Download The Sentence

THE SENTENCE
The Sentence
◦ Sentence: a group of words that contains a subject and a verb
(predicate) and expresses a complete thought. To express a
complete thought, a sentence must say something that makes
sense by itself
◦ Fragment: a piece of a sentence; does not express a complete
thought
◦ Fragment: Tony, the outstanding baseball player on the team
◦ Sentence: Tony, the outstanding baseball player on the team, is
my brother
The Sentence
◦ To determine if a group of words is a sentence or a
fragment, ask yourself two questions:
◦ 1. Who/What is this sentence about? (subject)
◦ 2. What is happening in the sentence? (verb)
◦ If you can answer both of these questions, then you
have complete sentence!
Subject in Unusual Positions
◦ An easy way to find the subject is to first pick out the verb. Then ask “Who?” or
“What?” before the verb. Some sentence structures that may confuse you are as
follows:
◦ 1. Sentence beginning with there or here
◦ “Here comes the train.” (What comes? The train comes.)
◦ 2. Sentences that ask questions
◦ “Where are my keys?” (What are? My keys are.)
◦ 3. Sentences, such as requests or commands, in which the subject is understood
◦ Request: (You) Take this to the principal’s office, please.
REMEMBER
◦ The subject of a sentence is always who or what is doing something in
the sentence. NOT any noun!
Phrases
Phrases
• A phrase is a group of related words that is used as a single part of speech
and does not contain a verb and its subject
Prepositional Phrase
• A prepositional phrase is a group of words beginning with a preposition
and ending with a noun or pronoun. The noun or pronoun that ends a
prepositional phrase is called the object of the preposition
• Example: Arelene climbed up the ladder.
• The preposition is up and the object of the preposition is ladder
Adjective Phrases
• More than one word that modifies a noun or pronoun
EX: The field behind the school is available. (The phrase modifies the noun field)
Adverb Phrase
• A phrase that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. Adverb phrases
tell when, where, why, how, and to what extent.
Classifying Sentences by Purpose
◦ Sentences may be classified as declarative, imperative, interrogative, or exclamatory
A declarative sentence makes a statement. It is always followed by a period.
EX: I wonder how the fans will react to our victory
An imperative sentence gives a command or makes a request. An imperative sentence
is usually followed by a period, but a strong command may end with an exclamation
point.
EX: Please tell the coach that I’ll be a little late. Look at that score!
Classifying Sentences by Purpose
◦ An interrogative sentence asks a question. It is followed by a
question mark.
EX: Are you coming to the celebration at the coach’s house
tonight?
An exclamatory sentence expresses strong feeling. It is always
followed by an exclamation point.
EX: We finally beat the Cougars!
Clauses
Independent and Dependent Clauses
• Clause: a group of words that contains a verb and its subject and is used as
part of a sentence
• Independent Clause: expresses a complete thought and can stand by itself
as a sentence
Independent Clauses: I read all her books, and I enjoyed a biography about
her. OR: This pizza is really good, but I can’t eat another bite!
Independent and Dependent Clauses
• Dependent/Subordinate Clauses: Does not express a complete though and
cannot stand alone.
Subordinate Clauses: Many people who are African, Indian, Asian, or
Middle Eastern have trouble digesting milk products.
Since I work after school, I value my study halls
If I finish my homework in class, I won’t have to bring it home!
Clauses Can Be…
• Subordinate clauses function in sentences as ONE PART of speech! They
can be adjectives, adverbs, and nouns. Find the clause and how it’s
FUNCTIONING to know the type!
Classifying Sentence by Structure
◦ Sentences are classified according to their structure. They may
be simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex.
A simple sentence has one independent clause and no
subordinate clauses.
A compound sentence has two or more independent
clauses but no subordinate clauses.
Classifying Sentences by Structure
Simple: John Levi was named an all-American football player.
Compound: We looked, but we couldn’t find a single flower.
A complex sentence has one independent clause and at least one subordinate
clause. A compound-complex sentence has two or more independent clauses
and at least one subordinate clause.
Complex: After everyone left, I helped Charles clean up.
Compound-Complex: The ball came at me, but Mary reached it before I could.