Transcript Vocabulary Syntax PowerPoint

AP English III Sentence
Structures
Reference:
The Art of Styling Sentences, 4thed. By Ann Longknife and K.D.
Sullivan
Symbols
S – subject
V – verb
DO – direct object
SC – subject complement
ID – independent clause
DP – dependent clause
Week 1- Compound Sentence:
Semicolon, No Conjunction
Compound Sentence – join two simple
sentences ( S V) with closely related ideas
S
V ;S
V
 Use this structure to combine sentences
where you have discussed similar ideas into
a single, more powerful sentence.
 Examples:

– Gloria, try on these jeans; they seem to be your
size.
– Some people dream of being something; others
stay awake and are.
– Reading is the easy part; remembering takes
more effort.
Week 2 – Compound Sentence: Two Semicolons
to Connect Three Complete Sentences




Compound Sentence – join two or more simple
sentences ( S V) with closely related ideas
S
V ;S
V ;S
V.
Use this when you have three sentences with
connecting ideas to create one, more cohesive
sentence.
Examples:
– John got an A; Jennie also got an A; unfortunately George
got a C.
– Carmen likes to cook; Janice would rather watch TV; I like to
eat Carmen’s cooking and watch TV with Janice.
– Dad is a skinflint; when I ask him for a loan, he doesn’t
listen; Mom isn’t any help either.
Week 3 and 4 – Compound Sentence
with Elliptical Construction




Elliptical construction is when we leave out the
verb in the second clause because (and only if) it
is the same as in the first clause.
S V DO or SC ; S , DO or SC .
Use this structure if you don’t want to repeat the
same verb in the second or third clause.
Examples:
– For many of us the new math teacher was a savior; for
others, a pain.
– His mother told him to rent a car; his sister, to pack the
suitcases.
– The mother and son each had a goal; hers was
educational; his, recreational.
Week 5 – Compound Sentence
with Explanatory Statement




While the structure is similar to the previous compound
sentences, the content is very different, as the colon implies.
The colon performs a special function: It signals to the reader
that something important or explanatory will follow. The second
clause will further explain or expand the idea of the first clause.
General Statement (idea) : Specific Statement (example)
(an independent clause)
(an independent clause)
Use this structure when you want the second part of a
sentence to explain the first part, give an example, or provide
an answer to an implied question.
Examples:
– Darwin’s The Origin of Species forcibly states a harsh truth: Only
the fittest survive.
– The empty coffin in the center of the crypt had a single horrifying
meaning: Dracula had left his tomb to stalk the village streets in
search of fresh blood.
– Remember Yogi Berra’s advice: It ain’t over till it’s over.
Week 7 – A Series without a
Conjunction




A series is a group of three or more similar items that go in the
same slot of a sentence. Series must be similar in form (for
example, all nouns or all verbs) because they have the same
grammatical function. The series can be in any part of the
sentence.
A, B, C (in any part of the sentence).
Use this structure to give more information and place emphasis
on the series. To create equal emphasis on each part of the
series and to create interest with a staccato sound, do not use
a conjunction between the last two of the series.
Examples:
– The United States has a government of the people, by the people,
for the people.
– The teacher handled the situation with patience, wisdom, humor.
– It took courage, skill, knowledge- and he had them all.
– Their friendship has endured, in spite of arguments, boyfriends,
distance.
Week 8 – A Series with a Variation
The variation is using a repeated conjunction
between each part of the series.
 A or B or C. (in any place in the sentence)
A and B and C. (in any place in the sentence)
 Use this structure when you want a tumbling
effect throughout the series.
 Examples:

– Looking down from the Empire State Building,
Jeannine felt thrilled and amazed- and scared.
– Even though he is smart, I have never seen Keith
arrogant or annoyed or impatient.
– Many ice hockey games lead to broken ribs or
sprained knees or dislocated shoulders- or worse.
Week 9 – A Series of Balanced
Pairs



This is a series of pairs, two or three or four, with a
conjunction between the items in each pair. This
creates a rhythm, which you need to listen to. Do
the paired words sound right together, is there a
progression that is ordered, are the items balanced?
A and B , C and D , E and F (anywhere in the
sentence). *Remember, you can use other
conjunctions other than and and or.
Examples:
– Great artists often seem to occur in pairs: Michelangelo and
da Vinci, Gaugin and van Gogh, Monet and Cezanne.
– The textbook clearly showed the distinctions between prose
and poetry, denotation and connotation, deduction and
induction.
– Eager yet fearful, confident but somewhat suspicious, Jason
eyed the barber who would give him his first haircut.
Week 10 – An Introductory Series
of Appositives




