Phrases, Clauses, and
Sentence Structure
Phrases
A group of words that is missing either a
subject or missing the matching verb or
.both
OR A group of words that do not contain a
.subject and a verb together
:Examples
the ancient oak tree (missing a verb)
hitting the window (missing a subject and
verb)
on a jet plane (missing a subject and verb) 2
Types of Phrases
There are several types of phrases that you may
.encounter
Learning the different types of phrases is not
.essential, but it could be helpful
In general, phrases are named for the part of
speech that they begin with. Here are some
:examples
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:Noun Phrase
A NP consists of a noun as a head and other words
(modifiers/determiners) which come before or after
.the noun
E.g.: No accidents were reported
.The woman went down to street
The ancient oak tree
Verb Phrases: Consists of a verb plus another word
that further illustrates the verb tense, action, and
.tone
.He has appeared on screen as an actor
I study Italian. (verb is study)
..I will have been studying
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:Prepositional phrases
On the playing field, Ralph was considered to be
.unstoppable
:Adjective Phrases
.Alert and focused, Ralph anticipated the next play
:Adverb phrases
Quickly and efficiently, Ralph sprang across the
.line of scrimmage
:ing” Phrases (Participial phrases) -“
.Springing into action, Ralph blocked his opponent
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What is an independent
clause?
A subject, verb and complete
idea– it can be a sentence on its
own!
Everyone was celebrating.
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What is a dependent clause?
A group of words with a subject and verb, but
not expressing a complete idea.
Because the profits had been so
great.
Although it was late.
Until the early hours of the morning.
Whether they wanted to or not.
Even if they’d rather be at home
reading the newspaper.
A dependent clause cannot stand on its own!
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?Are these sentences
When we went on a long journey through the
woods on a sunny Friday morning.
It was fine.
Because he was not only tall but also one of the
hardest workers in the area.
Sing that song.
(View answers on the next slide.)
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!Answers
(Dependent clause)When we went on
a long journey through the woods
on a sunny Friday morning.
(Sentence)It was fine.
(Dependent Clause)Because he was
not only tall but also one of the
hardest workers in the area.
(Sentence)Sing that song.
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…A dependent clause
Cannot stand on its own because it does not
express a complete thought because…
It begins with a subordinating conjunction
(because, although, until, whether, etc.) BUT…
It can join an independent clause (simple
sentence) to become a Complex sentence!
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?What is a sentence
A group of words with a subject, a verb
and a complete idea.
We expect to make a profit this
year.
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The Simple Sentence
What is a simple sentence?
A sentence with one subject and one main verb.
All of the employees and their
husbands or wives enjoyed the
annual dinner at the hotel.
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For Example
Ali and Sara went for the shopping.
This is a simple sentence. It contains plural
subject Ali and Sara and one verb went.
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Compound Sentence
A compound sentence consists of two or more
independent clauses (or simple sentences) joined by
coordinating conjunctions like "and," "but" and "or":
Simple
• Canada is a rich country.
Simple
• Still, it has many poor people.
Compound
• Canada is a rich country, but still, it has many poor people.
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Compound Sentence
A compound sentence contains two
independent clauses that are joined
together.
She works in the city, but she lives in the suburbs.
Independent Independent
Clause Clause
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TO MAKE A COMPOUND
SENTENCE:
COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
FOR
AND
NOR
BUT
OR
YET
SO
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Coordinating Conjunctions
Logical Relationship Coordinating Conjunction
Addition And
Contrast But, yet
Choice Or, nor
Cause For
Result So
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The Complex Sentence
A complex sentence contains one independent clause
.and at least one dependent clause
Unlike a compound sentence, however, a complex
sentence contains clauses which are not equal.
:Consider the following examples
Simple
.My friend invited me to a party. I do not want to go
Compound
.My friend invited me to a party, but I do not want to go
Complex
.Although my friend invited me to a party, I do not want to go
The Complex Sentence
In the first example, there are two separate simple
sentences: "My friend invited me to a party" and "I do not
".want to go
The second example joins them together into a single
sentence with the coordinating conjunction " but" but both
parts could still stand as independent sentences -- they
are entirely equal, and the reader cannot tell which is
.most important
In the third example, however, the sentence has
changed quite a bit: the first clause, " Although my friend
invited me to a party," has become incomplete, or a
.dependent clause
Subordinating Conjunctions
After how Until
Although if Unless
As in as much as if
in order that When as long as
At least Whenever as much as
now that whereas soon
wherever as though Since
While because so that
Before even if That
even though though
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The Complex Sentence
Complex sentences have a different structure
:from simple and compound sentences
Independent Clause + Dependent
or
Clause
Dependent Clause + Comma +
= Complex Sentence
Independent Clause
A complex sentence contains 1 independent clause and
1 or more dependent clauses. If a dependent clause
begins the sentence, there normally is a comma (,) after
it. If an independent clause begins a complex sentence,
there should not be a comma after it.
