SENTENCE STRUCTURES

Sentence

 In grammar, a sentence is the basic grammatical unit. It contains a group of words and
expresses a complete thought. It consists of a subject and a predicate.
 Subject- tells whom or what the sentence is about (E.g. the car, the bag, Louie, JOMI)
 Predicate- tells what the subject is or does. (E.g. The car is white. ; That bag is worth 100, 000
pesos. ; Louie is my favorite judge in X Factor. ; JOMI stands for Junior Oblate of Mary
Immaculate. )

 Display a piece of chart paper and divide it into three equal horizontal sections or rows.
(Note: this chart can be prepared before the lesson.)
 In the top section, write a simple sentence and read it aloud (i.e., "The smart kids read
books every night.").
 In the second section, write a compound sentence and read it aloud. (i.e., "The kids
read books every night and then they go to bed.")
 In the bottom section, write a complex sentence and read it aloud (i.e., "The kids read
books at night before going to bed.").
 Explain that each of these sentences gives similar information, but they are structured
differently.
 Tell students that today they will be learning about three sentence structures.

Task 1.9
Rewrite the information below as TWO or THREE sentences. That involves deciding how the ideas are
logically related, and then using a marker or conjunction (co-ordinating or subordinating) to match your
meaning.

Learning English is not easy.

Learning German is in some ways more difficult.
German has different articles for masculine, feminine and neuter nouns.
You have to change the endings of adjectives to match the nouns.
This is harder for speakers of English than for speakers of French.
French also uses adjectival endings.
People say that knowing English helps you to start learning German.
When you have passed the elementary stages, English is less help.
At an advanced level, knowledge of English is no help at all.
 1. SENTENCE 2. CONJUNCTIONS
OPENERS
Coordinating Subordinating
ADDITION In addition [to NP], ...and ... , who...
... not only ..., , which...
Moreover, ... but also ... , where...
Also, ... , when...
Apart from [NP], ...
Furthermore, ...

CONTRAST However, ... ... but ... although...

Nevertheless, ... ...(and) yet... whereas...
On the other hand, ... while...
In contrast, ... in spite of the fact
In spite of [NP], ... that...
Despite [NP], ... despite the fact
that...
CAUSE/ So... ...(and) so... so...
EFFECT As a result... ...(and) hence... so that...
Consequently... because...
Therefore... due to the fact
Thus... that...
Hence...
For this reason...
Because of [NP],...

POSITIVE In that case,... ...and... if...

CONDITION If so,... ...and (then)... as/so long as...
Then,.
CHOICE/ Alternatively, ... ...or (else)... If... not...
NEGATIVE Otherwise,... unless...
CONDITION Instead of [NP],...
Rather than [NP],...
If not,...

TIME ORDER/ Then... ...(and (then)... before...

LISTING Afterwards,... after...
First(ly),... , after which...
Second(ly),... when...
Next,... now that...
Prior to [NP],...
Before [NP],...
Finally / Lastly,..
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T HE C LAUSE
Recognize a clause when
you see one.
Clauses come in four
types: main [or independent], subordinate [ordependent], rela
tive [or adjective], and noun. Every clause has at
least a subject and a verb. Other characteristics will help you
distinguish one type of clause from another.

Main Clauses
Every main clause will follow this pattern:
SUBJECT + VERB = COMPLETE THOUGHT .

Here are some examples:

Laz y s tudents whi ne.

Students = subject; whine = verb.

Cola s pill ed ov er the gl ass and spl as hed onto the

c ounter.

Cola = subject; spilled, splashed = verbs.

My dog l oves pizz a crus ts .

Dog = subject; loves = verb.

The important point to remember is that every sentence must

have at least one main clause. Otherwise, you have a fragment, a
major error.

Subordinate Clauses
A subordinate clause will follow this pattern:

SUBORDINATE

CONJUNCTION + SUBJECT + VERB = INCOMPLETE

THOUGHT .
Here are some examples:

W henev er l azy s tudents whine

Whenever = subordinate conjunction; students =

subject;whine = verb.

As c ol a spil led ov er the gl ass and spl as hed onto the

c ounter

As = subordinate conjunction; cola =

subject; spilled,splashed = verbs.

Bec ause my dog l oves pizz a c rus ts

Because = subordinate conjunction; dog = subject; loves =

verb.

The important point to remember about subordinate clauses is

that they can never stand alone as complete sentences. To
complete the thought, you must attach each subordinate clause to
a main clause.