An appositive is simply another name for a noun used somewhere else
in the sentence. In this structure, the appositives will occur in a series
at the beginning of the sentence.
Appositive, appositive, appositive – summary word
S V.
*The summary word may be one of these: such, all, those, this, many,
each, which, what, these, something, something… sometimes it is the
subject, sometimes a modifier for the subject.
Use this structure when you want a stylized sentence that will squeeze
a lot of information in one slot of space.
Examples:
– The depressed, the stressed, the lonely, the fearful- all have trouble dealing
with problems.
– Gluttony, lust, envy- which is the worst sin?
– Hawaiians, Filipinos, Japanese, Chinese- these ethnic groups make up much
of Hawaii’s diverse population.
– Bull riding, camel racing, bronc riding, and roping- these events mean
“rodeo” to many people; they mean money to the cowboys.
Week 11 – An Internal Series of
Appositives or Modifiers




You can have a series of appositives anywhere in the sentences.
They may come between the subject and verb, between two
subjects, and so on.
S
- or ( appositive, appositive, appositive ) or – V .
*The appositives can be replaced by modifiers.
Because this series is a dramatic interruption to the sentence, it
must have dashes before and after it. If the appositives relay less
important information, you may choose to have parentheses
enclosing the appositives.
Examples:
– He learned the necessary qualities of political life- guile, ruthlessness,
and garrulity- by carefully studying his father’s life.
– On our trip to Italy, the major sights- the Vatican in Rome, the Duomo
in Florence, the tower in Pisa- didn’t impress us as much as the food
and kindness of the people.
– Many of the books kids enjoy reading (Animal Farm, Catcher in the
Rye, Harry Potter novels) take them into another world.
– The basic writing skills (good vocabulary, knowledge of grammar,
sense of style) can be learned by almost everyone.
Week 13 – A Variation: A Single
Appositive or a Pair



Instead of the series from last week, only use
one or a pair of appositives.
S - or ( or , appositive - or ) or , V .
Your choice of punctuation around the
appositve(s) can produce one of three effects:
– Dashes make the appositive dramatic
– Parentheses make the appositive whisper
– Commas make the appositive blend

Examples:
– The sudden burst of light- a camera flash- startled me.
– Many people (especially ecologists) say that we need to
do something about global warming.
– My latest desire, to go to Europe this summer, will have
to wait until I get more money.
Week 14 and 15 – Dependent
Clauses in a Pair or in a Series



A dependent clause is what it sounds like. It depends on the main
clause to continue its idea. In a pair or series of dependent clauses, the
clauses must be parallel in structure and they must express conditions
or situations or provisions that are dependent upon the idea expressed
in the main clause. These clauses can come at the beginning or end of
a sentence.
If DC , if DC , if DC , then S
V .
When
DC , when DC , when DC , S
V .
S
V that
DC , that
DC , that DC .
* Remember, you can have just a pair, if you like.
Use this structure rarely. It is helpful
– at the end of a single paragraph to summarize main points;
– in structuring a thesis statement having three or more parts;
– in the introductory or concluding paragraph to bring together the main
points of a composition in single sentence.

Examples:
– If he had the money, if he had the time, if he had a companion, he would
take that trip around the world.
– I know that she was right, that her reasons were convincing and that I’d be
better off if I did it, but I still didn’t want to move to Canada.
– She had to refuse the vacation package when she had no time, when she
had no money, when she had no one to watch her children.
Week 16 – Repetition of a Key
Term




When a key term is important enough to be repeated, it can come
anywhere in the sentence, but usually at the end. You may repeat the
word exactly as it is, or you may use another form: brute may
become brutal; breathe may become breathtaking; battle may
become battling.
S
V key term - or , repeated key term.
*Using a dash suggests a longer pause or break in thought than the
comma
When using this structure, make sure that the repeated term is not a
complete sentence and that it is a word worth repeating.
Examples:
– We live in an uncertain world- the inner world, the world of the mind.
– We all have problems but we can find a solution, a solution that works, a
solution that is equitable.
– The warning in the Tarot cards- an ominous warning about the dangers of
air flight- could not deter Marsha from volunteering for the first Mars shot.
Week 17 – A Variation: Same Word
Repeated in Parallel Structure


S
V
repeated key word in same position of the sentence .
This repetition can occur in many different forms:
– Repeat an effective adjective or adverb in phrases or clauses with
parallel construction:

She has an incredibly satisfying life, satisfying because of her career
and satisfying because of her family.
– Repeat the same preposition in a series:

He has known her for many years, before she went to college, before
she was a star, before she won the Oscar.
– Repeat the same noun as object of different prepositions:

This government is of the people, by the people, for the people.
– Repeat the same modifying word in phrases that begin with
different prepositions:

Sydney devoted his life to those selfish people, for their selfish cause,
but clearly with his own selfish motives dominating his every action.
– Repeat the same intensifiers:

The baseball game was very exciting, very enjoyable, but very long.
– Repeat the same verb or alternate forms of the same word:

In order to survive in war, a person needs training, a person needs
courage, and, most of all, a person needs luck.