The essential elements of a sentence

Subjects Verbs The simple sentence The independent clause The complex sentence The independent + the dependent clause What a sentence should not be The dependent clause

The subject of the sentence is a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that identifies what the clause is about. The subject is who or what is performing the action. Subject examples: John went to the store to buy a carton of eggs. The little bee buzzed happily amongst the flowers. Bow down, my lowly subject.

The verb is a word that represents the action in the sentence or clause and/or characterizes the subject in some way. Verbs can also show the tense (past, present, future) and mood (the sun shined brightly). Verb examples: Mavis tripped clumsily over a rock. The children are all singing carols on the porch.

The one big thing to remember about a subordinate clause is that it CANNOT STAND ALONE by itself. Alone it is also called a fragment. (The next guide will talk about this more.) Also called the dependent clause. Examples (this is what happens when there is no independent clause): While flying over the mountain. And then took a bath. I feel like something’s missing.

Fragments