Unit 4

Sentence Study

Some might suggest that the study of sentence types will

provide students with a solid foundation in their
understanding of English grammar forms, and perhaps others
will propose that these sentence types establish an essential
structure that students need, especially in writing; however,
using architectural metaphors like foundation and structure
suggest a kind of brick-and-mortar, build from the bottom up
type of learning. It is not that simple. It makes sense that the
word simple suggests something simple and that the word
complex suggests something complex, but it’s not that
simple, nor it is too complex.

Many students believe simple sentence types are lower-level

sentences than compound and complex sentence types.
Sure, simple sentences have only one subject/verb
combination, whereas compound and complex sentence
types have multiple subject/verb combinations.

A sentence is a group of words that tells a complete thought.

The words in the sentence should be in order that makes
sense. In addition, a written sentence should have certain
characteristics:
 - a capital letter at the beginning
- a correct end mark at the end (. ? !)

- a subject (who or what the sentence is about)

- a verb (that tells you what is happening)

- and, finally, many people say that it should express a

single thought

There are five basic patterns around which most English

sentences are built.
They are as follows:

S-V Subject-Verb John sleeps.

Jill is eating.
Jack will arrive next
week.
S-V-O Subject-Verb-Object I like rice.
She loves her job.
He's eating an
orange.
S-V-Adj Subject-Verb- He is funny.
Adjective
The workers are lazy.
Karen seems angry.
S-V-Adv Subject-Verb-Adverb Jim is here.
Flowers are
 everywhere.
No one was there.
S-V-N Subject-Verb-Noun She is my mom.
The men are doctors.
Mr. Jones is the
teacher.

At the heart of every English sentence is the Subject-Verb

relationship. Other elements can be added to make a
sentence more interesting, but they are not essential to its
formation.
The following sentences are examples of the S-V pattern.

She sleeps. Core sentence

She sleeps soundly. An adverb is added to describe how
she sleeps.
She sleeps on the A prepositional phrase is added to tell
sofa. where she sleeps.
She sleeps every A time expression is added to tell
afternoon. when she sleeps.
She is sleeping right Verb tense is changed, but S-V
now. relationship remains the same.
Mary will sleep later. Subject is named and another tense is
used.
The dogs are sleeping New subject may require a different
in the garage. form of the verb.
Note: Any action verb can be used with this sentence
pattern.
The following sentences are examples of the S-V-O pattern.

They like rice. Core sentence

The people like rice. Specific subject
The friendly people Subject modified with an adjective
like rice.
The people in the Subject modified with an adjective
restaurant like rice.
The people like boiled Object modified with an adjective
rice.
The people like hot, Object modified with more than one
white rice. adjective
Note: Only transitive action verbs can be used with this
sentence pattern.
The following sentences are examples of the S-V-Adj pattern.

He is fine. Basic sentence with "be" verb

He seems happy. Basic sentence with another linking
verb
Jordan is tall, dark and Series of adjectives
handsome.
He appears very Adverb or intensifier added
comfortable.
George became sick Different tense and linking verb
last night.
Note: Only linking verbs can be used with this sentence
pattern.

The following sentences are examples of the S-V-Adv pattern.

The teacher is here. Basic sentence

The teacher is over Using an adverb phrase
there.
Teachers are Plural noun and verb used
everywhere.
The teachers are in the Prepositional phrase functioning as
lobby. adverb
Note: Only linking verbs can be used with this sentence
pattern.
The following sentences are examples of the S-V-N pattern.

The man is a doctor. Basic sentence

The women are Using plural noun and verb
doctors.
My father is a nice guy. Modified subject and complement
My grandparents are Modified plural subject and
senior citizens. complement
Note: Only linking verbs can be used with this sentence
pattern.
Kinds of Sentences and Their Punctuation

A sentence may be one of four kinds, depending upon the

number and type(s) of clauses it contains.

Review:

An independent clause contains a subject, a verb,

and a complete thought.

A dependent clause contains a subject and a verb, but

no complete thought.

1. A SIMPLE SENTENCE has one independent clause.

Punctuation note: NO commas separate compound
elements (subject, verb, direct object, indirect object,
subjective complement, etc.) in a simple
sentence.

