Download The Sentence: Parts, Structures, and Types

The Sentence:
Parts, Structures, and Types
Acknowledgements:
Bigby-Jenkins, Dr. Pauline, et al. Prentice Hall: Writing and Grammar. Boston,
Massachusetts: Pearson Education, Inc., 2008
Lester, Mark. Grammar and Usage in the Classroom. 2nd ed. Needham Heights,
Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon: A Pearson Education Company, 2001.
Basic Sentence Parts

Traditional Definition of a sentence:

A group of words that expresses a complete
thought (must be able to stand alone and make
sense).

A sentence must be able to stand alone as a fully
formed idea, not dependent on some previous context or
understood sentence to fill significant missing pieces.

The biggest problem English speakers have in identifying
fragments is that they unconsciously provide some context
or imaginary dialog to make the fragments into meaningful
complete sentences.
Basic Sentence Parts (continued)

Characteristics of a Complete Sentence



Subject
 The word or group of words that answers to “whom?” or
“what?” a verb refers.
Verb
 The word or group of words that tells what the subject
does, what is done to the subject, or what the condition
of the subject is.
Must be able to stand alone as a complete thought.
Basic Sentence Parts (continued)

The “I Know That” Test for Complete Sentences

If a group of words can be used correctly after “I know that”
to make a new grammatical sentence, then that group of
words must be a complete sentence.


This test cannot be used with questions and commands.
Example: Katrina really loves ice cream.

I know that Katrina really loves ice cream.  YES!
Wherever we decide to go.

I know that wherever we decide to go.  NO!
Types of Sentences

Sentences can be:
 Declarative

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Imperative
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Commands
Must have an understood “you” as the subject
Can be punctuated with either periods or exclamation marks
Interrogative



Make a statement
Can be + or –
Can only be punctuated with a period
Questions
Must be punctuated with question marks
Exclamatory


Declarative sentences that are punctuated with an exclamation mark for
emphasis.
Can never have an understood “you” as the subject
Subjects and Predicates

All of the words within a sentence must be either part of the
subject or part of the predicate.
 Complete Subject




Subject + any words related to it (noun phrase)=Complete
Subject
Simple Subject
 Subject only
Example: My favorite legendary actor is James Stewart.
Complete Predicate



Verb + any words related to it (verb phrase)=Complete
Predicate
 Basically everything in the sentence that is not part of the
subject, must be part of the predicate.
Simple Predicate
 Verb only
Example: We decided to go fishing Friday afternoon.
Compound Subjects and
Compound Verbs

Compound Subject

Two or more subjects with the same verb(s) and
that are joined by a conjunction


Example: Bailey and Sydney enjoy writing poetry.
Compound Verb

Two or more verbs that have the same subject
and that are joined by a conjunction

Example: Natalie laughed and cried during the movie.
Hard-to-Find Subjects

The pattern most often used in English:

Subject followed by the verb



However, some sentences do not follow the normal
word order. Such is the case with questions.
In some other sentences, the subject seems to be
missing entirely.
Also, some subjects may follow their verbs or come
between parts of a verb phrase.
Hard-to-Find Subjects (continued)

Finding the Subject in Questions

A sentence that is not in normal word order
(subject first, predicate second), is usually in
inverted word order.
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The subject in such a sentence is found after the verb.
This order is most often seen in questions.

Not all questions use inverted word order, but those that do
can be reworded to make a statement in order to make the
subject easier to find.
 Example: Have you opened your birthday present?
You have opened your birthday present.
Hard-to-Find Subjects (continued)

Finding the Subject in Orders and Directions

In sentences that give orders or directions, the
subject is understood to be “you.”

Examples:

Drive carefully!  (You) Drive carefully!

After waiting a moment, sing the song again. 
After waiting a moment, (you) sing the song again.

Lucy, leave the room.  Lucy, (you) leave the room.
Hard-to-Find Subjects (continued)

Finding the Subject in Sentences Beginning with
“There” or “Here”

“There” or “here” is never the subject of a sentence.

