WRITING SENTENCES WEEK 2

LESSON OBJECTIVE:
STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO CONSTRUCT
MEANINGFUL AND ERROR-FREE SENTENCES.
OVERVIEW:
1. Recognising sentence structure
Sentence structure
Basic sentence patterns
Sentence expansion
Verb tense
2. Types of sentences
Simple
Compound
Complex
3. Exercise
RECOGNISING SENTENCE
STRUCTURE
A sentence consists of a subject (topic) and predicate (verb + comment about the topic).

Sentence = Subject + Predicate

(usually a noun or pronoun) (contains a verb and/or comment/idea)
action verb (shows an action)
verb to be (shows a state of existence)
action verb may also be supported by a
helping verb/an auxiliary verb (verb to be, verb to do, verb to
have, modal)
SUBJECT PREDICATE
Dogs bark.
(noun) (action verb)

My neighbor’s dog does not bark at strangers.

(noun) (helping verb – verb to do) (action verb)

Some leaves have fallen on the ground.

(noun) (helping verb – verb to have) (action verb)

The billionaire should donate generously to the orphanage.

(noun) (helping verb – modal) (action verb)
He
(pronoun)
Many of my friends are cat lovers.
(noun) (helping verb - verb to be)
A SENTENCE SHOULD HAVE:
A CAPITAL LETTER at the beginning.
A full stop (.), question mark (?) or exclamation mark (!) at the end.
A subject (stated only once) and predicate (complete verb phrase).
A standard word order.
A correct verb tense/subject-verb agreement.
SENTENCE VS PHRASE
A phrase is a group of words that DOES NOT HAVE a subject, a predicate pair
and DOES NOT GIVE a complete thought.
Examples:
Prepositional phrase Verbal phrase
in the class baked a cake
on the table wrote an essay

In essay writing, we need to write sentences, not phrase! So…..

Complete sentence
The students (subject) are in the class (predicate). (Predicate pair: are in the class)
The book (subject) is on the table (predicate).
My mother (subject) baked a cake (predicate).
The boy (subject) wrote an essay (predicate).
 Basic sentence patterns / word order
Subject + Verb
Johan drives.
Subject + Verb + Object
Johan drives a BMW.
Subject + Verb + Complement
Johan is busy.
Subject + Verb + Expansion
Johan drives to work.
Helping verb + Subject + Main verb
Does Johan like driving?
What does he drive?
 Sentence expansion
• At the beginning of the sentence
Every evening, Johan drives.
• In the middle of the sentence
Johan, who is a stockbroker, drives a BMW.
• At the end of the sentence
Johan is busy almost every day.
• In the expansion of the subject
Johan and his colleagues drive to work.
• In the expansion of the verb
Johan drives carefully in heavy traffic.
• In the expansion of the object
Johan drives his white BMW to work.
VERB TENSE
Verb tenses give information about when an action/activity takes place.
We need to choose the right tense to indicate the correct meaning in sentences.
We change verb tenses only when there is a real change in time.
When we are writing about an idea, we need to stay with the same tense.

Examples Tense
Incorrect When I open the door, my mother greeted me.
Correct When I opened the door, my mother greeted me. Past tense
When I open the door, my mother greets me. Present tense
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
Each verb must agree with the subject in number.
Singular subjects take singular verbs while plural subjects take plural verbs.
We need to check the sentences carefully to ensure that the verbs agree with the nouns.

Example:
Subject-verb agreement (SVA) in the simple present tense.
He/she/it plays
I/you/they/we play

Incorrect: We plays football everyday. I likes it.

Correct: We play football everyday. I like it.
EXERCISE 1
Circle the subject and underline the predicate in the sentences. Then, identify the
verb(s).

1. My hardworking colleague drives a red sports car to work.

2. Substance abuse affects teenagers physically, mentally and emotionally.
3. It is a very hot day.
4. The audience were excited about the rock band’s performance.
5. Haris walks to class with his friends every day.
6. Regular exercise can improve blood circulation.
7. PSY has become a world renowned singer since 2012.
EXERCISE 1 the predicate in the sentences. Then, identify the
Circle the subject and underline
verb(s).

