CHAPTER ONE: THE SENTENCE

The outline of sentence structures

1. Main sentence elements 1.1. Subject 1.2. Predicate 2. Sentence types (by functions) + Exercise 1, 2 & 3 (with key) 2.1. Declarative sentences 2.2. Interrogative sentences 2.3. Imperative sentences 2.4. Exclamatory sentences 3. Sentence types (by structures) 3.1. Simple sentences 3.1.1. Basic word order in a sentence 3.1.2. Some common variations on the basic word order 3.2. Compound sentences 3.2.1. Coordinating conjunctions (and, or and but) 3.2.2. Correlative conjunctions (not only but also, both and, either or, neithernor) 3.3. Complex sentences 3.3.1. Dependent clause: Nominal (Exercise 4) (with key) 3.3.2. Dependent clause: Adjectival 3.3.3. Dependent clause: Adverbial (Exercise 5) (with key) 3.4. Compound-complex sentences + Exercise 6, 7, 8 & 9 (with key) 1. Main sentence elements 1.1. The subject of the sentence is a noun or a noun equivalent (pronoun, noun clause, gerund, infinitive) that is the starting point of the statement. e.g. The enemy smote the city. He does exercise every day. What I want to buy is a new laptop. Studying a foreign language is not easy. To see is to believe. 1.2. The predicate is the verb and whatever words are related to it, such as objects, complements, and modifiers. e.g. The phone rang. [The verb is the complete predicate.] Columbus discovered America. [The verb goes with a direct object.] The chef made the late arrivals a hasty supper. [The verb goes with an indirect object.] My brother is an athlete of considerable promise. [The verb cannot form a predicate on its own, so it requires predicative words (or complements) to complete the sense of its predicate.]