These sentences are usually in inverted word order

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Reword the sentence in normal order (subject first, predicate
second)

Example: Here comes the star of the show.
The star of the show comes here.
“There” or “here” is usually being used as an adverb and
must be kept in the sentence, or it is used as a sentence
starter and can be removed.

Example: There is a mistake on your paper.
A mistake is on your paper.
Hard-to-Find Subjects (continued)

Finding the Subject in Sentences Inverted for Emphasis
 These sentences are placed in inverted word order for
emphasis.

To find the subject in these sentences, you once again need
to reword the sentence so that it is in normal word order
(subject first, predicate second).

Example:
In the midst of the crowd outside the theatre
stood the famous celebrity.
The famous celebrity stood in the midst of the
crowd outside the theatre.
Complements

Sentences that cannot express a complete
thought with just a subject and a verb need
complements.

Complement—A word or group of words that
completes the meaning of a subject and verb


Complements are usually nouns, pronouns, or
adjectives
Complements are located right after or very close to the
verb
Direct Objects

Complements used after action verbs
 Receive the action of the “transitive” verb
 Must be a noun or a pronoun


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Can be compound
Can be found by asking to “whom?” or “what?” is the action being
done
Not all action verbs have a direct object
 Be careful not to confuse the direct object with an adverb or an
object of a preposition


The direct object can never be adverb or a noun/pronoun found at the end of
a prepositional phrase.
In questions, direct objects are sometimes found near the
beginning of the sentence

If you have trouble finding a direct object in a question, try rephrasing the
word into normal words order
Indirect Objects

Names the person or thing to which something is given
or done

Noun/pronoun that comes after an action verb, but before
the direct object

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Answers the question “to” or “for whom?” or “to” or “for what?”
after an action verb.
Sentences cannot have an indirect object without a direct
object



Typical pattern = Subject + Verb + IO + DO

Almost always comes between the verb and the direct object
Can be compound like a subject, verb, and a direct object
Do not confuse the indirect object with the object of the
preposition

An indirect object never follows the preposition “to” or “for”
Subject Complements
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Used with linking verbs

The subjects are not the do-ers of any action in
these sentences

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The subjects are rather “topics” that the linking verb and
the complement describe.
They are nouns, pronouns, or adjectives that
follow a linking verb and tell something about the
subject

Like other sentence parts, they can be compound.
Subject Complements (continued)

Predicate Nouns/Pronouns

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Follow a linking verb
Renames or identifies the subject of the sentence

The linking verb acts like an equal sign between the subject
and the predicate noun
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The subject and the predicate noun refer to the same thing
Predicate Adjectives
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Follow a linking verb
Describes the subject of the sentence

Considered a part of the complete predicate; however, it does
not modify the words in the predicate, but rather, it describes
the noun that serves as the subject of the linking verb.
Types of Complements
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Direct Object
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Indirect Object
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Example: Toni bought cars.
Example: The eyewitness told us the story.
Subject Complements
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Predicate Nouns/Pronouns
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Example: Spencer is a poet.
Predicate Adjectives
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Example: Robert felt sick.
Phrase

Group of words that functions in a sentence
as a single part of speech

Do not contain a subject and verb
Types of Phrases

Get their names from the word that begins the
phrase or from the most important word in it.


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Prepositional—Begin with a preposition and end with a
noun or a pronoun (called the object of the preposition)
Appositive—A noun or pronoun used after another noun
or pronoun used to identify, rename, or explain
Verbals
 Participial—Verb form used as an adjective
 Gerund—Verb form used as a noun
 Infinitive—Verb form used as a noun, adjective, or
adverb
Prepositional Phrase

Can act as an adjective and modify a noun or
pronoun

Called “adjective phrase”
 adjective phrase—A prepositional phrase that modifies a
noun or pronoun by telling “what kind” or “which one”


Answer the same questions as one-word adjectives
Can act as an adverb and modify a verb, an
adjective, or an adverb

Called “adverb phrase”
 adverb phrase—A prepositional phrase that modifies a
verb, adjective, or another adverb by pointing out
“where,” “when,” “in what way,” or “to what extent.”

