The Basics of
Sentence Structure
3/14/2016
1
What is a sentence?
• In linguistics, a sentence is a unit of
language, characterized in most
languages by the presence of a finite
verb. For example, “The quick brown
fox jumps over a lazy dog.”
• Traditionally, each sentence is
regarded as having a subject, an
object and a verb, even if one of
these is implied.
• In academic writing, you need at
least a subject and a verb in order to
have a complete sentence.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentence_(grammar)
3/14/2016
2
What is a clause?
• No, a clause is not the same thing as
Santa Claus!
• A clause is a group of words consisting
of a subject and a finite form of a
verb.
• Very often, a sentence and a clause
are the same thing. This is not always
the case, so lets learn about two
different types of clauses.
3/14/2016
3
Independent Clause
An independent clause is a group of
words that contains a subject and a verb
and expresses a complete thought. An
independent clause is a complete
sentence.
I like English very much.
S V
My name is Ms. McLaughlin-Rojas.
S
V
Source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_clause.html
3/14/2016
4
Dependent Clause
A dependent clause is a group of words that
contains a subject and verb but does not express a
complete thought.
A dependent clause cannot be a sentence. Often a
dependent clause is marked by a dependent clause
marker (also known as a subordinating conjunction).
Because I
DCM
S
like English very much, …
V
Because I like English very much, I study it every day.
DC
IC
(Now that I have added an independent clause to the
dependent clause, the sentence is complete.)
3/14/2016
5
Dependent Clause Markers
(Subordinating Conjunctions)
Here is a list of some common dependent clause
markers (subordinating conjunctions):
after, although, as, as if,
because, before, even if,
even though, if, if only, rather
than, since, that, though,
unless, until, when, where,
whereas, wherever, whether,
which, while
You’ll learn more about how to use these words in
a future lesson.
3/14/2016
6
Sentence Types
To achieve sentence variety and
avoid monotony in writing, four
sentence types or formats can be
used:
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-Complex
3/14/2016
7
3/14/2016
8
Simple Sentences
• A simple sentence consists of only
one independent clause:
I
S
went
V
to class.
• Notice that this simple sentence
(or independent clause) has both
a subject and a verb. To be a
sentence or clause, it must
have a subject and a verb.
3/14/2016
9
3/14/2016
10
Compound Sentences
• A compound sentence consists of two
independent clauses joined in one of the
two following ways:
1. I went to class yesterday, and I took a test.
(The two parts of this sentence are joined with a coordinating
conjunction and a comma.)
2. I went to class; I took a test.
(The two parts of this sentence are joined with a semicolon.)
• Sometimes using a simple sentence is a
great way to communicate an idea in a
clear and direct way. However, you might
choose to use a compound sentence using a
connector word like “and” instead. Why?
3/14/2016
11
3/14/2016
12
Coordinating Conjunctions
Here are some coordinating conjunctions
that will be useful for building compound
sentences:
• For
• And
• Nor
• But
• Or
• Yet
• So
Remember the acronym “FANBOYS.” It
will help you remember all the
coordinating conjunctions.
3/14/2016
13
3/14/2016
14
Complex Sentences
•
A complex sentence has one independent clause and
at least one dependent clause (the order can change).
1. Because I like English very much, I study it every day.
DC
IC
2. I study English every day because I like it very much.
IC
DC
3/14/2016
•
In the first example above, notice that the dependent
clause comes first, followed by a comma and the
independent clause.
•
In the second example, notice that the independent
clause comes first, followed by the dependent clause.
No comma is necessary when the independent clause
comes first in the sentence.
•
Why use a complex sentence? It shows that one piece
of information depends on another piece of
information. You can express your ideas in a more
complex way.
15
3/14/2016
16
Compound-Complex Sentences
• These sentences are often the longest,
consisting of at least two independent
clauses and at least one dependent clause:
Because I went to class, I passed the midterm
DC
IC
exam, but absent students weren’t so lucky.
IC
• Do you notice that the first part of the
sentence is a dependent clause marked by
the dependent marker word (or
subordinating conjunction) “because”? The
second part is an independent clause, and
the third part is another independent clause
joined to the rest of the sentence with the
coordinating conjunction “but.”
3/14/2016
17
Classwork
Write an example of
each type of
sentence that you
learned about in this
presentation. If you
need help, just ask.
3/14/2016
18
3/14/2016
19
Some Definitions
•
•
•
Clause - A clause is a part of a sentence that contains a
Subject and a Verb. A clause can be independent or
dependent.
Coordinating Conjunction - A coordinating conjunction
connect words, phrases or clauses that are of equal
importance or have the same grammatical structure within a
sentence
http://grammar.uoregon.edu/conjunctions/coordinating.html
Dependent Clause - A dependent clause is a group of words
that contains a subject and verb but does not express a
complete thought. A dependent clause cannot be a sentence.
Often a dependent clause is marked by a dependent marker
word.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_clause.html

