Week 4: Sentence Structure/Patterns Flashcards
Declarative sentences
STATE FACT
ex, “Tobey has too many items on his agenda.”
- Note: most sentences in academic writing are declarative
Interrogative sentences
ASK A Q“Is Tobey free on Monday for my birthday?”
Imperative sentences
INSTRUCT OR DEMAND“Please clear some space on your agenda.”
Exclamatory sentences
EXPRESS EMOTIONAL EMPHASIS“Tobey is such a stooge!”
-Note: almost never used in academic writing
building blocks of ANY sentence
Subjects and Predicates
Subject
what acts or is talked about in the sentence
-usually a noun or pronoun, but sometimes a phrase/clause
Examples in sentences:
- Samantha walks home. (noun)
- Billy and Jimmy rode their bikes to town. (nouns)
- We will be eating pizza soon. (pronoun)
- Writing keeps us very busy. (gerund)
Simple Subject
main noun or pronoun performing the action of a sentence (usually just one word)
-ex, The old cast on my wrist will be removed on Tuesday.
simple subject = cast
Complete Subject
The [Complete Subject] includes the simple subject PLUS all associated modifiers (i.e. phrases and adjectives):
-ex, [The old cast on my wrist] will be removed on Tuesday.
simple subject = cast
Predicate
what the subject does, or what is said about it.
Essential element = main verb
-predicate will always have a main verb.
predicates contain additional elements
o adjectives/adverbs, objects, prepositional phrases
MAIN VERB is always part of the PREDICATE; the main verb is NEVER part of the sentence’s subject (since the subject is what performs the verb’s action).
simple sentence
has a single independent clause
i. Independent clause = subject + predicate
ii. NOTE (only independent clauses can stand alone to form a sentence)
b. Ex, Billy runs.
i. Billy = subject – a proper noun
ii. Runs = predicate – a verb
c. Ex, Billy runs the race.
i. Billy = subject
ii. Predicate + direct object
d. Ex, Billy runs the race in record time.
i. Billy = subject
ii. Predicate + direct object + prepositional phrase
1. Note – in is the modifier
e. simple sentence can sometimes contain TWO main verbs:
i. Ex, “Billy runs the race in record time and wins the top prize.”
1. single subject is performing both actions. (simple sentence with a compound predicate.)
Compound sentences
2 independent clauses linked by a comma and coordinating junction (therefore, 2 simple subjects and 2 main verbs)
Examples:
a. [Nicolas Cage] grabbed his gun, and [he] kicked open the door.
b. [Nicolas Cage] grabbed his gun, but [the henchmen] were already waiting for him.
c. [Nicolas Cage] grabbed his gun; [the henchmen] were waiting for him.
Complex sentences
1 independent clause and 1 dependent clause (subject + verb, but it does NOT make a complete statement – uses a subordinating conjunction)
a. As he threw away his gun, Nicolas Cage kicked open the door.
b. As he kicked open the door, Nicolas Cage threw away his gun.
.
compound complex
Compound-Complex sentence consists of two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clause.
independent clause
has a subject and a predicate (main verb); can stand alone as a complete sentence.
dependent clause
has a subject and predicate (main verb); it CANNOT stand alone as a complete sentence & must be attached to (or embedded in) an independent clause. Four subcategories of dependent clauses are the following: 1) Subordinate clause; 2) Noun clause; 3) Relative clause (adjectival clause); 4) Adverbial clause.
Prepositional phrase
a word group guided by a preposition (to, from, in, about, on, by, for, etc.) and usually acting as an adjective or adverb. You will frequently encounter these phrases in your writing, so it is useful to be able to identify them!
Sentence Boundary Errors
Comma splices
Fused (run-on) sentences
Sentence fragments
comma splice
You can fix a comma splice by 1) adding a coordinating conjunction to create a COMPOUND SENTENCE; 2) replacing the comma with a subordinating conjunction to create a COMPLEX SENTENCE; or 3) replacing the comma with a semicolon to create a COMPOUND SENTENCE.
fused sentence
You can fix a fused sentence by 1) adding a coordinating conjunction AND comma to create a COMPOUND SENTENCE; 2) adding a subordinating conjunction to create a COMPLEX SENTENCE; or 3) adding a semicolon to create a COMPOUND SENTENCE.
sentence fragment
can fix a sentence fragment by 1) adding the fragment to a nearby independent clause; 2) adding in the missing element (a subject or main verb) that would make the fragment its own independent clause; or 3) arranging the fragments as a list that follows a COLON.
