Introduction to Sentence Structures Language is made of sounds, words, phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs, and even more complex pieces (such as essays, chapters, and books). GETTING STARTED Choose the underlined part which is grammatically wrong. 54 The readers of the magazine was invited to send letters with their personal information to the magazine office within two weeks A. B. C. D. THE CLAUSE AND PHRASE THE CLAUSE 1. The car was old, but my mom got a good price for it. 2. The children played until their parents arrived. 3. He preferred friends who were loyal. 4. Boonjam baked the bread that she brought to the picnic. 5. Tor didn t stop taking because he was late.
A clause is a that contains a and a. It is used as part of a sentence. There are types of clauses: If I am addicted to drugs, my parents will be disappointed It is a part of a sentence that cannot stand alone and needs to be attached to an independent clause in order to make sense. It is a part of a sentence that is: grammatically independent. It can: stand alone make sense by itself. THE PHRASE Infinitive Phrase To study at Oxforn University is my future goal. Pluemjit like to practice volleyball in her free time. Gerund Phrase Participial Phrase Prepositional Phrase Walking the dog is one of Lucy s daily routine. Yaya enjoys working out at the gym. The man sitting by the window used to be my boyfriend. The man killed by the thief works here. Steve works in dirty fireplaces and chimneys. Helen is the girl in the red dress. A phrase is a having neither subject nor predicate. A phrase does not make a complete statement, is never, and is certainly not. A phrase is only part of a clause or a sentence. A job like this was much harder for workers in the past. Prepositional Phrases PAGE 2
Exercise 1 Direction: Label each of the following passages as I (independent clause), D (dependent clause), or P (phrase). 1. Spring has begun 2. Since their parents died 3. Although Sam is an atheist 4. Follow the main road for a mile 5. Between the two houses 6. Everyone told him to stay home 7. For your country 8. If Mary enrolled in the class 9. You may wish to return the picture today 10. People who attend religious services 11. Begging her love him 12. Flowers blossom 13. Have you seen the five napkins 14. He usually speaks his mind 15. Because she grew up in Poland THE SENTENCE THE SENTENCE A sentence is a group of words that express a complete thought. Every sentence is divisible into two parts a complete subject and a complete predicate. PAGE 3
THE SUBJECT AND PREDICATE Subject of a sentence can always be: a noun a pronoun a gerund an infinitive a noun clause Example Karat Sainampueng All the boys in my class Sleeping for eight hours To learn how to read music What the teacher said Subject The subject tells who or what did something. It is noun or pronoun. Exercise 2 Direction: Underline the simple subject once and the simple predicate twice in each sentence. Identify verb the verb first. To find the subject, ask, Who or what performs the action of the verb? 1. The teacher arrived ten minutes after the class was to begin. 2. Mary believes in the intelligences and honesty of dogs. 3. After seeing the movie twice, Alice was sure that she was in love with Brad Pitt. 4. At the end of the first act, the big star made his appearance. 5. People all over the world expect America to feed them. 6. Ted was elected to run as vice-president. 7. We danced in the hallway, in the cellar, and on the patio. 8. My father, a business consultant, is going to New York on Friday. 9. At the end of the examination, Bill breathed a sigh of relief. loves her husband, Pisut, very much. works very hard. watched Captain American II yesterday. is important to me. requires diligence. is true. Predicate The predicate includes all the words that state the action or condition of the subject. 10. Grace, her voice controlled and her head held high, debated the issues with her rival. 11. SENTENCE TYPES Look and notice the sample sentences below again. PAGE 4
A simple sentence consists of one independent clause that contains one subject and one predicate and expresses one complete thought. In addition, the subject or the predicate or both may be compound. A talented artist drew this cartoon A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses connected by one of the following coordinating conjunctions: FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) He studied hard for the examination, yet he failed. A complex sentence consists of one independent clause to which one or more dependent clauses have been connected. Because life is not perfect, we must expect to find that difficulties will confront us as we attempt to achieve our goals. (THREE S) A compound-complex sentence consists of two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. Exercise 3 Direction: Classify each of the following sentences as (A) simple, (B) compound, (C) complex, or (D) compound-complex. 1. At the end of the day, Alice made an appearance; however, she did not smile once. 2. Because the winter was nearly over, Buapuean arranged to be home with her mother, her grandmother, and her sister. 3. After he had reached the end of the road, Mr.Boonmak began to cross the bridge. 4. Big Tom was dropped from the club after one month of membership; he now is trying out for the swimming team. 5. At the end of the race, Jane let out a yell, for she had finished in third place. 6. In the top drawer, you will find two pairs of old gloves, three torn sweaters, and a yellowed Picture album. 7. After freezing all night, Nancy decided she should have worn a sweater. 8. When my family left for New Orleans, I thought they would return within two weeks; instead, They stayed there a full year. 9. My uncle, a famous poet, gave me a handwritten manuscript and asked me to take care of it. 10. He flew to New York, and she drove to Chicago because she was afraid to fly with him. PAGE 5