2. A COMPOUND SENTENCE, or “double”, sentence is made

up of two (or more) simple sentences. The two complete
statements or two independent clauses are usually
connected by

A. a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet,

so),

B. a conjunctive adverbs (e.g. however, therefore), or

C. a semicolon alone.

Punctuation patterns (to match A, B, and C above):

A. Independent clause, coordinating conjunction

independent clause.

B. Independent clause; conjunctive adverb,

independent clause.
 C. Independent clause; independent clause.

More examples:

1. The rain increased, so the official canceled the games.

2. Malik wanted to go shopping, but Amin refused to drive

him.

3. Tom was watching TV in the family room, and Mary was

upstairs on the phones.

4. I had to give up wood carving, for my arthritis had become

very painful.

5. It rained, and the garden was flooded.

6. Be quiet, or you will be punished.

7. Neither Mary ate her breakfast, nor she went to school.

8. He gets what is evil, for he does evil.

9. The weather was so bad, so all classes were canceled.

10. She cried, but I laughed.

11. This car was old, yet it was in excellent condition.

12. Either you go to the bed now, or you have to help me

with these letters.
13. Not only he dislikes meat, but also he can’t stand the
sight of it.

14. He just recovered from illness; however, he decided to go

to work.

15. He does good; therefore, he will get what is good sooner

or later.

16. He had done well; consequently, he deserves great

praise.

3. A COMPLEX SENTENCE is used when you want to

emphasize one idea over another in a sentence:

- While Sue was eating breakfast, she began to feel sick.

- I checked my money before I invited Tom for lunch.

- When Jerry lost his temper, he also lost his job.

- Although I practice for three months, I failed my driving

test.

A COMPLEX SENTENCE has one dependent clause (headed

by a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun ) joined
to an independent clause.
 Punctuation patterns (to match A, B, C and D above):

A. Dependent clause, independent clause

B. Independent clause, dependent clause

C. Independent, nonessential dependent

clause, clause.

D. Independent, essential dependent clause,

clause.
4. A COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCE has two independent
clauses joined to one or more dependentclauses.

More examples:

1. Many teachers find that authentic assessment is most

successful when students know what teachers expect, so

teachers should always clearly define standards and

expectations.

2.Because we had a fight, I went to the store; John went to

the movies.
3.I went to the store; John went to the movies because we

had a fight.

4.Since the sun came up, the temperature is getting warmer;

the birds are waking up.

5.The temperature is getting warmer; the birds are waking up

since the sun came up.

Using Clauses as Nouns, Adjectives, and Adverbs

If a clause can stand alone as a sentence, it is an

independent clause, as in the following example:

Independent

The Prime Minister is in Ottawa.

Some clauses, however, cannot stand alone as sentences: in

this case, they are dependent clauses or subordinate
clauses. Consider the same clause with the subordinating
conjunction "because" added to the beginning:

Dependent

when the Prime Minister is in Ottawa

In this case, the clause could not be a sentence by itself,
since the conjunction "because" suggests that the clause is
providing an explanation for something else. Since this
dependent clause answers the question "when," just like an
adverb, it is called a dependent adverb clause (or simply an
adverb clause, since adverb clauses are always dependent
clauses). Note how the clause can replace the adverb
"tomorrow" in the following examples:

adverb

The committee will meet tomorrow.

adverb clause

The committee will meet when the Prime Minister is in

Ottawa.

Dependent clauses can stand not only for adverbs, but also
for nouns and for adjectives.

Noun Clauses

A noun clause is an entire clause which takes the place of a

noun in another clause or phrase. Like a noun, a noun clause
acts as the subject or object of a verb or the object of a
preposition, answering the questions "who(m)?" or "what?".
Consider the following examples:
noun

I know Latin.

noun clause

I know that Latin is no longer spoken as a native

language.

In the first example, the noun "Latin" acts as the direct object
of the verb "know." In the second example, the entire clause
"that Latin ..." is the direct object.

In fact, many noun clauses are indirect questions:

noun

Their destination is unknown.

noun clause

Where they are going is unknown.

The question "Where are they going?," with a slight change in

word order, becomes a noun clause when used as part of a
larger unit -- like the noun "destination," the clause is the
subject of the verb "is."

Here are some more examples of noun clauses:

 about what you bought at the mall

This noun clause is the object of the preposition "about," and

answers the question "about what?"