Generally, the punctuation looks like this:

MAIN CLAUSE + Ø + SUBORDINATE CLAUSE .

SUBORDINATE CLAUSE + , + MAIN CLAUSE .

Check out these revisions to the subordinate clauses above:

W henever laz y students whine , Mrs . Rus s el l throws
c halk erasers at thei r heads.

Anthony ran for the paper towels as cola spilled over

the glass and splashed onto the counter .

Because my dog loves pizz a crusts , he nev er barks

at the deliv eryman.

Relative Clauses
A relative clause will begin with a relative pronoun [such
as who, whom, whose, which, or that] or a relative
adverb [when, where, or why].

The patterns look like these:

RELATIVE PRONOUN OR

ADVERB + SUBJECT + VERB = INCOMPLETE THOUGHT.

RELATIVE PRONOUN AS SUBJECT + VERB = INCOMPLETE

THOUGHT .

Here are some examples:

W hom Mrs . Russ ell hi t i n the head wi th a c halk eraser

Whom = relative pronoun; Mrs. Russell = subject; hit = verb.

W here he c hews and drool s wi th great enthus i as m

Where = relative adverb; he = subject; chews, drools = verbs.

That had s pilled over the glass and s pl ashed onto the
c ounter

That = relative pronoun; had spilled, splashed = verbs.

W ho l ov es pi zz a crus ts

Who = relative pronoun; loves = verb.

Like subordinate clauses, relative clauses cannot stand alone as

complete sentences. You must connect them to main clauses to
finish the thought.

Look at these revisions of the relative clauses above:

The l az y students whom Mrs. Russell hit in the head

with a chalk eraser s oon learned to keep thei r
c ompl ai nts to themsel ves .

My dog Fl oyd , who loves pizz a crusts , eats them

under the kitchen table, where he chews and drools
with great enthusiasm .

Anthony ran to get paper towel s for the cola that had
spilled over the glass and splashed onto the
counter .
Punctuating relative clauses can be tricky. You must decide if the
relative clause is essential or nonessential and then use commas
accordingly.

Essential relative clauses do not require commas. A relative

clause is essential when you need the information it provides.

Look at this example:

A dog that eats too much pizz a will s oon devel op

pepperoni breath.

Dog is nonspecific. To know which dog we are talking about, we

must have the information in the relative clause. Thus, the relative
clause is essential and requires no commas.

If, however, we revise dog and choose more specific words

instead, the relative clause
becomes nonessential and does require commas to separate it
from the rest of the sentence.

Read this revision:

My dog Fl oyd , who eats too much piz za, has

dev el oped pepperoni breath.

Noun Clauses
Any clause that functions as a noun becomes a noun clause.
Look at this example:

You reall y do not want to know the ingredients i n

Aunt Nanc y's s tew.

Ingredients = noun.

If we replace the noun ingredients with a clause, we have

a noun clause:

You reall y do not want to know what Aunt Nancy

adds to her stew .

What Aunt Nancy adds to her stew = noun clause.

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Simple, Compound Or Complex Sentence

MAY 31, 2018 -
A simple sentence has only one clause.
A complex sentence has one main clause and one or more subordinate clauses.
A compound sentence has two or more clauses of the equal rank.

Text only | Back

English Composition 1
Sentences: Simple, Compound, and Complex

A common weakness in writing is the lack of varied sentences. Becoming aware

of three general types of sentences--simple, compound, and complex--can help
you vary the sentences in your writing.

The most effective writing uses a variety of the sentence types explained below.

1. Simple Sentences
A simple sentence has the most basic elements that make it a sentence: a
subject, a verb, and a completed thought.

Examples of simple sentences include the following:

1. Joe waited for the train.

"Joe" = subject, "waited" = verb

2. The train was late.

"The train" = subject, "was" = verb

3. Mary and Samantha took the bus.

"Mary and Samantha" = compound subject, "took" = verb

4. I looked for Mary and Samantha at the bus station.

"I" = subject, "looked" = verb

5. Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station early but waited until noon for the
bus.
"Mary and Samantha" = compound subject, "arrived" and "waited" = compound
verb
Tip: If you use many simple sentences in an essay, you should consider revising some of the
sentences into compound or complex sentences (explained below).

The use of compound subjects, compound verbs, prepositional phrases (such as

"at the bus station"), and other elements help lengthen simple sentences, but
simple sentences often are short. The use of too many simple sentences can
make writing "choppy" and can prevent the writing from flowing smoothly.

