1. Learning Goal Students will be able to write, use and properly punctuate the four basic sentence structures.
Learning the four sentence structures will help us to become better writers by showing us how to use varying sentence lengths.

2. Four Basic Sentence Structures
Simple (s)
Compound (c)
Complex (cx)
Compound-Complex (ccx)
Let’s watch a little video that introduces 3 of these.

3. Basic Elements of Every Sentence
SUBJECT
PREDICATE

4. Basic Elements
SUBJECT
PREDICATE
Mary
plays tennis.

5. Simple Sentence

6. Simple Sentence
A simple sentence has one subject and one predicate.

7. Simple Sentence We went to San Juan yesterday.
Observe how a simple sentence is constructed:
We went to San Juan yesterday.

8. Simple Sentence We went to San Juan . Pronoun Verb
Prepositional phrase
We went to San Juan .
Simple subject
Complete predicate

9. SIMPLE SENTENCE SUBJECT PREDICATE Mary plays tennis.
one subject one predicate

10. Simple Sentence
Tom and Mary
play tennis.
Compound Subject
&

11. Simple Sentence play tennis and swim. Tom and Mary
Compound Subject Compound Predicate
&
&

12. SIMPLE SENTENCE with compound subject
Tom and Mary play tennis.

13. SIMPLE SENTENCE with compound subject and compound predicate
Tom and Mary play tennis and swim.

14. Compound Sentence

15. Compound Sentence
A compound sentence has more than one part that can stand alone (independent clauses).
Independent clauses are connected by coordinating conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs or a semi-colon.

16. Compound Sentence Use of Coordinating Conjunctions
SUBJECT
PREDICATE
and
SUBJECT
PREDICATE

17. COMPOUND SENTENCE: COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
FOR
AND
NOR
BUT OR
YET SO

18. Compound Sentence We went to San Juan, and
most of us danced all night.

19. Compound Sentence We went to San Juan,
Subject
Verb
Prepositional phrase
We went to San Juan,
Predicate
Coordinating
Conjunction
and most of us danced all night .
Subject
Modifying phrase
Verb

20. COMPOUND SENTENCE: COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
Tom swims, and Mary plays tennis.
Clause Clause 2
Independent Independent

21. COMPOUND SENTENCE: COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
Tom swims, and Mary plays tennis.
Comma before “and”
in compound
sentences!

22. COMPOUND SENTENCE: CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS
MOREOVER
HOWEVER
OTHERWISE
THEREFORE

23. COMPOUND SENTENCE: CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS
Bob is handsome; moreover, he is rich.
Clause Clause 2
Independent Independent

24. COMPOUND SENTENCE: CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS
Bob is handsome; moreover, he is rich.
Note: Semicolon
before conjunctive
adverb and comma
after conjunctive adverb!

25. COMPOUND SENTENCE Semicolons
“If the relation between the ideas expressed in the main clauses is very close and obvious without a conjunction, you can separate the clauses with a semicolon” (Little, Brown Handbook, 9th Edition, p. 361).

26. COMPOUND SENTENCE: SEMICOLON
Tom has benefited from his exercise program; he is slim and energetic.

27. Here’s a little flocabulary about simple and compound sentences

28. Complex Sentence

29. Complex Sentence
A complex sentence has at least two parts: one that can stand alone and another one that cannot
The part that cannot stand alone is linked to the rest of the sentence by a subordinating conjunction

30. COMPLEX SENTENCE: SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
The most common subordinating conjunctions are "after," "although," "as," "because," "before," "how," "if," "once," "since," "than," "that," though," "till," "until," "when," "where," "whether,” and while."

31. Complex Sentence Since we wanted to have fun,
we went to San Juan yesterday.

32. Complex Sentence Since we wanted to have fun,
Subordinating
Conjunction
Part that cannot stand alone
Subject
Predicate
we went to San Juan yesterday.

33. COMPLEX SENTENCE: SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
Bob is popular even though he is ugly.
Clause Clause 2
Independent Dependent

34. COMPLEX SENTENCE: SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
Even though Bob is ugly, he is popular.
Clause Clause 2
Dependent Independent

35. How about a little more flocabulary? This time about complex sentences

36. Compound-Complex Sentence

37. Compound-Complex Sentence
This type of sentence has more than one part that can stand alone, and at least one that cannot.
Conjunctions link the different parts of this sentence.

38. Compound-Complex Sentence
Since we wanted to have fun,
my boyfriend and I went to San Juan yesterday,
and we danced all night.

39. Compound-Complex Sentence
Subordinating
Conjunction
Since we wanted to have fun,
Part that cannot stand alone
my boyfriend and I went to San Juan,
Subject
Predicate
Coordinating
Conjunction
and we danced all night.

40. Can you answer these basic questions about sentences and the four basic structures?

41. What are the two basic elements of any sentence?
The subject and predicate

42. Sentences are made up of what types of clauses?
Independent and Subordinate

43. Which sentence structure contains 2 or more independent clauses?
Compound

44. Which clause must every sentence structure contain?
Independent

45. Which structure contains one independent and one dependent clause?
Complex

46. Which structure contains at least 2 independent clauses and one subordinate clause?
Compound-complex

47. What type of conjunction do I use in a compound sentence?
Coordinating Conjunction
Or FANBOY

48. What type of conjunction will be found in a complex sentence?
Subordinate Conjunction

49. What type of conjunction is used in a compound-complex sentence?
It should have both!

50. Name the sentence structure After the rain stopped, Lisa went for a long run.
Complex

51. Name the sentence structure Lisa wants to go to the concert, but she doesn’t have enough money for a ticket.
Compound

52. Name the sentence structure Lisa and Tom love to swim in the ocean.
Simple

53. Name the sentence structure Whenever we go on vacation, our neighbors mow our lawn, and they collect our mail.
Compound - Complex