Whoever broke the vase will have to pay for it.

This noun clause is the subject of the verb "will have to pay,"
and answers the question "who will have to pay?"

The Toronto fans hope that the Blue Jays will win
again.

This noun clause is the object of the verb "hope," and

answers the question "what do the fans hope?"

Examples of NOUN CLAUSES:

1. What you want is a new car. (subject)

2. Can you tell me where he lives? (direct object)

3. I was alarmed by what she said. (object of prep.)

4. The fact was that he was hiding the truth. (subject

complement)
Adjective Clauses

An adjective clause is a dependent clause which takes the

place of an adjective in another clause or phrase. Like an
adjective, an adjective clause modifies a noun or pronoun,
answering questions like "which?" or "what kind of?" Consider
the following examples:

Adjective

the red coat

Adjective clause

the coat which I bought yesterday

Like the word "red" in the first example, the dependent

clause "which I bought yesterday" in the second example
modifies the noun "coat." Note that an adjective clause
usually comes after what it modifies, while an adjective
usually comes before.

In formal writing, an adjective clause begins with the relative

pronouns "who(m)," "that," or "which." In informal writing or
speech, you may leave out the relative pronoun when it is
not the subject of the adjective clause, but you should
usually include the relative pronoun in formal, academic
writing:
informal

The books people read were mainly religious.

formal

The books that people read were mainly religious.

informal

Some firefighters never meet the people they save.

formal

Some firefighters never meet the people whom they

save.

Here are some more examples of adjective clauses:

the meat which they ate was tainted

This clause modifies the noun "meat" and answers the

question "which meat?".

about the movie which made him cry

This clause modifies the noun "movie" and answers the

question "which movie?".

they are searching for the one who borrowed the book
The clause modifies the pronoun "one" and answers the
question "which one?".

Did I tell you about the author whom I met?

The clause modifies the noun "author" and answers the

question "which author?".

Examples of ADJECTIVE CLAUSES:

1. Amini picked out the book which she liked.

2. The boy who broke the window is my brother.

3. The man whom you saw last night was the

murderer.

4. The woman whose son is a pop singer had a car

accident.

5. This is the house where they had a party last night.

6. That was time when he arrive.

Adverb Clauses

An adverb clause is a dependent clause which takes the

place of an adverb in another clause or phrase. An adverb
clause answers questions such as "when?", "where?", "why?",
"with what goal/result?", and "under what conditions?".
Note how an adverb clause can replace an adverb in the
following example:

adverb

The premier gave a speech here.

adverb clause

The premier gave a speech where the workers were

striking.

Usually, a subordinating conjunction like "because,"

"when(ever)," "where(ever)," "since," "after," and "so that," will
introduce an adverb clause. Note that a dependent adverb
clause can never stand alone as a complete sentence:

independent clause

they left the locker room

dependent adverb clause

after they left the locker room

The first example can easily stand alone as a sentence, but

the second cannot -- the reader will ask what happened
"after they left the locker room". Here are some more
examples of adverb clauses expressing the relationships of
cause, effect, space, time, and condition:

cause

Hamlet wanted to kill his uncle because the uncle had

murdered Hamlet's father.

The adverb clause answers the question "why?".

effect

Hamlet wanted to kill his uncle so that his father's

murder would be avenged.

The adverb clause answers the question "with what

goal/result?".

time

After Hamlet's uncle Claudius married Hamlet's

mother, Hamlet wanted to kill him.

The adverb clause answers the question "when?". Note the

change in word order -- an adverb clause can often appear
either before or after the main part of the sentence.

place
 Where the whole Danish court was assembled,
Hamlet ordered a play in an attempt to prove his
uncle's guilt.

The adverb clause answers the question "where?".

condition

If the British co-operate, the Europeans may achieve

monetary union.

The adverb clause answers the question "under what

conditions?"

Written by David Megginson

Examples of ADVERB CLAUSES:

1. He acts as if he were the prince.

2. He looks as though he had seen a ghost.

3. The garden was flooded since it rained heavily last

night.

4. Tim will pass the exam because he has studied

hard.

5. She will come here if I tell her.

 6. She will go shopping if she has some money.

7. She can be on time unless she miss the bus.

8. Even if she does not repay me the money, I shall

not be angry with her.

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