Sentence Structure

Good writers vary the structure of their sentences so that some are short and others are long, and they include a variety of simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.

The structure of a sentence is determined by the number and type of clauses within them.

Clauses

A CLAUSE is a group of words with a subject and a verb. Remember that a phrase does NOT have a subject and a verb. prepositional phrases: in the morning, with a sigh, according to the plan appositive phrase: John, my best friend, is moving soon. gerund phrase: Watching football on Sundays is a popular pastime. participial phrase: Peering over the cliff, Sean saw the raging river below. infinitive phrase: Sarah worked for hours to revise her essay.

(infinitive = to + a verb; to run, to hope, to accept)

Phrase: Feed the dog before dinner.Clause: Feed the dog before you eat dinner. (You is the subject; eat is the verb.)

Phrase: since TuesdayClause: since she moved back (She is the subject; moved is the verb.)

An INDEPENDENT (or main) CLAUSE can stand alone as a sentence because it expresses a complete thought.

A SUBORDINATE (or dependent) CLAUSE cannot stand alone as a sentence because it does not express a complete thought.

SIMPLE SENTENCESA simple sentence has ONE INDEPENDENT CLAUSE. It doesn’t matter how many phrases it has.

Example: Following the television announcement, Matt Johnson, the $20 million lottery winner, went into hiding to avoid his greedy relatives.

Example: Rita and Pauline will move to Austin and live in the dorm for a semester.

COMPOUND SENTENCESA compound sentence has TWO (or more) INDEPENDENT CLAUSES. Notice the three correct ways to join two independent clauses together.

1. independent clause , FANBOYS independent clauseexamples: Penguins cannot fly ,but they can dive into the ocean.

The essay is due tomorrow ,so I’m going to finish it tonight.The streets flooded ,for it rained for several hours.

2. independent clause ; independent clauseexample: Football is an autumn sport ; baseball is a spring sport.

3. independent clause ; conjunctive adverb , independent clause(see next page for the examples)

NOTE: All conjunctive adverbs have four letters or more. You must not put a comma in front of a joining word that has four letters or more. You must put a semicolon in front of a conjunctive adverb that joins two independent clauses.

examples: The instructor handed out the papers ;then she left the room.Fred was late paying his bill ;therefore, his water was cut off. The jury deliberated for hours ;however, they had no verdict.

COMPLEX SENTENCESA complex sentence has ONE INDEPENDENT CLAUSE and ONE (or more) SUBORDINATE CLAUSES.

There are three types of SUBORDINATE CLAUSES:

ADVERB CLAUSES always begin with subordinating conjunctions like these:after as long as before provided that unlessalthough as soon as even if since untilas as though even though so that when(ever)as far as as well as if than where(ever)as if because in order that though while

complex sentences Because Sekhar told the truth , the headmaster punished him.with adverb clauses: The corn crop will be ruined if the drought doesn’t end soon .

Before the trial could begin , the defendant escaped from jail.She looked as though she had seen a ghost .

ADJECTIVE CLAUSES begin with one of these words (sometimes that is omitted):who whose whom which that when where

complex sentences The man who won the lottery hid from his greedy relatives.with adjective Mr. Jackson, whose room is on the third floor, teaches chemistry.clauses: Three o’clock is the time when we’ll leave.

The book I finished last week was my all-time favorite.

NOUN CLAUSES Complex sentences with noun clauses:What you decide to write is completely up to you.I was surprised by what happened during the football game.I understand that I need permission to photograph people.

COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCESA compound-complex sentence has TWO (or more) INDEPENDENT CLAUSES and

ONE (or more) SUBORDINATE CLAUSES.

The subordinate clause is underlined in each of these compound-complex sentences:

If a color-blind woman marries a man with normal vision, all the daughters will have normal vision ,butall the sons will be color-blind.

The time when severe weather occurs is here ,so everyone needs to be prepared.

The computers were installed as quickly as possible ;however, there were problems that took time to solve.

