SENTENCE PATTERNS
S-V S-V-AC S-V-SC S-V-DO S-V-IO-DO S-V-DO-AC S-V-DO-OC THERE ARE SEVEN BASIC SENTENCE PATTERNS.
S-V Subject-Verb Consists of a noun, pronoun, or other nominal as the subject of the sentence and an intransitive verb or verb phrase as the predicate The horses can swim. I don t feel well today.
S-V-AC Subject-Verb-Adverbial Complement Contains a linking verb and an adverbial complement that modifies the verb Bill is outside the house. The tacos are on the plate.
S-V-SC Subject-Verb-Subject Complement Contains a linking verb followed by a noun serving as a subject complement Janet is the president of the club. Mr. Manatee is my stepfather.
S-V-DO Subject-Verb-Direct Object Contains a transitive verb that takes a direct object Who painted your house? Margaret tasted the tacos.
S-V-IO-DO Subject-Verb-Indirect Object-Direct Object Contains a transitive verb and takes an indirect and direct object The realtor sold us a money pit. Bob asked me a question.
S-V-DO-AC Subject-Verb-Direct Object-Adverbial Complement Contains a transitive verb and takes a direct object and an adverbial complement Example: I put my wallet on the table. Jackson drove me home.
S-V-DO-OC Subject-Verb-Direct Object-Object Complement Contains a transitive verb and takes a direct object and object complement My friends call me Bif. I colored the balloon red.
MORE SENTENCE TYPES Declarative Interrogative Imperative Exclamatory
DECLARATIVE Makes a statement of fact or possibility Represents most sentences Ends with period We traveled through India. I did not order the duck à l orange.
INTERROGATIVE Asks a question Ends with a question mark What happened at the dance? Why didn t you just tell the truth?
EXCLAMATORY Expresses a thought with strong emotion Ends with an exclamation mark What a beautiful day this has been! I can t wait to see you!
IMPERATIVE Makes a request or gives a command Can end with either a period or exclamation mark Bring me a glass of water, please. Hurry up!
PARALLELISM Repetitive elements such as items in a series should be in the same form Repetition of similar grammatical structures Creates a sense of rhythm and emphasis Triathlons include running, swimming, and biking. Politicians rarely acknowledge the problem or propose alternatives.
ANASTROPHE Inversion of the normal syntactic order of words Emphasizes the displaced word or phrase Unexpected construction focuses reader s attention Can sound archaic or formal To the store went we to buy some bread. A puppy do you want for your birthday?
ACTIVE VOICE Subject performs the action of the verb Stronger, more concise construction Use in most situations I ate the tacos. The city controls rents.
PASSIVE VOICE Subject is acted upon Weaker construction Use when the action is more important than the subject or when the subject is unknown. The tacos were eaten by me. Rents are controlled by the city.
APORIA When a speaker expresses doubt (often feigned) about his or her position or asks the audience rhetorically how he or she should proceed Engages the reader in the writer s internal struggle and dilemma I am at a loss for words. How shall I begin?
EPISTROPHE Repetition of the same word or words at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences (opposite of anaphora) Places emphasis on the last word of the sentence, which causes the reader to neglect less pertinent information that may have preceded "...and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth." Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address Where affections bear rule, there reason is subdued, honesty is subdued, good will is subdued, and all things else that withstand evil, for ever are subdued. Thomas Wilson
ANAPHORA Repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of several consecutive sentences or verses to underline an image or a concept Places emphasis on the first word(s) of the sentence, which causes the reader to neglect less pertinent information that may follow Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition! William Shakespeare We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender. Winston Churchill
POLYSYNDETON Use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted Used to slow the rhythm of prose and can add an air of solemnity to a passage He ran and jumped and laughed for joy. "I said, 'Who killed him?' and he said 'I don't know who killed him, but he's dead all right,' and it was dark and there was water standing in the street and no lights or windows broke and boats all up in the town and trees blown down and everything all blown and I got a skiff and went out and found my boat where I had her inside Mango Key and she was right only she was full of water. Ernest Hemingway, After the Storm
ASYNDETON Deliberate omission of conjunctions in a series Has the effect of speeding up the rhythm of a passage and making a single idea more memorable "...that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty." John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961. "...and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth." Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
LANGUAGE ACTIVITY A3 Due Thursday, 12/6 Type, double space, underline vocab words, and identify sentence pattern. Apply the grammar lesson by using each word from List 3 in a different sentence pattern. You may use the vocab words in any order, but please use the following sentence patterns in order: 1. S-V 2. S-V-AC 3. S-V-SC 4. S-V-DO 5. S-V-IO-DO 6. S-V-DO-AC 7. S-V-DO-OC 8. declarative 9. interrogative 10. exclamatory 11. imperative 12. parallel structure 13. anastrophe 14. active voice 15. passive voice 16. aporia 17. epistrophe 18. anaphora 19. polysyndeton 20. asyndeton