Transcript Sentence Structure 1-20-16

Sentence Structure
1-20-16
Terms we’ll need
• Subject (The person, place, thing or
idea that is doing or being something)
• Verb (describes an action; it’s what you
do)
• Clause (group of words with a subject
and a verb)
Independent-strong, stands alone
Dependent-subordinate-weak, needs support
Simple sentence
A simple sentence has one independent
clause and no dependent clauses:

The student yawned.
Subject Verb
Although a simple sentence cannot have a
dependent clause, it can have modifiers:
•The tall student sitting in the back in
my algebra class yawned loudly.
The basic sentence is: ‘The student
yawned’. The other words are
modifiers - they are descriptive words.
• A simple sentence contains only one
independent clause, but it can have more
than one subject or verb:
• TWO SUBJECTS: The student and his
friend yawned.
• TWO VERBS : The student yawned
and fell asleep.
• TWO SUBJECTS: The student and his
friend yawned.
• TWO VERBS : The student yawned
and fell asleep.
A sentence with all these elements will be long, but it is
still simple because it contains only one independent
clause:
The tall student sitting in the back in my
physics class and his friend yawned
loudly and fell asleep.
Can you identify the ‘real’ sentence and
the modifiers?
The tall student sitting in the back in
my physics class and his friend
yawned loudly and fell asleep.
Compound sentence
A compound sentence has two or more
independent clauses that are usually joined
by a coordinating conjunction:
• Henry got a new job, so he has to move.
• I have a lot of homework, but I am not going
to have time to study tonight.
Notice the difference between a simple sentence
with a compound verb and a compound sentence
with two clauses:
SIMPLE
My house guests returned from a
long day of shopping and went
straight to bed.
COMPOUND My house guests returned home
from a long day of shopping, and
we decided to stay at home
instead of going out.
What is the difference?
Compound sentence with
coordinating conjunctions
Most compound sentences are formed with a
coordinating conjunction: and, or, but,
so, for, nor, yet.
• The experiment was deemed successful,
yet our results were unsatisfactory.
• The students were unhappy with their
professor, for he often wasted their time
in class.
Compound sentence without
coordinating conjunctions
Yet, while most compound sentences are
formed with a coordinating conjunctions,
often good writers decide to eliminate the
conjunction and simply add a semicolon:
• The ambitious student initiated the
research; the teacher was pleased by her
efforts.
• The students were unhappy with their
professor; he often wasted their time in
class.
Compound sentence without
coordinating conjunctions
When a transition leads a clause, it is usually
followed by a comma. If the transition lands
in the middle of a compound sentence, use
the semicolon, and then follow the transition
with a comma:
• The experiment was deemed successful;
unfortunately, our results were unsatisfactory.
• The students were unhappy with their
professor; undeniably, he often wasted their
time in class.
Complex sentence
A complex sentence has an independent
clause with one or more dependent
clauses (independent clauses are in italics).
Note that introductory dependent clauses
must be followed by commas:
• Since we got to the concert late, we had to
make our way to our seats in the dark.
• We left class early so that we could attend
a special lecture.
Complex sentences should be
punctuated in one of two ways:
 INDEPENDENT CLAUSE dependent clause (no
comma)
We left class early so that we could attend a
special lecture.
Dependent clause, INDEPENDENT CLAUSE (comma)
So that we could attend a special lecture, we
left class early.
Compare these sentences
• John was tired, but he finished his
homework.
• Although John was tired, he finished his
homework.
• Identify which sentence is compound and
which is complex……..