IDENTIFY SENTENCE STRUCTURE
TASK 1: Analyze the following sentences by indicating exactly the types of clauses contained in each of them:
Independent (I) or Dependent (D). If the clause is Dependent, identify it as Noun Clause (NC), Relative Clause (RC) or
Adverb Clause (AC). Then identify the sentences as Simple, Compound, Complex or Compound-Complex sentences.
1. Economists are concerned that the rate of inflation will double if the government does not take immediate steps
to control it.
2. Engineers, who have an aptitude for drafting and mechanics, must also be artistic and imaginative.
3. Many students must work part-time, for the cost of education is rising.
4. The government says that inflation is holding steady.
5. Motherhood causes some women to quit their jobs; others continue working despite having young children to
care for.
6. Amy watches football on television, but she never goes to a game.
7. Nuclear accidents can happen; therefore, nuclear power plants must have strict safety controls.
8. If you give your details to our secretary, we will contact you when we have a vacancy.
9. The teacher walked into the classroom, greeted the students, and took attendance.
10. When we returned from camp, we were tired, but we had many pleasant experiences to remember long
afterward.
11. The island was filled with many trails winding through the thick underbrush, a small lake, and dangerous wild
animals.
12. Juan played football while Jane went shopping.
13. Juan played football, yet Jim went shopping.
14. Naoki passed the test because he studied hard, but Stacy did not understand the material.
15. The minute that the bus stopped at the campsite, we all climbed hurriedly out, for we were anxious to see our
cabins.
16. One account traces April Fool’s Day to Roman mythology; another links it to the time when the Gregorian
calendar, which is the one we use today, replaced the Julian one.
17. Although Mexico has a better team, they lost the tournament, and their more aggressive style did not pay off.
18. During surgery, when no anesthesia was available, wounded soldiers bit on bullets to deal with their pain.
COMPOUND SENTENCES
TASK 2: Add another independent clause to the following independent clauses to form compound sentences. Be
sure to write a complete clause containing a subject and a verb. Add punctuation. The first one has been done for
you.
1. The college campus is located in the center of the city, so it is very easy to do my shopping.
2. Students can attend day classes and ......................................................................................................................
3. Students can live in dormitories or ........................................................................................................................
4. I have finished my math homework but.................................................................................................................
5. My advisor suggested a typing class for .................................................................................................................
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6. Some students do not like to write term papers nor ............................................................................................
7. The instructor gave us eight weeks to write our term papers yet ........................................................................
8. Most students had not even chosen a topic nor ....................................................................................................
9. The instructor was very upset for...........................................................................................................................
10. My roommate scored very high on the English placement test so.......................................................................
TASK 3: Add another independent clause to the following independent clauses to form compound sentences. Be
sure to write a complete clause containing a subject and a verb. Underline the conjunctive adverb, and add
punctuation. The first one has been done for you.
1. The college campus is located in the center of the city; therefore, it is very easy to do my shopping.
2. Students can attend day classes moreover ............................................................................................................
3. Students can live in dormitories otherwise ............................................................................................................
4. The instructor gave us eight weeks to write our term papers however ................................................................
5. One way to improve your health is to eat more fruit and vegetables additionally ................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
6. I believe travelling can help us to understand other cultures furthermore ..........................................................
COMPLEX SENTENCES
TASK 4: Read the sentences about finding a job after graduating from college. Underline the subordinate clause
and circle the subordinating conjunction. Indicate exactly the types of subordinate clauses.
1. Whenever Irene looks for a new job, she gets nervous.
2. Since Irene is a college graduate, she feels confident about her background.
3. She often felt nervous and failed to make a great first impression because she lacked interviewing experience.
4. Although she scheduled many interviews, she was not offered a job at first.
5. While many people in Irene’s position would have ended their job search immediately, Irene made the decision
to get help from a personal coach.
6. Irene was also talking to friends about possible job openings in their companies while she was training.
7. After she successfully finished her interview training, Irene was finally confident in her ability to interview for a
job.
TASK 5: Add a logical independent clause to each of the following dependent clauses. Punctuate the sentence
correctly.
2. until I pay my tuition.
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3. It is the fact that
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4. who is chair of the Linguistic Department.
................................................................................................................................................................................
5. Because I had to look for a part-time job
................................................................................................................................................................................
6. if I want to get to school on time.
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7. whether I should take international relations.
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8. whom I met at the social club meeting last month.
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9. when I left my country.
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10. that my college advisor recommends.
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TASK 6: Use the given subordinate and topic in parentheses to write complex sentences. Punctuate each
sentence correctly. The first has been done for you.
