Unit Five
Table of Contents
Unit 1: Parts of Speech
 Unit 2: Phrases, Clauses, and Sentence
Structure
 Unit 3: Simple & Progressive Verbs
 Unit 4: Perfect & Passive Verbs
 Unit 5: Complex Sentences
 Unit 6: Overview of City ESOL Program

Complex Sentences
A complex sentence consists of a dependent
clause and an independent clause.

Although Beto works full-time, he still finds time to study.
DEPENDENT CLAUSE

INDEPENDENT CLAUSE
I want to go home because I do not feel well.
INDEPENDENT CLAUSE
DEPENDENT CLAUSE
Dependent Clauses

There are three types of dependent
clauses:



Adverb Clauses
Relative (or Adjective) Clauses
Noun Clauses
We learned about coordinating conjunctions in Unit
2. Coordinating conjunctions join two independent
clauses, remember?
Subordinating conjunctions, relative pronouns, and
connecting words for noun clauses make a clause
dependent. A dependent clause cannot live on its
own (just like a baby).
It must be attached to an independent clause.
Adverb Clauses
Adverb clauses show a relationship such
as contrast, time, reason, and result.
 They begin with subordinating
conjunctions such as:



although, when, because, while, since, before,
after
Example:

Disco Jr. is beautiful although he is missing his
two front teeth.
ESOL students often times
Relative Clauses
Relative Clauses (also called Adjective
Clauses) are used to give more
information about a noun.
 They often begin with a relative pronoun
such as:


that, who, whose, which, whom
Subject vs. Object
Consider the following sentence:
 Disco Jr. is a dog who enjoys a day at the
beach.
 What is the relative clause? What is the
noun that it is identifying? What is the
subject of the relative clause?
 Coronado is the beach that Disco Jr.
prefers.
What is the relative clause? What is the
noun that it is identifying? What is the
subject of the relative clause?

Restrictive vs. Nonrestrictive
Consider the following sentence:
Tutors who work at City College are great!
What is the relative clause? What is the
noun that it is identifying?
 There are two types of relative clauses:
restrictive and non-restrictive. Restrictive
relative clauses give information that is
needed to identify the noun. Tutors is the
noun that is being modified. Think of all of
the tutors in the world. We need the

Now consider this sentence:
 Disco Jr., who generally enjoys a day at
the beach, does not like to be buried in
the sand.
 What is the relative clause? What is the
noun that it is identifying? Do you need
“who generally enjoys a day at the beach”
to know who Disco Jr. is? The answer is
no. That relative clause is extra
information. Therefore, it is surrounded by
commas. So relative clauses that contain

Complete Sentences: Practice
Correct or Incorrect? Subject and Verb?
Many students have struggled when
making the transition from high school to
college or university.
 Being organized essential to success in
college.
is
 Another key to college success is to keep
yourself motivated.
 Setting goals can help you stay motivated,
the most effective goals are specific and
well-defined.

T
.
12
Seven Common Problems with Sentence
Structure
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
A parallel structure has not been used when
needed.
The subject of a sentence or clause is missing.
The subject has been unnecessarily repeated
(two subjects).
A sentence boundary problem has occurred –
either a fragment or a run-on sentence.
The verb to be is missing.
Words in a sentence are missing.
Two clauses or a clause and a phrase have been
used that do not fit together grammatically.
Sentence Boundaries


What is a clause?
What do these words mean?



Independent
Dependent
Independent clause = simple sentence
Subject
Verb phrase
Noun phrase
The cat slept quietly.

Dependent clause = needs an independent clause
Compound/Complex
Sentences
A compound complex sentence is… complex and
compound simultaneously. It consists of a
compound sentence (two or more independent
clauses) and one or more dependent clauses.
This sentence structure is not likely to be taught at
even the higher ESOL levels. Students should
focus on mastering compound and complex
sentences individually before attempting to
combine them.