1. My hardworking colleague drives a red sports car to work.

2. Substance abuse affects teenagers physically, mentally and emotionally.
3. It is a very hot day.
4. The audience were excited about the rock band’s performance.
5. Haris walks to class with his friends every day.
6. Regular exercise can improve blood circulation.
7. PSY has become a world renowned singer since 2012.
 TYPES OF SENTENCES
TYPE EXPLANATION EXAMPLES
SIMPLE = 1 independent clause My uncle washed his car.
SENTENCE * it has subject and verb, thus it can be a complete The boy blew bubbles
sentence

*simple sentence can be expanded to form

compound and complex sentences

COMPOUN = 2 independent clauses joined by coordinating

D conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, yet, so)
SENTENCE * means 2 complete thoughts in a sentence

= 2 independent clauses joined by conjunctive
adverbs (accordingly, also, besides, consequently,
conversely, finally, furthermore, hence, however,
indeed, instead etc.) and semicolon ( ; ).
The man had waited patiently; finally,
the big day arrived.
The student scored excellent grades;
then, to his mother’s delight, the student
was offered a scholarship to further his
studies.
TYPE EXPLANATION EXAMPLES
COMPLEX = 1 independent clause + 1 dependent clause Dependent clause:
SENTENCE • Independent clause  complete sentence before she goes to the class
• Dependent clause  incomplete sentence (contains after the kid blew the bubbles
subject but predicate without complete thought) although Johan works hard

A dependent clause cannot stand on its own because

Although Johan works hard, he
it does not make sense. An independent clause is
lost his job.
joined with a dependent clause to make a complex
Johan lost his job although he
sentence.
works hard.
Johan, who works hard, lost his
job.
EXERCISE- TRANSLATE THESE
SENTENCES INTO ENGLISH
Dalam meniti arus pemodenan, amalan menabung merupakan
amalan mulia yang perlu dipupuk sejak kecil lagi. Persis mutiara kata,
melentur buluh biarlah dari rebungnya, sewajarnyalah ibu bapa dalam
menerapkan amalan menabung kepada anak-anak mereka sejak kecil
lagi. Sebagai contohnya, ibu bapa boleh membuka akaun simpanan
anak-anak di mana-mana institusi kewangan seperti Bank Simpanan
Nasional, Tabung Haji dan Maybank. Persoalannya kini, apakah
kebaikan menabung kepada individu? Oleh hal yang demikian,
kebaikan amalan menabung yang mewarnai fokus perbincangan akan
dikupas secara terperinci untuk kepentingan bersama.
Jenayah ditakrifkan sebagai perbuatan yang melanggar
undang-undang atau peraturan. Jenayah bukan sahaja
membabitkan orang dewasa malahan golongan remaja
juga. Menurut kajian polis, jumlah kes jenayah telah
bertambah daripada 40 021 kes pada tahun 1997 kepada 43
210 kes pada tahun 1998. Di samping itu, kesalahan yang
dilakukan juga semakin serius dari semasa ke semasa.
Usaha-usaha pelbagai pihak amat diperlukan untuk
membendung jenayah.
Seterusnya, pihak yang bertanggungjawab hendaklah menjalankan kempen
secara besar-besaran melalui media massa. Kempen-kempen yang
berkaitan dengan semangat patriotik ini akan memberikan kesedaran
kepada masyarakat tentang kepentingan semangat patriotik dalam kalangan
masyarakat di negara kita. Oleh itu, Kementerian Penerangan Malaysia, di
samping media elektronik seperti televisyen dan radio memang berkesan
untuk menyuburkan dan meningkatkan semangat patriotik dalam kalangan
masyarakat. Dengan perkataan lain, televisyen dan radio hendaklah
menyiarkan rancangan atau program yang dapat meningkatkan semangat
patriotik seperti menyiarkan rencana tentang pejuang-pejuang kemerdekaan
negara. Selain itu media elektronik itu juga hendaklah menayangkan filem
seperti “Bukit Kepong”, “Paloh”, dan drama-drama yang berkaitan dengan
semangat cinta akan negara, semangat patriotik malahan dapat
mengeratkan perpaduan antara kaum di negara kita.