1. (United States/ even though): I still miss my country very much even though I am enjoying the United States.
2. (writing a paragraph/ before)
................................................................................................................................................................................
3. (my hometown/ since)
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4. (studying/ until)
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5. (public transportation/ because)
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6. (grades/ even though)
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7. (English/ unless)
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COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCES
TASK 7: Transforming compound sentences into compound-complex sentences
Read the compound sentences about a trip. Use the information in parentheses to create and insert adjective clauses
in the correct places.
1. Vicki had a bad day yesterday, so she decided to visit her friend. (her friend lives at the beach.)
................................................................................................................................................................................
2. The road was under construction, but it was not busy. (the road leads to the beach.)
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3. The 100-mile trip lasted less than two hours, and it was an easy drive. (Vicki took the trip.)
................................................................................................................................................................................
Vicki arrived at dinner time, and her friend Lena was very happy to see her.
4. The dinner was ready, and they immediately began to eat. (Lena made the dinner.)
................................................................................................................................................................................
5. After dinner, Vicki and Lena took a long walk on the beach, and they talked about things. (the things made them
stressed.)
................................................................................................................................................................................
6. Lena offered to take Vicki to a movie, or they could go to a nightclub. (the nightclub opened recently.)
................................................................................................................................................................................
Vicki and Lena decided to stay home, but they talked for hours and hours.
7. This trip was very relaxing for Vicki, and she hopes to visit Lena again soon. (the trip was planned at the last
minute.)
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TASK 8: Combine the following groups of short sentences to form ONE single coherent sentence. Identify different
types of clauses included and the type of the resulting sentences.
#1 #3
a. There is another chore. a. Research has confirmed that eating vegetables, such
b. The chore is in the household. as broccoli, may reduce the risk of some types of
c. Many people dislike this chore. cancer.
d. The chore is washing dishes. b. The research is recent.
……………………………………….………………………………………. c. The vegetables are dark green ones.
……………………………………….………………………………………. d. The vegetables are leafy vegetables.
……………………………………….………………………………………. e. Another example of this is cabbage.
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#2 #4
a. The adult human body has bones. a. Languages die with their last speaker.
b. There are 206 bones in the adult human body. b. Every two weeks a language dies.
c. A baby’s body has 270 bones. c. Fifty to ninety percent will disappear.
d. Two-hundred and seventy is an approximate number. d. This will happen by the next century.
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#5 #8
a. Students can choose to major in art. a. The manager was reviewing her presentation.
b. They are at a university. b. At the same time, her assistant was setting up the
c. Only a small number choose to major in this subject. technology.
d. This number is low for a reason. c. This happened in the room.
e. The reason is that they are concerned about job d. The room was for conferences.
possibilities. ……………………………………….……………………………………….
f. The job possibilities are in the future. ……………………………………….……………………………………….
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#6 #9
a. Giraffes have eyelashes to protect their eyes. a. A hundred and fifty whales got stranded on a beach.
b. The eyelashes are thick. b. The beach was in Australia.
c. They protect their eyes from dust. c. Rescuers could not reach them.
d. The dust is in their habitat. d. The weather was very bad.
e. Their habitat is dry. e. There were a large number of sharks.
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#7 #10
a. Floods provided the marsh with water to support its a. Too much time can cause damage.
plants and animals. b. The time is in the sun.
b. These floods always did this. c. The damage is to the skin.
c. The water was new. d. The damage is severe.
d. The marsh had a wide variety of plants and animals. e. This occurs especially in young children.
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#11 #14
a. The man waited until a guard gave him a number. a. Some children tend to be more organized.
b. He did this patiently. b. These children have strict parents.
c. The number was to enter the building. c. Other children are less organized.
d. The building was warm. ……………………………………….……………………………………….
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#12 #15
a. My best friend was sitting on a train. a. The United Nations maintains peace.
b. I was sitting on a train. b. The peace is international.
c. The train was in Frankfurt. c. The United Nations helps countries.
d. The train was bound for Paris. d. The countries need aid.
e. This is when the nightmare began. e. The aid is humanitarian.
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#13 #16
a. I am in favor of a ban. a. The meat substitute is tasty.
b. The ban is on cell phone use. b. The meat substitute is made from soy.
c. This use is by drivers. c. The meat substitute is made from peas.
d. I am in favor of a ban because cell phones and driving d. Some consumers may not taste the difference.
are a deadly mix.
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#17
a. There was a period of rain in Kenya.
b. The rain was heavy.
c. It exposed a big crack in the earth.
d. The crack measure 50 feet deep.
e. It measures 65 feet wide.
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