WHAT IS A SENTENCE

A set of words that is complete in itself, typically containing a subject and predicate, conveying a statement, question, exclamation, or command, and consisting of a main clause and sometimes one or more subordinate clauses

Phrase & Clause

A phrase or clause is part of a sentence. This is an example of a sentence: The dog is happy. In this sentence, 'The dog' is the subject, and 'is' is the verb.

Phrase

This is an example of a phrase: The happy dog There is no verb, so we do not know anything about what the happy dog is doing. It is not a sentence.

Clause

A clause is a sentence within a sentence. Example: They milked the cows, and then made cheese and butter.

This sentence has two co-ordinate (~equal) clauses, linked by 'and'.

Parts of Speech
Adjective (easy, happy, good, wonderful, ...) Adverb (easily, happily, well, fast, quickly, ...) Conjunction (and, but, ...) Preposition (in, on, at, ...) Pronoun (he, she, her, him, they, ...) Noun (boy, girl, dog, book, ...) Verb (run, go, eat, sit, ...)

Types of Sentence:
1. 2.

3.

A simple sentence is one clause. The dog is happy. A compound sentence is many clauses. These clauses are joined together with conjunctions, punctuation, or both. The dog is happy, but the cat is sad. A complex sentence is one clause with a relative clause. The dog, which is eating the bone, is happy

Kinds of Sentences
I.

II.

A declarative sentence, or declaration, is the most common type of sentence. It tells something. It ends with a full stop . (The dog is happy.) An interrogative sentence, or question, asks something. It ends with a question mark ? (Is the dog happy?)

Kinds of sentences
III. An exclamatory sentence, or exclamation, says something out of the ordinary. It ends with an exclamation mark ! (That dog is the happiest dog I have ever seen!) IV. An imperative sentence, or command, tells someone to do something. (Give the dog a bone.)

PUNCTUATION

Importance of Punctuation marks

Punctuation marks are the road signs placed along the highway of our communication--to control speeds, provide directions, and prevent headon collisions. A period has the unblinking finality of a red light; the comma is a flashing yellow light that asks us only to slow down; and the semicolon is a stop sign that tells us to ease gradually to a halt, before gradually starting up again

1.End Punctuation
I.
II. III.

A sentence may end with a period (.) A question mark (?) An exclamation point (!).

QUESTION MARK
Use a question mark after direct questions, as in this exchange:

The Grandson: Is this a story book? Grandpa: Yes, it is.

The boy asked if that was a story book.

EXCLAMATION MARK
Exclamation point at the end of a sentence to express strong emotion.

2.COMMA
1.Use a Comma Before a Coordinator Use a comma before a coordinator (and, but, yet, or, nor, for, so) that links two main clause. "You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try." (Beverly Sills)

2. Use a Comma to Separate Items in a Series Use a comma between words, phrases, or clauses that appear in a series of three or more:
"You get injected, inspected, detected, infected, neglected, and selected." (Arlo Guthrie) "It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them." (Mark Twain)

3.Use a Pair of Commas to Set Off Interruptions Use a pair of commas to set off words, phrases, or clauses that interrupt a sentence: "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind. (Rudyard Kipling)

3.COLONS (:)
Use a colon to set off a summary or a series after a complete main clause: It is time for the baby's birthday party: a white cake, strawberry-marshmallow ice cream, and great gifts.

4.DASHES (--)
Use a dash to set off a short summary after a complete main clause: At the bottom of Pandora's box lay the final gift--hope.

We may also use a pair of dashes in place of a pair of commas to set off words, phrases, or clauses that interrupt a sentence with additional-but not essentialinformation.

5.SEMICOLONS (;)
Use a semicolon to separate two main clauses not joined by a coordinating conjunction: Those who write clearly have readers; those who write obscurely have commentators.

6.Apostrophe
1. Use an Apostrophe to Show the Omission of Letters in a Contraction Use the apostrophe to form contractions: I'm (I am) You're (you are) he's (he is) she's (she is) it's* (it is) we're (we are) they're (they are) isn't (is not)

aren't (are not) can't (cannot) don't (do not) who's (who is) won't (will not) Be careful to place the apostrophe where the letter or letters have been omitted, which is not always the same place where the two words have been joined. * Don't confuse the contraction it's (meaning, "it is") with the possessive pronoun its: It's the first day of spring. Our bird has escaped from its cage.

2.Use an Apostrophe with -s for Possessives of Singular Nouns Use an apostrophe plus -s to show the possessive form of a singular noun, even if that singular noun already ends in -s: Harold's crayon my daughter's First Communion Sylvia Plath's poetry Dylan Thomas's poetry today's weather report the boss's problem Star Jones's talk show Victoria Beckham's husband

3.Use an Apostrophe Without -s for Possessives of Most Plural Nouns To form the possessive of a plural noun that already ends in -s, add an apostrophe: the girls' swing set (the swing set belonging to the girls) the students' projects (the projects belonging to the students)

If the plural noun does not end in s, add an apostrophe plus -s:
The

children's toys (the toys belonging to the children) The men's training camp (the training camp belonging to the men

4.Use an Apostrophe with -s When Two or More Nouns Possess the Same Thing When two or more nouns possess the same thing, add an apostrophe plus -s to the last noun listed: Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream Emma and Nicole's school project (Emma and Nicole worked together on the same project)

5. Do Not Use an Apostrophe with Possessive Pronouns Because possessive pronouns already show ownership, it's* not necessary to add an apostrophe: yours his hers its* ours theirs However, we do add an apostrophe plus -s to form the possessive of some indefinite pronouns: anybody's guess one's personal responsibility somebody's wallet

When two or more nouns separately possess something, add an apostrophe to each noun listed:
Tim's

and Marty's ice cream (Each boy has his own ice cream.) Emma's and Nicole's school projects (Each girl has her own project.)

Quotation Marks
Sometimes referred to as quotes or inverted commas, are punctuation marks used in pairs to set off a quotation or a piece of dialogue. Here are five guidelines for using quotation marks effectively. 1. Direct Quotations Use double quotation marks (" ") to enclose a direct quotation: After telling an audience that young people today "think work is a four-letter word," Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said she apologized to her daughter.

Indirect quotations

There are summaries or paraphrases of someone else's words. Do not use quotation marks around indirect quotations: Paul said, "I'm satisfied." Paul said that he was satisfied.

2. Titles
Use double quotation marks to enclose the titles of songs, short stories, essays, poems, and articles. My favorite E. B. Whites essay, "Once More to the Lake," was a letter that White wrote to his brother a week after their mother's death. Do not put quotation marks around the titles of books, newspapers, or magazines; instead, italicize or underline those titles.

3. Quotations Within Quotations

Use

a pair of single quotation marks (' ') to enclose a title, direct quotation, or piece of dialogue that appears within another quotation: Josie once said, "I have never read much poetry, but I love the sonnet 'Be Bop a Lula.'"Notice that two separate quotation marks appear at the end of the sentence: a single mark to close the title and a double mark to close the direct quotation.

4. Commas and Quotation Marks

When a comma or a period appears at the end of a quotation, put it inside the quotation mark: "Gluttony is an emotional disease," Peter DeVries once wrote, "a sign that something is eating us."