Business English at Work © 2003 Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
Business English at Work SentenceDevelopment Objectives Demonstrate knowledge of terms used in sentence construction. Use correct ending punctuation for statements, questions, commands, and exclamations. Identify simple, compound, and complete subjects. Identify simple, compound, and complete predicates. PP 3-1a continued
Business English at Work SentenceDevelopment A sentence consists of words correctly arranged to form a complete statement or idea. A Sentence PP 3-2 A sentence begins with a capital letter. ends with an ending mark of punctuation.
Business English at Work SentenceDevelopment Do the words make sense? Do the words indicate a complete thought? Does the group of words begin with a capital letter? Does the group of words end with a period, question mark, or exclamation point? Ask these questions to determine whether words are a sentence. PP 3-3
Business English at Work SentenceDevelopment Express statements (declarative sentences). End with a period. We offer a 30-day return policy. Four Purposes of Sentences PP 3-4a Ask questions (interrogative sentences). End with a question mark if direct questions. Are the new brochures available yet? End with a period if indirect questions. He asked whether I planned to revise the news release.
Business English at Work SentenceDevelopment Give commands and requests (imperative sentences). End with a period. Direct Command Place your order within two days to receive a discount. Courteous Request Will you please call me by the end of the week. Four Purposes of Sentences PP 3-4a Express emotions (exclamatory sentences). End with an exclamation point. Always satisfy your customers! continued
Business English at Work SentenceDevelopment Subject Sentences Have Two Parts PP 3-5 Predicate Verb (action or “to be” form) Tells what the subject is doing or what the subject is Often a noun or pronoun Indicates who is speaking, who is spoken to, or who or what is spoken about
Business English at Work SentenceDevelopment The simple subject is the main word of the subject. Simple Subject PP 3-6 Users can schedule unlimited sales calls with contact management software. We offer a discount to our employees. Outstanding customer service is our goal.
Business English at Work SentenceDevelopment The compound subject is two or more main words in a subject. Compound Subject PP 3-7 Hudson Communications and Cellular Depot share an office building in the Redwood Business Park. Evening hours and free parking interest customers. Focus groups, phone messages, and postal card responses are all ways to obtain user opinions.
Business English at Work SentenceDevelopment The complete subject consists of the simple or compound subject plus any of its modifiers. Complete Subject PP 3-8 Most customers comment on our window displays. Sales brochures describe our products. Free upgrades and extra bonus miles attract some travelers.
Business English at Work SentenceDevelopment The simple predicate is a single verb or verb phrase. Simple Predicate PP 3-9 Tim speaks softly. I take inventory once a week. Our store hours are convenient. We have advertised our sale in the local newspaper.
Business English at Work SentenceDevelopment The compound predicate is two or more verbs. Compound Predicate PP 3-10 I researched our orders and designed our latest sales brochure. Our accountant and the sales manager analyzed our sales and recommended new pricing of products. Other companies have visited our call center and ordered similar telephone headsets.
Business English at Work SentenceDevelopment The complete predicate consists of the simple or compound predicate plus all modifiers that limit or describe the verbs. Complete Predicate PP 3-11 This short survey asks for your opinions about our customer service. Our company has an extensive video training library. The reports on this Website review a wide range of customer service issues.