as the little boat was dashed against the rocks.
 As the little boat struggled against the wind, trying to reach the harbour, it was
dashed against the rocks and the crew cried out in fear.
 When the little boat struggled against the wind and tried to reach the harbour, it
was dashed against the rocks. The crew cried out in fear.
19

You might also like