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Sentence Structure

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33 views8 pages

Sentence Structure

Uploaded by

hassanmedo917
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
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Sentence Structure

What is a sentence?
In grammar, a sentence is the basic grammatical unit. It
contains a group of words and expresses a complete thought.

A sentence consists of a subject and a predicate.


For example in the sentence:
Sara writes good ideas.
Sara is the subject of the sentence and writes good ideas is
the predicate.
Simple Sentences

A simple sentence contains a subject and a verb.

It expresses a single complete thought that can stand on its own.


Examples:
• The baby cried for food.
There is a subject and a verb that expresses a complete thought.
• Professor Sara’s intelligent students completed and turned in their
assignment.
A simple sentence does not necessarily have to be short. It can have
adjectives. In this case, there are two verbs “completed” and “turned in.”
However, the sentence expresses one complete thought and therefore is a
simple sentence.
• Nancy and Sam ate too much and felt sick.
Although there are two subjects and two verbs, it is still a simple sentence
because both verbs share the same subjects and express one complete thought.
Compound Sentences

• A compound sentence has two independent clauses. An independent clause


is a part of a sentence that can stand alone because it contains a subject and
a verb and expresses a complete thought.
• Basically, a compound contains two simple sentences.
• These independent clauses are joined by a conjunction (for, and, nor, but,
or, yet, so).
Examples:
 Everyone was busy, so I went to the movie alone.
Both sides of the conjunction “so” are complete sentences.
“Everyone was busy ” can stand alone and so can “I went to the movie alone”
Therefore, this is a compound sentence.
 They spoke to him in French, but he responded in English.
This is also a compound sentence that uses a conjunction to separate two
individual clauses.
Many compound sentences are made using coordinating
conjunctions.
In this case, the sentence must contain a comma before the
conjunction for correct punctuation.
For example:

 I really need to go to work, but I am too sick to drive.

 They got there early, and they got really good seats.

 They had no ice cream left at home, nor did they have money to
go to the store.

 Should we start class now, or wait for everyone to get here?


Compound Sentences With a Semicolon

It's also possible to join compound sentences simply by combining two


complete sentences into one long sentence without any additional words. In
this case, you must use a semicolon to join your two independent clauses.
For example:
 Check back tomorrow; I will see if the book has arrived.
 Tom said he was not there yesterday; many people saw him there.
While this is grammatically correct, it's also possible to smooth the transition
from one clause to the other with conjunctive adverbs such as however,
besides, therefore and meanwhile. To use these properly, place them after the
semicolon and add a comma after the conjunctive adverb.
For example:
 It was a difficult assignment; however, Kelly was up to the challenge.
 She works two jobs to make ends meet; at least, that was her reason for not
having time to join us.
complex sentences

Complex sentences contain an independent clause and at least one


dependent clause.
An independent clause has the ability to stand alone as a sentence. It
always makes a complete thought. A dependent clause cannot stand
alone, even though it has a subject and a verb.

Examples:
 Although he was wealthy, he was still unhappy.
 Wherever you go, you can always find beauty.
 When she was younger, she believed in fairy tales.
 I really didn't like the movie, even though the acting was good.
 Because I had to catch the train, and as we were short on time, I forgot
to pack my toothbrush for our vacation.
Compound-complex
sentences
A compound-complex sentence is made up of at least two independent clauses and one or
more dependent clauses.

Examples:
 When I grow up, I want to be a teacher, and my mom is proud of me.

 I will get to watch television, but first, I have to clean up the dishes after we finish
eating.

 Sue doesn't like cartoons because they are loud, so she doesn't watch them.

 Sara likes to sleep in but she can get up early if she has work.

 The sun is shining through the clouds, so I think that we can go swimming.

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