LNG 101: Fundamental English I ©2005, Sentence Structure: Simple Sentences

Week 11 Lesson 1 Prepared by Aj. Gunchong Kritprayoch

Aj. Phanitphim Sojisirikul

Sentence Structures: Simple Sentences

(Adapted from Hogue, A. 1996. First steps in academic writing. Addison-Wesley Longman. New york.)

Earlier, you learned that a sentence is a group of words that contains at least one subject

and one verb and expresses a complete thought. Now you will begin to learn about the different

kinds of sentences in English.

There are three basic kinds of sentences in English: simple sentences, compound sentences

and complex sentences.

Simple
A simple sentence is a sentence that has one subject-verb combination.

Sentences
The subject in a simple sentence may be compound (My brother and I are completely

different). The verb may also be compound (They laughed and cried at the same time). What is
important is that there is only one subject-verb combination in a simple sentence.

These are simple sentences. (Notice that no The simple sentences can be written as

commas are used in them.) formulas.

1. My younger sister speaks English well. SV - simple subject with simple verb

2. My mother and father speak English well. SSV - compound subject with simple verb

3. My older brother is a lawyer and has a good SVV - simple subject with compound verb

job.

4. My mother and father speak and write SSVV - compound subject with compound verb

English well.

Exercise 1: Simple sentence patterns

Instructions: Identify the pattern in the following simple sentences.

1. Underline the subjects with a solid line.

2. Underline the verbs with a broken line.

3. Write S or V above each underlined word.

4. Finally, write the formula for the sentence in the numbered space below.

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LNG 101: Fundamental English I ©2005, Sentence Structure: Simple Sentences
Week 11 Lesson 1 Prepared by Aj. Gunchong Kritprayoch
Aj. Phanitphim Sojisirikul

Example:
S V V
My grandfather loves to fish and often takes me with him to his favorite fishing place.

Formula: __SVV__

My Grandfather
1 2
My grandfather is old in years but young in spirit. Every day, he swims a
3
mile and works in his garden. He and my grandmother were married fifty years ago.
4 5
They have four children and ten grandchildren. My grandfather loves parties and
6
invites our entire family to his house for a big dinner on his birthday. All twenty of
7
us eat and tell stories half the night. He never gets tired and is always the last to
8 9
go to bed. On his last birthday, my brothers and I gave him a present. We all put
10
our money together and bought him a video game system. Now he wants us to come

over to his house every weekend.

Formula: 1.________ 2.________ 3.________ 4.________ 5.________

6.________ 7.________ 8.________ 9.________ 10.________

Connecting words: and, or

Often you need to connect words or groups of words in a sentence. One way to do this is to

use a connecting word. Connecting words are called conjunctions. There are many conjunctions in

English. Two of the most common ones are and and or. They have different meanings.

and joins two or more similar things in positive sentences.

- I like Chinese and Italian food.

- Swimming and waterskiing are my favorite summer activities.

- We have class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

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LNG 101: Fundamental English I ©2005, Sentence Structure: Simple Sentences
Week 11 Lesson 1 Prepared by Aj. Gunchong Kritprayoch
Aj. Phanitphim Sojisirikul

or connects two or more similar things in negative sentences.

- I don’t like British or American food.

- We don’t have class on Tuesdays or Thursdays.

- I can’t play tennis, ride a horse, or roller skate very well.

or also connects two or more choices or alternatives.

- I would like to go to Hawaii, Tahiti, or Fuji on my next vacation.

(I cannot go to all three places. I will choose one.)

- My father or my mother will meet me at the airport.

(This sentence means that only one person will come to the airport.)

Use this chart to help you remember the meanings of and and or.

+ + and joins two or more positives

- I love tacos, pizza, and egg rolls.

- - or joins two or more negatives

- I don’t like hot dogs or hamburgers.

T? F? or also connects choices.

- Is this sentence true or false?

Exercise 2: Using and, or

Instructions: Combine the two sentences in each pair to make one sentence. Use and or or

according to the meaning. Try not to repeat any words.

Example: I like chocolate ice cream. I like coffee ice cream.

I like chocolate and coffee ice cream.

1. I can speak English. I can understand English.

_________________________________________________________________

2. I can’t speak Tagalog. I can’t speak Vietnamese.

_________________________________________________________________

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LNG 101: Fundamental English I ©2005, Sentence Structure: Simple Sentences
Week 11 Lesson 1 Prepared by Aj. Gunchong Kritprayoch
Aj. Phanitphim Sojisirikul

3. Blue is my favorite color. Yellow is my favorite color. (Be sure to make the verb plural.)

_________________________________________________________________

4. Would you like soup? Would you like salad? (You can have only one.)

_________________________________________________________________

5. You can have rice with your meal. You can have potatoes with your meal. (You can have only one.)

_________________________________________________________________

6. Helen Keller, a famous American woman, was blind. Helen Keller, a famous American woman, was

deaf.

_________________________________________________________________

7. She could not see. She could not hear.

_________________________________________________________________

Exercise 3: Writing simple sentences

Instructions: 1. Write five simple sentences about your family or family members. Use all of these

patterns: SV, SSV, SVV, SSVV. Some of them might be used twice.

2. Show your sentences to your partner. Ask your partner to identify the pattern in

each sentence.

Example:

SVV My older brother goes to college and works part-time.

_________ 1. ______________________________________________________________

_________ 2. ______________________________________________________________

_________ 3. ______________________________________________________________

_________ 4. ______________________________________________________________

_________ 5. ______________________________________________________________