Grammar 2 The Second Semester Kinds of Sentences Presented by Dr. Mohamed Sha’at

Objectives of the Session Students are expected to: 1- remember the different types of clauses. 2- name the different kinds of English sentences. 3- exemplify the various kinds of English sentences.

What is a sentence? A sentence is a group of words which are organized in a correct grammatical order and used to communicate thoughts or ideas. Every sentence is formed from one or more clauses and begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, an exclamation mark or a question mark. What are the different types of English sentences? There are four basic English sentences namely: (1) simple sentence, (2) compound sentence, (3) complex sentence, and (4) compound-complex sentence. The kind of sentence is determined by the number and types of clauses it contains.

Simple Sentence A simple sentence conveys a single idea. It has only subject and one verb. It includes one independent clause. Consider the following examples: 1- Soha is my girlfriend. 2- Freshwater boils at 100 degrees Celsius. 3- Tom reads newspapers. { S. + V. + Od } 4- Tom reads novels and newspapers. (Compound direct object) 5- Tom reads and enjoys novels. (Compound verb) 6- Tom and Harry read novel. (Compound subject) 7- Tom and Harry read and enjoy novels and newspapers. (Compound subject, verb, direct object) All of the of the above examples are simple sentences because they only have one clause.

Activity (1) 1. Write two simple sentences which include one subject and one verb. 2. Write two simple sentences which include one subject and compound verb. 3. Write two simple sentences which include compound subject and one verb. 4. Write two simple sentences which include compound subject, verb and direct object.

Compound Sentence A compound sentence is composed of at least two independent clauses joined together by: a- one of the coordinators, FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So). b- a conjunction adverb e.g. however, therefore or c- a semi-colon alone. Consider the following example. 2- Tom reads novel, but Jack read comics. 3- Tom reads novel; however, Jack reads comic. 4- Tom reads novel; his friend reads comic.

The following are other examples of compound sentences. 1- Salt water boils at a higher temperature than freshwater, so food cooks faster in salt water. 2- Salt water boils at a higher temperature than freshwater; therefore, food cooks faster in salt water. 3- Salt water boils at a higher temperature than freshwater; food cooks faster in salt water. (Punctuation: There is a comma after the first independent clause.) Activity (2) Write three examples of a compound sentence.

Complex Sentence A complex sentence has one independent clause, the main clause, and at least one dependent clause, the subordinate clause. These clauses are joined by subordinating conjunctions e.g. while, if, even if, as, because, unless, etc. Consider the following examples. 1- Although Tom reads novels, Jack reads comics. 2- Jack Smith, who reads comics, rarely reads novels. 3- People who read comic rarely read novels. 4- As she is a big bully, I stay away from her. Activity (3) Write three examples of a complex sentence.

Compound-complex Sentence A compound-complex sentence has at least two independent clauses and one dependent clause.

Activity (4) Write three examples of a compound-complex sentence.

Polling How can you grade this meeting? A = excellent, B = very good, C = good or D = fair.

Dr. Mohammed Sha’at