Sentence Structure

Good Sentences Make Sense

• A sentence is a group of words with a subject and a predicate.– The Subject of the sentence usually tells what the

sentence is about– The predicate of a sentence tells about the subject

or tells what the subject is doing

Clauses and Phrases

• A phrase is a part of a sentence which does not contain its own subject and predicate.– Around the house– Under the bed

• A clause is part of a sentence which contains its own subject and predicate.– A sentence = A clause. . .But. . .– A clause does not always = a sentence

Clauses continued

• An independent (main) clause makes sense on its own.

• A dependent (subordinate) clause does not make sense on its own.

Examples

• After school, Larry studied this ACT book.– After school = a phrase– Larry studied this ACT book = a main (independent)

clause• After school was over, Larry studied this ACT

book.– After school was over = dependent (subordinate)

clause– Larry studied this ACT book = main (independent)

clause

To avoid choppy sentences or run-on sentences

• You can connect two short main clauses with a comma and a conjunction– And -so– But -yet– Or -nor

• You can also use a– ;

Example

• We headed off to the game during the rain.• The rain stopped before we got there.

• We headed off to the game during the rain, but the rain stopped before we got there.

Congratulations!!!

• You just made a compound sentence.– A sentence that is made up of two or more

independent clauses

• Try making one yourself.– Thick vines covered the windows.– We couldn’t see outside.

How do I make an independent clause a dependent clause?

• If you start an independent clause with a subordinating conjunction, it becomes a dependent clause.

• Examples of Subordinating Conjunctions– Unless -Because– Even though -While– Although -Though

Examples

• Because the party was noisy.• While we waited.• Although the power went off.

– The first word of these subordinating clauses is the only thing keeping these fragments from being sentences.

– Take away the first word, and you have an independent clause.

Why would I want to make a dependent clause?

• A dependent clause does not make sense on its own.

• It must be hooked up with an independent clause to make a full sentence

• Without the independent clause you would have a fragmented sentence.

Hook these subordinating clauses up with independent clauses

• Neighbors complained

• We ate Doritos

• We still had fun

• Because the party was noisy.

• While we waited.

• Although the power went off.

What if I start my sentence with a subordinating clause?

• You must use a comma to separate a subordinate clause from an independent clause when you start a sentence with a subordinating clause.

• Example– Because the party was noisy, neighbors

complained.

Congratulations!!

• You just made a complex sentence!!– A sentence made up of one independent clause

and one or more subordinate clauses.

• Try to make a complex sentence out of these two independent clauses.– Karen never speaks up– She usually knows the answers

Participles

• A verb form that is used as an adjective– It looks like a verb, but it actually will describe

someone or something

• There are two kinds of participles– Past– Present

Past Participles

• Regular verbs are made into the past participles by adding

• D• Ed

– Ex: Walk = Walked

• Irregular verbs are the exception– Ex: Freeze = frozen– Ex: Catch = caught

Present Participle

• Formed by adding• Ing

– Ex: Walk = walking

Participles are always used as adjectives

• Swerving, she avoided the pedestrian.– Swerving is the present participle describing she.

• Hal made fried potatoes.– Fried is the past participle describing the potatoes.

Phrases

• When a phrase starts with a participle, it is called a participial phrase.

• In order to prevent confusion, the phrase should be placed as close as possible to the noun it describes.

– Ex: Avoiding the reporters, the mayor hurried away.

– Ex: The swimmer, kicking hard, got out of the boat’s wake.

Punctuation

• A participle phrase is set off with commas when. . . – it comes at the beginning of the sentence,– Interrupts the sentence with nonessential

information – or comes at the end of the sentence separated

from the word it modifies.

Starting with a participial phrase

• Arriving at the store, I found that it was closed.

As an interrupter

• The church, destroyed by a fire, was never rebuilt.– Since we don’t need the participial phrase for the

sentence to make sense, it is surrounded by commas.

• The student earning the best grade will be rewarded.– Since The participial phrase is needed for the right

student to get the reward, we would not use commas.

At the end of the sentence separated from the word it describes

• Tom nervously watched the woman, alarmed by her silence.– Tom is obviously the one alarmed

• The local residents often saw Ken wandering the streets.– If the participial phrase at the end of the

sentence is right next to what it is describing, we don’t need a comma.

Appositives

• When you name something and then immediately rename it to give further information, you are using an appositive.

• Ex: My dog, a pointer, stood silently outside the cave.

• Ex: She did not care for his hobby, spelunking.

An appositive can come in phrase form

• Ex: Wilma Rudolph, my favorite athlete, was a great runner.

Hints

• An appositive helps describe a noun, so an appositive can go anywhere a noun can.

• An appositive needs to be punctuated like an interrupter

• If the appositive information is essential, no commas are needed– Ex: My friend Marilyn enjoyed the tour of the

cavern.