Sentences
Sentences are groups of words that express a complete thought.
Example: Jen loves skiing. There are 4 types of sentences! DECLARATIVE Sentence: makes a statement and is followed by a period. EG. It is warm today. INTERROGATIVE Sentence: asks a question and is followed by a question mark. EG. Why is the bus late today? IMPERATIVE Sentence: makes a command or request and is followed by a period. EG. Close the door. EXCLAMATORY Sentence: expresses a strong or sudden feeling and is followed by an exclamation mark. EG. I am innocent! |
|
|
Sentence Subjects and Predicates
Every sentence has a subject (noun) - or what/who the sentence is about and a predicate (verb) - what the action is in the sentence.
For example: In the sentence "Jen slowly drove her car up the steep hill.", the subject would be "Jen" and the predicate would be "slowly drove her car up the steep hill."
Sentences can be broken down into their complete subject and predicates, as demonstrated above, or they could be broken down into their SIMPLE SUBJECT and SIMPLE PREDICATE.
With respect to the example given above, the simple subject would be "Jen" and the simple predicate would be "drove".
In the sentence "Jen slowly drove her car up the steep hill." - it is considered to be in NATURAL ORDER because the subject comes before the predicate. A sentence with the predicate before the subject would be considered an INVERTED ORDERED sentence. "Driving slowly up the steep hill, Jen went."
Sentences can also have COMPOUND SUBJECTS AND PREDICATES, meaning they could have two or more subjects and two or more predicates.
Here is an example:
Compound subject - Jen and Lauren went to the store. "Jen and Lauren" is the compound subject as there are two nouns that the sentence is about.
Compound predicate - Jen decided to go skiing and snowboarding in the mountainous slopes of Jasper. "skiing and snowboarding" become the compound predicate because the subject did both those actions.
For example: In the sentence "Jen slowly drove her car up the steep hill.", the subject would be "Jen" and the predicate would be "slowly drove her car up the steep hill."
Sentences can be broken down into their complete subject and predicates, as demonstrated above, or they could be broken down into their SIMPLE SUBJECT and SIMPLE PREDICATE.
With respect to the example given above, the simple subject would be "Jen" and the simple predicate would be "drove".
In the sentence "Jen slowly drove her car up the steep hill." - it is considered to be in NATURAL ORDER because the subject comes before the predicate. A sentence with the predicate before the subject would be considered an INVERTED ORDERED sentence. "Driving slowly up the steep hill, Jen went."
Sentences can also have COMPOUND SUBJECTS AND PREDICATES, meaning they could have two or more subjects and two or more predicates.
Here is an example:
Compound subject - Jen and Lauren went to the store. "Jen and Lauren" is the compound subject as there are two nouns that the sentence is about.
Compound predicate - Jen decided to go skiing and snowboarding in the mountainous slopes of Jasper. "skiing and snowboarding" become the compound predicate because the subject did both those actions.
Combining Sentences - Compound Sentences
When we combine 2 complete thoughts together, we create a compound sentence.
To combine the sentences together there are 2 things we need: 1. A CONJUNCTION word (connector word) Conjunction words can be remembered using the acronym FANBOYS. 2. A comma before our connector word. We can also combine 2 complete thoughts (sentences) using a semi-colon. The semi-colon (;) is used between two closely related independent clauses Example: The music was loud;I turned down the volume. |
Independent and Subordinate Clauses
A clause is a group of words that contain a subject and a predicate - essentially, a clause is a sentence. There are two kinds of clauses:
Independent clauses: can stand alone as a sentence because it is a complete thought.
Example: The students came in.
Subordinate clauses: has a subject and a predicate but CANNOT stand alone as a sentence because it does not express a complete thought. A subordinate clause MUST be combined with an independent clause to make a complete sentence.
Example: The video game that I bought was on sale.
Independent clauses: can stand alone as a sentence because it is a complete thought.
Example: The students came in.
Subordinate clauses: has a subject and a predicate but CANNOT stand alone as a sentence because it does not express a complete thought. A subordinate clause MUST be combined with an independent clause to make a complete sentence.
Example: The video game that I bought was on sale.
Both Clauses - Complex Sentences
A complex sentence contains one independent clause and one or more subordinate clause.
Example: Lauren played her first video game that I bought her yesterday.
Example: Lauren played her first video game that I bought her yesterday.
Correcting Run-on Sentences
Two or more independent clauses that a re run together without the correct punctuation are called run-on sentences.
To correct run-on's there are three ways to correct it:
To correct run-on's there are three ways to correct it:
- Separate the run-on into two sentences using end-punctuation (period, exclamation mark, etc).
- Make it a compound sentence by adding a comma and a conjunction word (see above - COMPOUND SENTENCES).
- Use a semi-colon.