Sentence Structure Worksheet

Exercise #1

Label each of these as a phrase or a clause:

1. praying for a long, soaking rain2. a little-known language of the Athbascan family3. after settling in the region4. since the Navajo language is difficult to learn5. when the United States became involved in World War II

Exercise #2

Each sentence below has two clauses. Label each clause as an independent clause or a dependent (subordinate) clause. The first of the two clauses is underlined.

1. Unless the rain stops soon, mudslides will engulf these hillside villas.2. The Greeks were conquered by Rome, but culturally the Greeks were the conquerors.3. I finished reading the book that you loaned to me.4. A clarinet has an almost cylindrical tube, while an oboe has a conical pipe.5. The oldest instrument family consists of idiophones, and they are also the most widespread

of instruments.

Exercise #3 Label each sentence as simple or compound.

1. Nora and Carrie drove to school and decorated the cafeteria for the spring sports banquet.2. After an hour, they took a short break; then they went back to work.3. They agreed not to take any more breaks; otherwise, they would be late getting home.4. To pass the time, they talked about school and told stories about their families.5. Finishing their work, they complimented each other on the results.

Exercise #4 Add the correct punctuation to each of these compound sentences.

1. The Tropic of Cancer goes through Mexico so the area to the south can be extremely hot.

2. The outfielders missed easy fly balls moreover the infielders were throwing wildly.

3. Mexico’s full name is the United Mexican States it is known as Estados Unidos Mexicanos in Spanish.

4. The U.S. controlled the Panama Canal Zone after 1914 then the Republic of Panama assumed complete control of the canal on January 1, 2000.

5. Veins carry blood to the heart but arteries carry blood away from the heart.

Activity #1—Changing an Independent Clause into an Adjective ClauseWrite the complex sentence with an adjective clause in the space below:

Activity #2—Creating a Compound-Complex Sentence by Combining Three Independent Clauses

Example: 1. The storm dragged the fuselage out to sea.2. The storm hit after the plane crash. (Change to an adjective clause.)3. The boys were left without any shelter on the deserted island.

Choose from these transitions: however, for, instead, so, but

Compound-complex sentence:

The storm that hit after the plane crash dragged the fuselage out to sea , so the boys were left without any shelter on the deserted island.

A. 1. Jack is a friend of Ralph’s in the beginning.2. Jack will become a symbol of evil. (Change to an adjective clause beginning with

who.)3. He will become Ralph’s enemy later in the novel.

Choose from these transitions: but, otherwise, so, for, so that

B. 1. Help continues to come from all over Texas. (Change to an adverb clause beginning with a subordinating conjunction. Choose one of these: so that, before, even though, as soon as, if.)

2. The fertilizer explosion in West was incredibly destructive.3. It will take many years to recover.

Choose from these transitions: nor, for, therefore, nevertheless, yet.

C. 1. The sponge is not a plant.2. It is an animal3. The animal is covered with flesh. (Change to an adjective clause beginning with

that.)Choose from these transitions: moreover, instead, then, also.)

D. 1. People plant sponge fragments.2. They are harvested two or three years later.3. They have grown large. (Change to an adverb clause beginning with a

subordinating conjunction. Choose from these: when, even if, while, until.)Choose from these transitions: and, nor, however, in fact.)

Exercise 5Label the following sentences as simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex.

1. Records and tapes are rarely used today, but compact discs are still in fairly widespread use.2. Compact discs are often called CDs.3. Although a CD may look like a small vinyl record, it doesn’t work like one.4. Records have a thin groove, and different sounds are recorded as bumps and dents in the groove’s sides and floor.5. The sound is produced when a needle moves up and down and from side to side along the groove.6. A CD, however, is covered with microscopic pits that make up a digital code.7. When you play a CD, a laser bounces off the CD and reads the pits, and the code is translated into sound.8. In spite of the cost of CDs, they have many advantages.9. They produce extraordinary sound, and because a needle never touches them, they last and last.10. In spite of the advantages of CDs, some music lovers would still rather listen to vinyl records.