Sentence Structure:
Sentence Types
A Sentence...
• MUST have a subject and a verb (predicate)
• MUST have a complete thought
Also...
• Begins with a capital letter
• Ends with punctuation
Sentence Types
• Simple
• Compound
• Complex
• Compound-Complex
Basic Elements of Every Sentence
SUBJECT
PREDICATE
Basic Elements
SUBJECT
PREDICATE
Mary
plays tennis.
Simple Sentence
Types of Sentence Structure
Simple sentence = ONE independent clause
May have a compound subject or compound verb, but still only
one main clause and no dependent clauses; may have phrases
included, but still only one independent, main clause
Examples:
Brian ran down the field.
(1 subject and 1 verb)
Hope and Kelsie talked and laughed all night.
(compound subject and compound verb)
SIMPLE SENTENCE
SUBJECT
PREDICATE
Mary
plays tennis.
one subject
one predicate
Simple Sentence
Tom and Mary
Compound Subject
&
play tennis.
Simple Sentence
Tom and Mary
Compound Subject
&
play tennis and swim.
Compound Predicate
&
SIMPLE SENTENCE
with compound subject
Tom and Mary play tennis.
SIMPLE SENTENCE
with compound subject
and
compound predicate
Tom and Mary play tennis and
swim.
Compound Sentence
Types of Sentence Structure
Compound Sentence - = A compound sentence has 2 or
more parts that can stand alone (independent clauses)
Can be joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction
(FANBOYS), CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS or by a semicolon
Examples:
Hannah likes to read, but she likes to watch movies, too.
Hunter wants to play baseball, or he might go out for golf, but
he will always play football.
Ryan plays the trumpet well; he practices every day of the week.
Compound Sentence
Use of Coordinating Conjunctions
SUBJECT
SUBJECT
PREDICATE
PREDICATE
Compound Sentence
Tom
swims,
and
Mary
plays tennis.
COMPOUND SENTENCE:
COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
FOR
AND
NOR
BUT
OR
YET
SO
COMPOUND SENTENCE:
COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
Tom swims, and Mary plays tennis.
Clause 1
Independent
Clause 2
Independent
COMPOUND SENTENCE:
COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
Tom swims, and Mary plays tennis.
Comma before “and”
in compound
sentences!
COMPOUND SENTENCE:
CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS
MOREOVER
HOWEVER
OTHERWISE
THEREFORE
COMPOUND SENTENCE:
CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS
Bob is handsome; moreover, he is rich.
Clause 1
Clause 2
Independent
Independent
COMPOUND SENTENCE:
CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS
Bob is handsome; moreover, he is rich.
Note: Semicolon
before conjunctive
adverb and comma
after conjunctive adverb!
Conjunctive Adverbs “float”
• Conjunctive adverbs are sometimes
called “floating” adverbs because they
can be positioned at the beginning, in
the middle, or at the end of a clause.
CONJUNCTIVE ADVERB:
AT THE BEGINNING, IN THE MIDDLE,AT THE END
Bob is handsome; moreover, he is rich.
Bob is handsome; he is, moreover, rich.
Bob is handsome; he is rich, moreover.
COMPOUND SENTENCE:
SEMICOLON
Tom has benefited from his exercise
program; he is slim and energetic.
Complex Sentence
Complex Sentence = 1 independent clause
and 1 or more dependent clauses
• A complex sentence has at least two parts:
one that can stand alone and another one
that cannot
• The part that cannot stand alone is linked
to the rest of the sentence by a
subordinating conjunction
Complex Sentence
• Examples:
• When it started to snow, the children all
cheered.
• I will grade all of the tests after I finish my
lunch.
• Before he started playing in the band, Josh
wondered what he would do with all of his
spare time.
Complex Sentence
SUBJECT
PREDICATE
even though
SUBJECT
PREDICATE
Complex Sentence
Bob
is popular
even though
he
is ugly.
COMPLEX SENTENCE:
SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
The most common subordinating
conjunctions are "after," "although,"
"as," "because," "before," "how,"
"if," "once," "since," "than,"
"that," though," "till," "until,"
"when," "where," "whether,” and
while."
COMPLEX SENTENCE:
SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
Bob is popular even though he is ugly.
Clause 1
Independent
Clause 2
Dependent
COMPLEX SENTENCE:
SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
Even though Bob is ugly, he is popular.
Clause 1
Clause 2
Dependent
Independent
Compound-Complex
Sentence
Compound-Complex Sentences = at least
2 independent clauses (compound) and at
least 1 dependent clause (complex)
Examples:
• When I realized I was wrong, I apologized,
but I still felt bad about it.
• Katie wanted a new puppy, and she asked
her mom after she had cleaned her room
thoroughly.
Compound-Complex Sentence
• This type of sentence has more than one
part that can stand alone, and at least one
that cannot.
• Conjunctions link the different parts of this
sentence.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Mike
is popular
because
he
is good looking,
but
he
is not very happy.
The Four Sentence
Structures
SENTENCE
STRUCTURE
INDEPENDENT
CLAUSES
DEPENDENT
CLAUSES
Simple
1
0
Compound
2 or more
0
Complex
1
1 or more
Compound-Complex
2 or more
1 or more
The End