Sentence Types Sentences, clauses and phrases

Clause vs. Phrase  A clause is a group of related words containing a subject and a predicate.  A predicate contains a verb.  A phrase is a group of words that lacks a subject or a predicate and that acts as a single parts of speech.  Example:  “The dog howled.” (clause)  “In the doghouse behind the mansion” (phrase)

Types of Clauses  There are independent and dependent clauses  Independent clauses can stand by themselves as sentences  Dependent clauses need to be paired with independent clauses; they function as adjectives, adverbs, or nouns.  “Even though I made dinner, my husband still refuse to do the dishes.”  Dependent clause is italicized, independent clause is underlined.

Types of Sentences  Simple sentence  Compound sentence  Complex sentence  Compound-Complex sentence

Simple Sentence  A simple sentence is a sentence with one independent clause  Note that the definition says nothing about sentence length, easiness, or how many phrases.

Examples of Simple Sentences  “Simple sentences are my favorite.”  “Being an English teacher with a penchant for syntactical complexity, I love simple sentences.”  “Being an English teacher with a penchant for syntactical complexity, I love reading simple sentences before during and after school.”

Compound Sentence  A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses.  Example: “I love adjectives, but my students prefer adverbs.”

Examples of Compound Sentences  “I love adjectives; my students love adverbs, and we all love the weekends.  Sometimes, longer linking words can be used. “I can name the capitals of all fifty states; consequently, my friends are impressed.

Complex Sentence  A complex sentence contains one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.  “Because life is complex, we need complex sentences.”  The dependent clause is italicized, the independent clause is underlined.

Examples of Complex Sentences  “Because people know I am a senior at Fenwick, they make allowances for the length of my skirt and the way that I wear my hair.”  The independent clause is underlined. There are four dependent clauses. Can you identify them?

Compound-Complex Sentences  A compound-complex sentence contains two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.  “Because I am an English teacher, some people expect me to speak perfectly and other people expect me to write perfectly.”  The dependent clause is underlined, the independent clauses are in italics.

Example of Compound- Complex Sentences  “Some students tell me my grading is too tough, and others tell me my assignments are boring.”  The independent clauses are italicized; the dependent clauses occur within the independent clauses.

Assignment  Write a pyramid paragraph using all four types of sentences.  Begin with a topic sentence and develop the topic with reasons, examples, etc.  Vary sentences in length and style  Avoid a choppy, awkward paragraph