English Grammar Workshop

Sentence

Structures

C Remind yourself

C Test yourself

C Check your answers

A Llanguage Llamas Production

Introduction

This resource has been designed to support students in their understanding of English

grammar and terminology. The resource is in three parts: ‘Remind Yourself’ and ‘Test

Yourself’ pages and an ‘Answer key’. The ‘Remind Yourself’ hand-out defines the

terminology and provides examples, the ‘Test Yourself’ hand-out allows the students to

practice their skills and reinforce the learning of the terms. The ‘Answer key’ allows for peer

or self-marking.

Acknowledgements Frame graphics by Dancing Crayon. Licensed from Dancing Crayon Designs

© www.DancingCrayon.com

Bullet point graphics licensed from Kimberly Geswein at © KG Fonts

Notice This resource has not been designed for any particular exam or course and the onus remains

on each teacher and institution to make sure that it is appropriate for the courses taught.

English Language Specialists do not all agree on the use of some terms e.g.

pronoun/adjective/determiner and it is the teacher’s responsibility in the light of this to

decide how to use this resource to supplement their teaching.

Copyright © Lucy Meredith. All rights reserved. Designed for classroom and personal use.

Permission is granted to the purchasing teacher/institution to reproduce this resource for

educational use within an educational institution or for private tutoring. Distribution other

than permitted above will constitute copyright infringement. Fonts and graphics are

copyrighted and may not be extracted and reused. Credits for font, graphics and extracts are

given in the ‘Acknowledgements’ section above.

Remind yourself: Sentences

Major sentences

Simple sentence: At its most basic a simple sentence consists of a subject and a main verb

e.g. Jack laughed/Jack is laughing/Jack was laughing etc. A simple sentence, however, can

be longer than this e.g. Jack was laughing quietly/Jack was laughing at Sarah/Jack was

laughing during the show. Note, however, that all of these examples only contain one subject

(Jack) and one main verb (was laughing).

Compound sentence: A compound sentence is two or more simple sentences joined together

by conjunctions such as ‘and’, ‘or’ and ‘but’ e.g. ‘Jack asked me to go to a movie this evening

but I have too much homework’. This example contains two subjects (Jack and I) and also two

main verbs (‘asked’ and ‘have’) and the co-ordinating conjunction ‘but’. If the subject is the

same, it need only be used once e.g. ‘I walk to Havant and (I) get the bus to college from

there.’ ‘I’ is the subject in both clauses and so can be left out in the second. A key feature of

a compound sentence is that both/all parts of the sentence would make sense individually if

the conjunction were removed e.g. ‘Jack asked me to go to a movie this evening. I have too

much homework.’

Complex sentence: A complex sentence also has more than one clause but can be

differentiated from a compound sentence in that only one part of the sentence can stand

alone and still make sense e.g. ‘When I get to Havant, I take the bus to college.’ ‘I take the

bus to college’ makes sense on its own and is called the main clause. ‘When I get to Havant’

does not and is called the subordinate clause.

Compound/complex sentence: It is possible to have a combined compound/complex

sentence e.g. ‘The teacher (subject) checked (main verb) who had handed in homework

(subordinate clause) and (co-ordinating conjunction) then (subject ‘the teacher’ omitted)

took (main verb) the register.’

Minor sentences:

A minor sentence is one that does not fulfil the criteria for a simple sentence i.e. it does not

have a subject and/or a main verb. They are common in spoken discourse but are also seen in

written texts which utilise spoken discourse conventions such as adverts, magazine articles

and spoken style narrative voices in prose and poetry. Examples include greetings, ‘Hello’,

exclamations ‘Wow!’, minimal responses ‘Yes/no’, elliptical constructions, ‘Want to go to the

café later?’ A one or two word minor sentence can be referred to as a sentence fragment.

Test yourself: Sentences

Read the extract below and identify whether each sentence is minor, simple, compound,

complex or compound/complex. The first one is done for you.

1. There was an empty house the other side of town where we used to go to play at

weekends. Complex sentence.

Main clause – There was an empty house the other side of town.

Subordinate clause – where we used to go to play at weekends.

2. We rode out on our bikes, skidding the wheels on the gravel.

3. Our red and white trainers braced against the pedals.

4. Arms taut.

5. Dust swirled up around us and we coughed and laughed.

6. We slowed as we approached the house, fingers tensing on the brakes.

7. The house was hidden by rhododendrons that seemed to creep ever closer across the

prairie-high grass and brambles of the old front lawn.

8. George slowed and dropped his bike and brought his fingers to his lips.

9. Just in case.

10. The previous year we had made a tunnel through the jungle.

11. A low sinuous fragrant creep.

12. Last year’s leaves cracked and crunched beneath us as we inched forward on elbows

and knees.

13. A nesting blackbird shrill and angry called out her alarm.

14. We lay and watched the front of the house.

15. The faded blue paint was blistered and peeling off the door and window frames.

16. Only the hum of the bees, the faint breeze, the grass rustling.

Check Your Answers: Sentences

1. There was an empty house the other side of town (main clause) where we used to go to play at

weekends (subordinate clause). Complex sentence.

2. We rode out on our bikes (main clause), skidding the wheels on the gravel (subordinate

clause). Complex sentence

3. Our red and white trainers braced against the pedals. Minor sentence - no main verb.

4. Arms taut. Minor sentence - no main verb

5. Dust swirled up around us (main clause) and (conjunction) we coughed (main clause) and

(conjunction) (subject omitted) laughed (main clause). Compound sentence

6. We slowed (main clause) as we approached the house (subordinate clause), fingers tensing on

the brakes (subordinate clause). Complex sentence

7. The house was hidden by rhododendrons (main clause) that seemed to creep ever closer across

the prairie-high grass and brambles of the old front lawn (subordinate clause). Complex

sentence

8. George slowed (main clause) and (conjunction) (subject omitted) dropped his bike (main

clause) and (conjunction) (subject omitted) brought his fingers to his lips (main clause).

Compound sentence

9. Just in case. Minor sentence - no main verb

10. The previous year we had made a tunnel through the jungle. Simple sentence

11. A low sinuous fragrant creep. Minor sentence - no main verb

12. Last year’s leaves cracked (main clause) and (conjunction) (subject omitted) crunched

beneath us (main clause) as we inched forward on elbows and knees (subordinate clause).

Compound/Complex sentence

13. A nesting blackbird shrill and angry called out her alarm. Simple sentence

14. We lay (main clause) and (conjunction) (subject omitted) watched the front of the house

(main clause). Compound sentence

15. The faded blue paint was blistered (main clause) and (conjunction) (subject and auxiliary

verb omitted) peeling off the door and window frames (main clause). Compound sentence

16. Only the hum of the bees, the faint breeze, the grass rustling. Minor sentence - no main verb