A simple sentence can also be referred to as an independent clause. It is

referred to as "independent" because, while it might be part of a compound or
complex sentence, it can also stand by itself as a complete sentence.

2. Compound Sentences
A compound sentence refers to a sentence made up of two independent
clauses (or complete sentences) connected to one another with a coordinating
conjunction. Coordinating conjunctions are easy to remember if you think of the
words "FAN BOYS":

 For
 And
 Nor
 But
 Or
 Yet
 So

Examples of compound sentences include the following:

1. Joe waited for the train, but the train was late.

2. I looked for Mary and Samantha at the bus station, but they arrived at the
station before noon and left on the bus before I arrived.

3. Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon, and they left on the
bus before I arrived.

4. Mary and Samantha left on the bus before I arrived, so I did not see them at the
bus station.

Tip: If you rely heavily on compound sentences in an essay, you should consider revising some
of them into complex sentences (explained below).
Coordinating conjunctions are useful for connecting sentences, but compound
sentences often are overused. While coordinating conjunctions can indicate some
type of relationship between the two independent clauses in the sentence, they
sometimes do not indicate much of a relationship. The word "and," for example,
only adds one independent clause to another, without indicating how the two
parts of a sentence are logically related. Too many compound sentences that use
"and" can weaken writing.

Clearer and more specific relationships can be established through the use of
complex sentences.

3. Complex Sentences
A complex sentence is made up of an independent clause and one or
more dependent clauses connected to it. A dependent clause is similar to an
independent clause, or complete sentence, but it lacks one of the elements that
would make it a complete sentence.

Examples of dependent clauses include the following:

 because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon
 while he waited at the train station
 after they left on the bus

Dependent clauses such as those above cannot stand alone as a sentence, but
they can be added to an independent clause to form a complex sentence.

Dependent clauses begin with subordinating conjunctions. Below are some of

the most common subordinating conjunctions:

 after
 although
 as
 because
 before
 even though
 if
 since
 though
 unless
 until
 when
 whenever
  whereas
 wherever
 while

A complex sentence joins an independent clause with one or more dependent

clauses.

The dependent clauses can go first in the sentence, followed by the independent
clause, as in the following:
Tip: When the dependent clause comes first, a comma should be used to separate the two
clauses.

1. Because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon, I did not
see them at the station.
2. While he waited at the train station, Joe realized that the train was late.
3. After they left on the bus, Mary and Samantha realized that Joe was waiting at
the train station.

Conversely, the independent clauses can go first in the sentence, followed by the
dependent clause, as in the following:
Tip: When the independent clause comes first, a comma should not be used to separate the
two clauses.

1. I did not see them at the station because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus
station before noon.
2. Joe realized that the train was late while he waited at the train station.
3. Mary and Samantha realized that Joe was waiting at the train station after they
left on the bus.

Complex sentences are often more effective than compound sentences because
a complex sentence indicates clearer and more specific relationships between the
main parts of the sentence. The word "before," for instance, tells readers that one
thing occurs before another. A word such as "although" conveys a more complex
relationship than a word such as "and" conveys.

The term periodic sentence is used to refer to a complex sentence beginning

with a dependent clause and ending with an independent clause, as in "While he
waited at the train station, Joe realized that the train was late."

Periodic sentences can be especially effective because the completed thought

occurs at the end of it, so the first part of the sentence can build up to the
meaning that comes at the end.
Beginning Sentences with "And" or "Because"
Should you begin a sentence with "and" or "but" (or one of the other
coordinating conjunctions)?

The short answer is "no." You should avoid beginning a sentence with "and," "or,"
"but," or the other coordinating conjunctions. These words generally are used to
join together parts of a sentence, not to begin a new sentence.

However, such sentences can be used effectively. Because sentences beginning

with these words stand out, they are sometimes used for emphasis. If you use
sentences beginning with one of the coordinating conjunctions, you should use
these sentences sparingly and carefully.

Should you begin a sentence with "because"?

There is nothing wrong with beginning a sentence with "because."

Perhaps some students are told not to begin a sentence with "because" to avoid
sentence fragments (something like "Because Mary and Samantha arrived at the
bus station before noon" is a sentence fragment), but it is perfectly acceptable to
begin a sentence with "because" as long as the sentence is complete (as in
"Because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon, I did not
see them at the station.")

Watch It!

Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences from the Writing Center at Texas A
&M

This page was last updated on January 26, 2015. Copyright Randy Rambo, 2012.