Answer the same questions as one-word adverbs
Appositives

A noun or a pronoun placed after another
noun or pronoun to identify, rename, or
explain the preceding word

Like an adjective phrase, they are used to give
information about a noun or a pronoun

An appositive + its own modifiers = Appositive Phrase

Placed next to a noun or a pronoun and adds information
and details
Verbals
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Verb forms used as another part of speech
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Participles—Used as adjectives
Gerunds—Used as nouns
Infinitives—Used as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs
Participles

Many of the adjectives you use are actually
participles (the form a verb used as an
adjective).

Present Participles—End in –ing
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
Example: Marissa bought a new swimming suit.
Past Participles—End in -ed, -t, or –en

Example: His favorite side for dinner is a baked potato.

Participle vs. Verb Phrase
 When used in the present or past participle form as a
verb, the verb phrase always begins with a helping verb.
Participial Phrase

A present or a past participle, acting as an
adjective in a sentence, that is modified by an
adverb or adverb phrase or that has a
complement.
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Participle + Modifiers and/or Complements
Must be located next to the nouns they modify or
else it will create a misplaced modifier.
Gerunds
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A verb form ending in -ing that is used as a
noun.

Like other nouns, gerunds can be used as
subjects, direct objects, predicate nouns, and
objects of prepositions.


Example: Swimming is my favorite summer activity.
Gerund Phrase = Gerund + Modifiers or Complement,
all acting as a noun
Infinitives

A verb form used as nouns, adjectives,
and/or adverbs.

This is the form of a verb that comes after the
word “to”


Example: We wanted to dance.
Infinitive Phrase = Infinitive + Modifiers or Complement,
all acting as a single part of speech
Types of Phrases
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Prepositional Phrase
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Adjective Phrase
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Adverb Phrase
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Example: The shipwrecked sailors journeyed for eight years.
Appositive
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Example: Ruins around this area can still be seen today.
Example: Aunt Linda, my dad’s sister, is older than he is.
Verbals
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Participial Phrase
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Gerund Phrase
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Example: The diner, chewing rapidly, called for the waiter.
Example: Setting turquoise stones in silver is a common jewelrymaking practice.
Infinitive Phrase
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Example: It will be important to listen carefully.
Clause

A group of words with its own subject and
verb

Two Types
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Independent
Subordinate/Dependent
NO! Not this guy! 
Independent Clauses

Have a subject and a verb and can stand by
itself as a complete sentence

Example: The reporter shouted very loudly.
Subordinate/Dependent Clauses

Have a subject and a verb but cannot stand
by itself as a sentence; it is only part of a
sentence.


Begin with a subordinating conjunction or relative
pronouns
Must be combined with an independent clause to
make sense

Example: when the phone rang
Adjective Clauses

Subordinate clauses that modify a noun or a
pronoun

Answer “What kind?” or “Which one?”


Most begin with “that,” “which,” “who,” “whom,” or
“whose”
You can combine sentences with adjective
clauses

Example: That British stamp, which depicts Queen
Victoria, will be sold at auction.
Adverb Clauses

Subordinate clauses that modify a verb,
adjective, or other adverb

Answer “Where?” “When?” “In what manner?” “To
what extent?” “Under what condition?” or “Why?”


Begin with subordinating conjunctions
You can combine sentences with adverb clauses

Example: Because most of the region is desert, climate
dictates where people live in the Middle East.
Elliptical Adverb Clauses

In some adverb clauses words are left out, so
they are called “elliptical.”

Many elliptical adverb clauses are introduced by
one of two subordinating conjunctions: “as” or
“than.”

The missing words are understood.

Example: I liked this book more than (I liked) that one.
Classifying Sentences by Structure

4 Types of Sentence Structure

Simple  Single independent clause
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Compound  Two or more independent clauses

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Example: The population of Israel is approximately 4, 700, 000, but
only eight percent of the people live in rural areas.
Complex  One independent clause and one or more
subordinate clauses
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
Example: A written history dating back to 600 B.C. was found in a
cave near Jerusalem.
Example: When the fog lifted, we continued our trip.
Compound-Complex  Two or more independent clauses and
one or more subordinate clauses

Example: As he was leaving for school, Larry remembered to take
his lunch, but he forgot his report that he finished the night
before.