Dependent Marker Word (Subordinating Conjunction) –
A dependent marker word is a word added to the beginning of
an independent clause that makes it into a dependent clause.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_clause.html
•
•
•
3/14/2016
Finite verb - The finite forms of a verb are the forms where the
verb shows tense, person or singular plural. Non-finite verb forms
have no person, tense or number.
– I go, she goes, he went - These verb forms are finite.
– To go, going - These verb forms are non-finite or infinitive.
http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary/finite-verb.html
Independent Clause - a group of words that contains a subject
and verb and expresses a complete thought. An independent
clause is a sentence.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_clause.html
Monotony – sameness, lack of variety
20
3/14/2016
21
Improving Your Sentence Structure
3/14/2016
22
Why is it important to study
sentence structure?
Although even native speakers of English
instinctively know how to speak
grammatically, as writers even they can
make errors if they don’t fully understand
how the parts of a sentence work together.
For writers, another important issue is
knowing how we can manipulate or play
with these sentence elements to make
our writing more lively. Varying our
sentence structure can make our writing
more rhythmic or emphasize certain
information.
3/14/2016
23
3/14/2016
24
Sentence Fragments
A sentence fragment is an incomplete
sentence. It is missing either a subject or
a verb, or both. Can you see sentence
fragments in the following examples?
What corrections would you make?

I am very busy on the weekends. Studying very hard for my
exams and practicing tennis. It isn’t easy being a student.
Studying very hard for my exams and practicing tennis.
Who is studying very hard? The subject is missing in this
sentence.

I went shopping this weekend to get ready for the new
semester. I bought a lot of things. Clothes, dishes for the
kitchen and books for my classes. It was more expensive
than I thought it was going to be!
Clothes, dishes for the kitchen and books for my classes.
Where is the verb in this sentence?
3/14/2016
25
Correcting sentence fragments
Let’s take a look at the examples from the
previous slide and some example corrections.
 I am very busy on the weekends. I am studying
very hard for my exams and practicing tennis. It
isn’t easy being a student.
 I went shopping this weekend to get ready for
the new semester. I bought a lot of clothes,
dishes for the kitchen and books for my classes.
It was more expensive than I thought it was
going to be!
Notice that there is now a subject and verb in the
highlighted sentences above. Remember that in
formal academic writing, complete sentences must
have subjects and verbs.
3/14/2016
26
3/14/2016
27
Correcting Comma Splices
There are three ways to correct a comma splice:
We had a nice time, I hope we can meet again soon.
S
V
S V
• Insert a coordinating or subordinating
conjunction between the two independent
clauses.
We had a nice time, and I hope we can meet again soon.
We had a nice time because you were there.
• Start a new sentence.
We had a nice time. I hope we can meet again soon.
• Insert a semi-colon between the two
independent clauses (only in cases where the
independent clauses are closely related topics).
We had a nice time; I hope we can meet again soon.
3/14/2016
28
3/14/2016
29
Parallel Sentence Structure
The parts of a sentence that are in sequence need to have
the same grammatical structure. This gives the sentence a
sense of balance and shows that the ideas in the sentence
have the same level of importance. We usually join these
parallel structures with coordinating conjunctions like “and” or
“or.”
Look at the color-coded structures in the sentences below. Do
the sentences have parallel structure? Do they feel
balanced?
I like to play soccer, studying English and going to parties.
This report summarizes the processes involved, the problems
encountered, and how they were solved.
3/14/2016
30