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Complex Sentences
A complex sentence contains at least one
independent clause and one dependent clause.
John cannot set up his typewriter
Independent Clause
because the wall has no outlet.
Subordinating Dependent Clause
Conjunction
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An example of Complex Sentence
A complex sentence contains at least one
independent clause and one dependent clause.
She will go to school in the city
Independent Clause
until she finds a job.
Subordinating Dependent Clause
Conjunction
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The COMPLEX Sentence
A complex sentence contains an
independent clause and at LEAST one
dependent clause.
Both clauses in the sentence are not
equal. They can not both be dependent
or independent.
EXAMPLE:
She planted the flowers that he enjoyed
smelling.
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In a complex sentence, either the dependent or the
independent clause can come first:
Even though it was late, everyone was
celebrating.
Everyone was celebrating even though it
was late.
[You do not usually need a comma
if the independent clause is first.]
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Compound-Complex Sentences
A compound-complex sentence is a
sentence that has at least two independent
clauses and at least one dependent clause.
The same subordinating conjunctions are
used to introduce the dependent clauses.
The same coordinating conjunctions
(FANBOYS) are used for joining the
independent clauses.
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Compound-Complex Example
Although she worked hard to gain recognition, many
people did not know who she was, and her friends did
not even appreciate her work.
Here, we added an extra clause to the complex
sentence we used earlier – her friends did not
even appreciate her work. Adding this
independent clause with the coordinating conjunction
and makes this a compound-complex sentence.
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Compound/Complex
The kitty purred softly, and she bounced
on the pillow as her master read a funny
magazine.
The soldiers did not think they would reach
the bridge because the bridge was far
away, and they were being eaten alive by
hundreds of mosquitoes.
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More practice
Because the weather along the coast was
cold and rainy, we spent the day in the
desert.
Complex
When he had finished the test, Ernie ate a
gallon of chocolate ice cream, and Sandra
drank a chocolate shake.
Compound complex
A lion, a tiger, and a bear appeared on
stage.
Simple
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The Four Types of Sentences
Simple
We drove from St. John’s to Corner Brook in one day.
Compound
We were exhausted, but we arrived in time for my
mother’s birthday party.
Complex
( Although she is now 81 years old ), she still claims to
be 75.
Compound-complex
( After it was all over ), my mother claimed she knew we
were planning something, but we think she was
really surprised.
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Exercise (pair activity)
1. Mary went to the park, but John stayed at home.
2. Tom wanted to exercise, so he went for a walk.
3. The dog that ate my homework is sick.
4. Mary likes reading; John likes television.
5. Bill is the one who usually sits here.
6. When the movie was over, we went to Moo Moos
for ice cream, but my favourite flavour was all
gone.
7. John who sits behind me is on the basketball
team.
8. While we were away, the girl who was looking after
our cat discovered that she had an allergy to them.
9. You can study now or pray later.
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Answers
1. Mary went to the park, but John stayed 1. Compound
at home.
2. Tom wanted to exercise, so he went for 2. Compound
a walk.
3. The dog that ate my homework is sick. 3. Complex
4. Mary likes reading; John likes 4. Compound
television.
5. Bill is the one who usually sits here. 5. Complex
6. When the movie was over, we went to
Moo Moos for ice cream, but my 6. Compound-Complex
favourite flavour was all gone.
7. Complex
7. John who sits behind me is on the
basketball team. 8. Compound-Complex
8. While we were away, the girl who was
looking after our cat discovered that she 9. Simple
had an allergy to them.
9. You can study now or pray later.
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Exercise
Change the following complex sentences into compound
sentences.
1. Although she is rich, she is not happy.
2. As soon as we heard the gunshot, we rushed to
the spot.
3. If you are honest, you need not fear anybody.
4. I called for John who came at once.
5. Though he is brave, he is careless.
6. You will pass if you work hard.
7. He could not catch the train because he was
late.
8. If you cannot obey me, you have to quit.
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!Thank you
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