SENTENCE

• to make statements:

I took some money out of the bank.

The shop stays open until 9 p.m.

• to ask questions or make requests:

Can I help you?

Could you open the door?

• to give orders:

Stop arguing!

Come here at once!

• to express exclamations:

You’re driving too fast!

It’s so cold!

A sentence is a group of words that makes complete sense, contains a main verb, and

begins with a capital letter. Sentences are used:

SIMPLE SENTENCE

A simple sentence has one independent clause and

no dependent clauses:

• The student yawned.

Although a simple sentence cannot have a dependent clause, it can have modifiers:

•The tall student sitting in the back in my algebra class yawned loudly.

The basic sentence is ‘The student yawned’. The other words are modifiers - they are descriptive words.

A simple sentence contains only one independent clause,

but it can have more than one subject or verb:

TWO SUBJECTS: The student and his friend laughted.

TWO VERBS : The student yawned and fell asleep.

COMPOUND SENTENCEA compound sentence has two or more independent clauses that are usually joined by a coordinating conjunction (for,

and, nor, but, or, yet, so):

• Bill felt sick, so he went to a doctor.

• I have a lot of homework, but I am not going to have time to study tonight.

COMPLEX SENTENCE

A complex sentence has an independent clause with one or more dependent clauses (independent clauses are in

italics). Introductory dependent clauses must be followed by commas:

• Since we got to the concert late, we had to make our way to our seats in the dark.

• We left class early so that we could attend a special lecture.