Sentence Structure

Terms we ’ ll need Subject (The person, place, thing or idea that is doing or being something) Verb (describes an action; it’s what you do) Clause (group of words with a subject and a verb)  Independent-strong, stands alone  Dependent-subordinate-weak, needs support

Simple sentence A simple sentence has one independent clause and no dependent clauses:  The student yawned. SubjectVerb

Although a simple sentence cannot have a dependent clause, it can have modifiers: The tall student sitting in the back in my algebra class yawned loudly. The basic sentence is: ‘ The student yawned ’. The other words are modifiers - they are descriptive words.

A simple sentence contains only one independent clause, but it can have more than one subject or verb: TWO SUBJECTS: The student and his friend yawned. TWO VERBS : The student yawned and fell asleep.

TWO SUBJECTS: The student and his friend yawned. TWO VERBS : The student yawned and fell asleep.

A sentence with all these elements will be long, but it is still simple because it contains only one independent clause: The tall student sitting in the back in my physics class and his friend yawned loudly and fell asleep. Can you identify the ‘ real ’ sentence and the modifiers?

The tall student sitting in the back in my physics class and his friend yawned loudly and fell asleep.

Compound sentence A compound sentence has two or more independent clauses that are usually joined by a coordinating conjunction: Henry got a new job, so he has to move. I have a lot of homework, but I am not going to have time to study tonight.

Notice the difference between a simple sentence with a compound verb and a compound sentence with two clauses: SIMPLEMy house guests returned from a long day of shopping and went straight to bed. COMPOUNDMy house guests returned home from a long day of shopping, and we decided to stay at home instead of going out. What is the difference?

Compound sentence with coordinating conjunctions Most compound sentences are formed with a coordinating conjunction: and, or, but, so, for, nor, yet. The experiment was deemed successful, yet our results were unsatisfactory. The students were unhappy with their professor, for he often wasted their time in class.

Compound sentence without coordinating conjunctions Yet, while most compound sentences are formed with a coordinating conjunctions, often good writers decide to eliminate the conjunction and simply add a semicolon: The ambitious student initiated the research; the teacher was pleased by her efforts. The students were unhappy with their professor; he often wasted their time in class.

Compound sentence without coordinating conjunctions When a transition leads a clause, it is usually followed by a comma. If the transition lands in the middle of a compound sentence, use the semicolon, and then follow the transition with a comma: The experiment was deemed successful; unfortunately, our results were unsatisfactory. The students were unhappy with their professor; undeniably, he often wasted their time in class.

Complex sentence A complex sentence has an independent clause with one or more dependent clauses (independent clauses are in italics). Note that introductory dependent clauses must be followed by commas: Since we got to the concert late, we had to make our way to our seats in the dark. We left class early so that we could attend a special lecture.

Complex sentences should be punctuated in one of two ways:  INDEPENDENT CLAUSE dependent clause (no comma) We left class early so that we could attend a special lecture.  Dependent clause, INDEPENDENT CLAUSE (comma) So that we could attend a special lecture, we left class early.

Compare these sentences John was tired, but he finished his homework. Although John was tired, he finished his homework. Identify which sentence is compound and which is complex……..