WEEK 2 - AUGUST 16 - 20, 2021
THE ENGLISH SENTENCE
Advenced Grammar group 04
The sentence
Classification
Traditionally English sentences are classified
by their structure and purpose.
Based on their purpose we distinguish the
following four types of the sentences:
declarative sentence (statement),
interrogative sentence (question), imperative
sentence (command) and exclamative
sentence (exclamation).
A declarative sentence is a sentence that
makes a statement by stating a fact or
declaring something. All declarative
sentences have an end with a period (.).
For example:
Jay sharpened his pencils.
Raj shut the door.
Sophia likes the color yellow.
An imperative sentence is a sentence that
makes a request or gives a command of
some sort. Imperative sentences can end
with either a period (.) or an exclamation
mark (!) depending on the tone of the
sentence. The subject of an imperative
sentence is always you. Even if the word "you"
doesn't appear in the sentence, it is always
applied. Therefore, "you" is considered to be
an understood subject.
For example:
Please hand me the keys. [request]
Stop yelling! [strong command]
Call your mother. [mild command]
An interrogative sentence is a sentence that
asks a question. Interrogative sentences are
used to inquire about something to get more
information. It is easy to recognize an
interrogative sentence. Every interrogative
sentence ends with a question mark (?).
For example:
Would you like to go to the movies?
What is your name?
How much is the necklace?
An exclamatory sentence or exclamation
sentence, is a sentence that expresses
strong emotions such as excitement or
shock. One way to recognize an
exclamatory sentence is that it always
ends with an exclamation mark (!) that
doesn't give a command.
For example:
What a delicious sandwich!
That was scary!
It is really cold!
A sentence can consist of a single clause
or several clauses. When a sentence is a
single clause, it is called a simple
sentence (and the clause is called an
independent clause). A sentence must
contain at least one independent clause.
According to their structure all the variety
of English sentences can be divided into
four types:
A simple sentence is a sentence that has
one independent clause and no
subordinate clauses. An independent
clause, also known as the main clause, is,
in essence, a simple sentence. It explains
who or what the sentence is about
(subject), what is happening (predicate)
and conveys a complete thought
(complete sentence). A subordinate
clause, also known as a dependent clause,
is a group of words that cannot stand
alone because it is not a complete
thought.
For example:
Tom taught Jim how to play the piano.
A panther is a beautiful animal.
He organized his sources by theme.
They studied APA rules for many hours.
A compound sentence is a sentence that
has more than one independent clause
but no subordinate clauses. The
independent clauses of a compound
sentence may be joined together by using
a comma and a coordinating conjunction
(and, or, but, nor, yet, or so). Independent
clauses can also be joined together by a
semicolon, or by a semicolon and a
transitional expression or a conjunctive
adverb.
For example:
Leonard had a terrible car accident,
but he will be fine. [two independent
clauses joined by a comma and a
coordinating conjunction]
Jenny Calloway was an amazing
journalist; she interviewed hundreds of
influential people during her career.
[two independent clauses joined by a
semicolon]
I am going to the library; furthermore, I
plan to look for books on
homeschooling. [two independent
clauses joined by a semicolon and a
conjunctive adverb]
He organized his sources by theme;
then, he updated his reference list.
They studied APA rules for many hours,
but they realized there was still much
to learn.
Sometimes people confuse a simple
sentence that has a compound subject or
a compound predicate as a compound
sentence.
Examples:
Ian and Jake washed the car. [simple
sentence with a compound subject]
Fatima painted her nails and talked on
the phone. [simple sentence with a
compound predicate]
Maria swept the porch and Bobby
raked leaves. [compound sentence]
A complex sentence is a sentence with
only one independent clause and at least
one subordinate clause. Typically a
subordinated clause starts off with a
subordinate conjunction such as: after,
although, because, before, if, since, when,
whenever, wherever, or while just to name
a few. If a subordinate clause introduces
the independent clause, a comma is used
between them. If the independent clause
comes before the subordinate clause the
no comma is necessary.
For example:
Because it was Black Friday, it was
crowded at the store. [subordinate
clause introduces the independent
clause]
It was crowded at the store because it
was Black Friday. [independent clause
comes before the subordinate clause]
Because he organized his sources by
theme, it was easier for his readers to
follow. Note the comma in this
sentence because it begins with a
dependent clause.
They studied APA rules for many hours
as they were so interesting. Note that
there is no comma in this sentence
because it begins with an
independent clause.
A compound-complex sentences are
sentences with more than one
independent clause and at least one
subordinate clause. The subordinate
clause is usually separated from the
independent clauses with commas.
For example:
l though I like to go jogging, I haven't
found the time to go, and I haven't
been in the mood for jogging.
[Although I like to go jogging... is a
subordinate clause. I haven't found
the time to go and I haven't been in
the mood for jogging are both
independent clauses.]
We thought the game was boring, but
our children, who love baseball, didn't
want to leave. [We thought the game
was boring and (but) our children
didn't want to leave are both
independent clauses. Who love
baseball is the subordinate clause.]
Although he organized his sources by
theme, he decided to arrange them
chronologically, and he carefully
followed the MEAL plan for
organization.
With pizza and soda at hand, they
studied APA rules for many hours, and
they decided that writing in APA made
sense because it was clear, concise,
and objective.
Pay close attention to comma usage in
complex-compound sentences so that the
reader is easily able to follow the
intended meaning.